How to be Intimate With Your Colors & Why | Part 1 With Carol A McIntyre

Which paint brush is your favorite and why? And which group of brushes would you grab if you suddenly needed to evacuate? Like me, you may also have your favorite palette knife or two. Isn’t it interesting how you have tools in your paint box that are like your best friends? Sometimes you may go to great lengths to glue and tape them so that they last longer. Just like a professional tennis player is lost without their specific racket and string, you have your tools that you cannot live without.


When it comes to our favorite substrates — be it paper, board or canvas — you probably have this established as well. It took some trial and error and many paintings to accomplish. It feels good to know your favorites – which to buy, which to ignore.


The  other “tool” that is in your cache is one that I have noticed gets overlooked too often. I am referring to that other bunch of stuff in your painter’s box — your tubes of paint! Sure, you have a few favorite colors, but do you know why they are your favorites or do you just use them because it is a habit? I am always surprised to learn that many painters do not know their colors intimately.


 If I picked up a tube out of your box and asked you, “What are the properties of this color, would you be able to tell me?”



My suspicion is that your tubes of paint are feeling neglected — poor things — and that they are not as intimately known as your brushes or substrates. However, they are just as important. It is similar to a cook knowing her knives, spatulas, pans, cooking surface, etc., and not knowing her ingredients. Yikes, I am not sure I would want to eat from that kitchen, would you?

How do You Get to Know Your Colors Well?

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         "ACRYLIC COLOR MIXING MADE EASY"

How Do I Make a Subject Look 3-Dimensional? Color Tip by Carol A. McIntyre

 You paint on a two dimensional surface, yet you want to make a subject look 3-dimensional, how  can  you do this?

 How many colors do you need to accomplish this?

 Perhaps, you have a yummy ripe red pepper you want to paint, how do you convince the viewer that  it is three-dimensional? Or how do you make that storming cloud billow? Or that boulder carry its  mass? Or that nose to bend?

We painters work on a two-dimensional surfaces – canvas, board, paper – yet many of us rally to the challenge of creating a sense of three-dimension on this flat surface. I know that I love projecting a sense of dimension in my paintings.

What do we need to do to ‘sell’ this idea to the viewer?

Line and iconic shapes – such as an apple or a daisy – play a role in creating a sense of dimension. See the apple line drawing below as an example. This is one approach, but in my mind, not convincing. It requires some knowledge of color and a willingness to mix colors to make a subject look 3-dimentional.

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 Click HERE to view a video of the progression of a commissioned painting.

 Click HERE to read about or purchase Carol's new VIDEO!! 

         "ACRYLIC COLOR MIXING MADE EASY"