Tip of the Month - December 2001

After looking at warm/cool relationships, their importance becomes evident. But, the physical mixing of warm/cool colors results in semi-neutral or neutral colors. You may call them MUD. I do not. I find these neutrals to be useful for enhancing the beauty of chromatic colors.

If you are aiming for a look that does not have neutrals, but you want to mix warm/cool colors, you should be thinking GRADATION. Gradation is gradual change and it is used to slow movement within a composition & to create volume. Gradation is a step by step change. In value, think of the gray scale.

To see gradation in color, look at the color wheel & follow the colors around the wheel - to the left or to the right.

To mix your warm/cool colors, paint interim or intermediate colors between the chosen warm/cool combo.

In other words, create a gradual color change from warm to cool or cool to warm.


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