Author Luzdy Rivera

Hey there creative minds!

I can picture you... Your mind is full of projects and ideas, you have your reference image at hand, you are creating a mental picture of what the painting could look like, you know what kind of mood you would like that painting to evoke, but then you pause and think… what is going to be my color plan for this?

How do I select the colors that will be harmonious and make sense with my vision?! 

No Secrets here

We’ve all experienced that freezing moment where we have a clear idea in our mind but struggle a bit to translate it into a painting. Great news is, we do not keep secrets! I'm going to share one of my secrets to easily create a color plan to achieve that feeling and mood you want in your painting- and the great thing is that we have a class called Color and Mood – Split Complementary Palettes with in-depth details and how to for these steps! 

Step One: Color is powerful! 

Color is a communication tool! 
It can influence mood, and even influence physiological responses. Ok, so what is the first step? Understanding what the color means to you and how it makes you feel, knowing that your feelings about color are mostly personal and rooted in your own experience or culture.

So, if you are hoping a color will achieve a certain feeling dig a little bit about what the common interpretation and feeling is for that color in a different culture!

Here's a fun chart about colors around the world to spark more ideas and inspiration. 

(Image Source: https://cdn.lifehack.org/wp-content/uploads/2013/12/colors-around-the-world_52964efc6ad1a_w1500.jpg)

Step Two: The Color Wheel is your best friend! 

There are around 7 mayor color schemes of the color wheel that you can select from (complementary, monochromatic, analogous, split-complementary, tetrad, triadic and square).

Using a color scheme can help you to quickly narrow down color selection! And you may be thinking, but what are they and how do I try one? In an online class that I teach at Bold School, I explain in detail one that is called Split-Complementary, which gives you great harmony with a touch of contrast to your paintings! 

Step Three: Experiment, practice and have fun! 

Once you understand how to use a color scheme, you will be able to create many different color palettes and create a mood using those guiding principles for your color plan!

How can you learn? 

Learn how to balance colors, I share my tools for getting proportion and perspective right, working loose and creating your personal magic and much more!

> Come and join my class at Bold School and start making amazing palettes right away!

Be Bold, Be Brave and Show your Colors!
- Luzdy