Hey art lovers! My tip today is all about creating visual interest by adding unexpected touches of color. Check this out: which of these balls capture your visual interest the most? Of course, I would hope you say the one on the right.

Why would that be? The ball on the left side is a straight red ball with white and black touches.

The ball on the right has oranges, yellow and purples involved in it – but still reads as a red ball. On the light side of the ball, where the brighter colors are, I use analogous colors ranging from the reds, oranges, and yellows. If you’re wondering what Analogous colors are, check out my art tip post here. The same applies for the shadow side of the ball, using the violets, blues, and blue-green. Just remember that on the shadow side of the ball, colors are toned down, so be careful not to use too many colors because then it will look busy. The colors in the shadow must not compete with the intensity of the bright side.

We can bring visual interest to our work by adding additional variations of color rather than just using a straight black or white.

No matter what the color is, by broadening our color palette, we can make it visually interesting. You can do this with green by adding a dab of blue or maybe little touches of red, for example. This green ball has a range of colors from greens, yellows, and oranges on the light side; then to blues, violets, and reds on the shadow side of the ball. Think of them as reflective colors in the shadows and highlights that bring extra interest.

To see how I apply this concept, check out this piece titled “Jerusalem Arches.” I could have used all brown or tan to create the walls and architecture. Instead, I infused it with bold touches of color to build layers of depth and vitality. My painting “Jerusalem Arches“ is an example of how adding unexpected touches of color can heighten visual interest.

As you go around the color wheel, look for more interesting ways to pull in other colors, while still conveying the main color that you’re painting. These principles are used in every aspect of design where color is applicable. So give that a try and let me know how it works for you! You can share your experience on my YouTube channel or Facebook Page.

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To be a great artist having a complete understanding of how color works is key, and we’ve got answers!

What Are Complimentary Colors?

Hi everyone, so glad you’re joining me! We are going to learn about complementary colors through the use of a simple gel filter sheet over a light, to see what it teaches us about those complements. First of all, what are complementary colors?

Well, they are the colors that are completely opposite each other on a color wheel. For example, as you can see in the image above, blue is opposite orange, green is opposite red, and yellow from violet. So when we see two colors across from each other, we know that they work together, or complement.

In addition, they can cancel out each others intensity. When you mix the opposite colors together, they begin to grey each other down. That’s a good way of toning down color. Let’s look at the light test and see what it reveals to us about complementary colors.

Experimenting with Light and Colored Gel Sheets

We are going to use light and put a gel filter sheet in front of it to see what happens in the shadows. This will teach us a little about the color opposites. Using this red tone gel (in double thickness to make it easier to see) in front of a light shows us something interesting:

Let’s look at this up against the color wheel with the red gel underneath. The bottom right hand side is the full color, and the top right hand side is where I pale it down to be as close to the light demonstration as possible. So what are we seeing here? The shadow appears greenish because of the reddish light, which is a natural opposite as we see it on the color wheel. When you look at reds on the wheel, the colors across from them are greenish tones; likewise, light takes on that natural complementary response.

Now we are going to use this yellow gel:

I’ll put it in front of the light. What color does the shadow become? Once again, we have the gel under the color wheel at bottom right in its natural color, and I pale it down on the top right, to match as closely as possible to the light demonstration on the left.

Notice that the shadow appears to be a violet color, which is a natural opposite of the yellow. Amazing!

How about a reddish-purplish gel?

Let’s put it in front of the light:

As before, I have my color wheel over the reddish violet gel on the bottom right, which is full natural color. The top right is as close to the light as possible. Now look at the shadow: it has that yellow-green look to it, exactly the opposite as we see on the color wheel.

Principle Revealed in Nature

Now that’s a fascinating phenomena – and it’s in nature all around us! However, we don’t always think about it.

The sky:

The flowers:

The insects:

Certain animals:

This principle of light and color is everywhere! Therefore, if nature calls for it, then our paintings call for it as well. We can apply that to our artwork. We can learn from it. Let’s emphasize it and become more conscientious as we make designs, colors, and moods.

My painting “Sunset Falls” utilizes complementary colors in the glow reflected from the sky to the shadows on the falls. Buy this print or browse more paintings in the Shop. If you find this interesting, please subscribe for more. Hope to see you next time!

NEXT | Learn how to add visual interest with touches of color in my post here.

For those of you new to art, wondering what analogous colors are? Simply put, I’m teaching you how to use colors that are adjacent on the color wheel to increase your understanding of how color works in art.

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Learning How To Use Analogous Colors

Last week I wrote about “How To Paint With A Limited Palette”. If you haven’t read it, you’ll want to start go back and read that first to better understand why you should use analogous colors.

In that article I encourage artists to challenge themselves by limiting the color palette used. One of the ways to accomplish that is by using a color wheel. So today I want to share some tips on how to paint with analogous colors using a color wheel as your guide.

Using The Color Wheel To Find Analogous Colors

I love utilizing a color wheel – it’s a tool no artist should be without. It helps me keep colors within a certain range for a harmonious look. Different types of color combinations that you can create with a color wheel are monochromatic, triadic, complementary, analogous, and orderly.

I love utilizing a color wheel – it’s a creative tool no artist or maker should be without

In this case, we’re using analogous or adjacent colors as another way of limiting your palette. By choosing no more than five consecutive colors from the wheel, you can keep them visually close to each other to create the look you want for your painting.

Using Analogous Colors to Convey Emotion or Mood

Check out this example my painting entitled  Encroaching Fall  with the reds removed. The range of colors represented here goes from blue, blue green, green, to yellow-green, and yellow on the color wheel. These analogous colors keep the painting visually simple, making it more restful to the eye. Notice how keeping a narrow range can help you define what emotions are being expressed through your art.

As you can see, Encroaching Fall, which is mostly a variety of greens is restful; similarly, blue can become romantic, reds can be passionate and stimulating. So think about what mood you want to express before you begin painting, to help guide your choice of color. You can even do thumbnail mock-ups to help determine where you want to go with it. Of course, the contrast of light and dark in a painting will help with the overall feel and final result.

Finally, it’s good to know how to limit your palette to push yourself as an artist, and hopefully learn a lot of interesting things as you do. If you don’t have a color wheel, you will definitely want to add one to your collection. Below I’m sharing a few options for purchase online.

Check out these Color Wheels on Amazon or click the images below to shop:

Try it! Or, better yet, if you’re a fan of DIY, making your own color wheel is the surest way to learn how to mix colors and discover the subtle nuances that you can get in the process.

Give that a try and let me know how using analogous colors works for you, by commenting on my YouTube channel or Facebook page. Stay creative!