Yurmby Colour Wheel

I feel that art theory can be pretty confusing. You're trying to express your thoughts and feelings through a creation all while you try to remember some "rules" that you haven't quite grasped yet. That's how I feel nevertheless. However I've discovered a colour wheel I think will be a big help for me: the Yurmby colour wheel.

I painted this colour wheel myself and it's not spot on but it will definitely still be helpful. You might have noticed that this colour wheel isn't like the classic one. The so called primary and secondary colours aren't on their "right" places. This colour wheel therefore won't help you in the sense of colour mixing but it will help you create beautiful colour palettes for your paintings. 

The way to do this is by choosing some colours for your painting and with these limit your palette. I just choose some random colours and limited the colour wheel to see how it would look. 

Once you've decided on the part of the colour wheel you'll be using it's time to name some new primaries and secondaries. The corners of your limited area are now your primary colours and the colours opposite are now your secondaries. The colour in the very middle of your triangle is your neutral colour. Even though it might be a purple or green this colour will now look neutral in your painting.

You can use these limited palettes to create beautiful artworks with a simple colour range. Paintings with a simple colour combination are often more appealing than paintings that are too busy plus it's easier to handle. It's a win win.

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Gouache: Schmincke

First Time Plein Air Painting

For a very long time I've been dreaming about painting outside in nature. That dream finally came true.

Painting outside from observation sure isn't easy but even though you have no idea what you're doing it's terribly hard to get frustrated. The fresh air, birdsong and the occasional curious passersby creates a wonderful atmosphere where frustration is long gone. 

I was quite surprised with myself; it was my very first time painting plein air and somehow I had everything I needed. I was certain that I would find my spot, unpack and be about to start just to realise that I had forgotten something as crucial as paint. Oh well, I'll have plenty of opportunities to do that some other time.

It started to rain which was very fortunate because I had bitten off more than I could chew. For this little plein air study I used a limited palette of gouache: cadmium yellow hue, ultramarine deep, burnt sienna and titanium white. It was really helpful to only have three colours to work with because it simplified the whole process. 

My body is already aching to get out there and explore plein air painting some more.

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Pochade pocket box: Guerrilla Painter

Sketchbook: Pink Pig

Gouache: Schmincke