The above colours were all made using the same three primary colours, plus white in some cases. One of my very favourite things about painting is choosing a colour scheme and colour mixing (also, paint-splattered aprons, the smell of Indian ink, and glee-inducing art supplies stores). I often say that painting for me is really just an excuse to continue “colouring-in”.

However, when I think about how many shades of red, yellow, and blue there are and that each can be mixed in different combinations with each other I feel completely overwhelmed and wonder how I’m ever going to find my optimal palette. So I limit the possibilities into bite-size pieces and take one yellow and blue and red at a time. I also enjoy the harmonious effect mixing all my colours from only three primaries creates. I record the colour results, step-by-step, in my little book of colours so I can discover and perfect my colour palette over time.

If you think this colour recipe thing is pretty groovy, I’d be very grateful if you’d share the love by pinning it, or sharing it on Twitter or Facebook using the thingamajig below. Thank you!

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My ascetic nature bleeds over into my relationship with art supplies, which is the area in which I find it most punishing to be my naturally ascetic self. When I recently found that I couldn’t get a desired effect with my beloved PanPastels and that I’d need to buy something more suitable to the task at hand it felt like a little failure. As if I should be able to “make-do” with the art supplies I have. Having accepted that I needed to buy a set of pastel pencils, I proceeded to spend the rest of the next day trying every which way to make my PanPastels do something they’re clearly not designed to do. Just to be sure, you know.

Now that I’ve begun incorporating Ranger Distress Inks into my work more, I also decided it might be time to splurge a little and expand on my current burgeoning collection of 3 colours. I’m not even going to admit to how long I spent choosing between the trio sets of both Distress Inks and Distress Stains in order to ensure I obtained the maximum amount of my favourite colours, whilst still remaining within my self-imposed quantity limit. I have no good reason for this behaviour other than to reiterate: It. Is. In. My. Bones.

Despite my deeply pathological thought processes, I now have some much needed and cherished new art supplies and I’m as gleeful as an ascetic monk clutching a modest amount of shiny new calligraphy pens in his hermit cave.

Do you have two seemingly clashing character traits that intermingle in surprising ways? If you were to write this post, what would your title be?

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When I was still under the delusion that the package was going to arrive in a sane time, I decided to just bum around until it arrived instead of beginning something new. You see, when it comes to making art I’m a serial monogamist. The danger in starting work on a new piece before I’ve finished with the old is that I’ll lose all interest in the works I haven’t yet finished and become infatuated with the shiny new toy. Once it became clear that something had gone terribly wrong with the postal process however, I whipped out the sketchbook and also played with my new distress inks a little bit. There are only so many nazi zombies a girl can kill.

Between this and the painting that I worked for almost three weeks on and then decided to scrap, art productivity levels this year have been an Epic Fail.

If you’d like to volunteer your services and art supplies to Operation Pigment Pusher, just leave your details in the comments below and I’ll forward you the coordinates for the drop. I’ll supply the cake.

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All rights reserved — Leontine Greenberg

You can check out Leontine’s blog, follow her on Twitter, find her on Flickr, or friend her on Facebook.

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Some Back Story

Last year, I decided to focus on just two techniques. Having done that, I decided I’d do something similar this year and add a few more things to my toolbox. This time around, instead of experimenting with a new technique or medium, I’ve decided to experiment *within* my current repertoire of techniques.

That is, I’m still focusing on combining Ranger’s Distress Inks with PanPastels, and dry brushing with acrylics, but I’m doing things differently and playing. I’ve made a ginormous list of new things to try in combination with my old tricks. I love making lists. I think I’ve got enough material on that list to keep me experimenting right throughout the year.

Thoughts on Working in a Series

Apart from a half-hearted attempt to focus on a subject matter last year, this is my first real, grown-up attempt at working on a cohesive body of work. I’m 2 months in so far and I’m loving it! Specifically:

• I’m enjoying having a “routine”, if you will. When I sit down to dream up a new painting, there are some cozy parameters in place. Even so…
• Within those parameters are an endless array of variations on the theme, which I’m excited to have the opportunity to fully explore.
• I’m enjoying the sense of security it provides. Working in a series takes the pressure off because I know this isn’t the only version of this particular subject matter I’ll ever produce. It’s one of many and if I think of something I wish I’d done differently or get a belated bolt of inspiration, I know I’ll have an opportunity to run with it next time around.
• Coming up with a novel idea for a painting every time I begin a new one is taxing. If I don’t quite feel up to it, it can sap the fun out of it a little. Also, once I have brainstormed several novel ideas, choosing which one to go with is always agonising. Painting is time consuming (at least, the way I do it is). So choosing between several ideas that excite me feels like a heavy commitment. Now I get to skip this step, draw whatever variation on the theme that takes my fancy at that particular moment and go straight to the playing-around-with-my-pretty-art-supplies part.

Next Time Around

In Part 2 I’ll begin showing you the fun new techniques I’m experimenting with!

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I’m also experimenting with colour. I’ve never used blue much at all before as it’s never been one of my favourite colours. However, this particular shade of blue used in combination with sepia and dark brown shades grabbed my eye via some Pinterest eye candy. I’ve really been enjoying laying down big swathes of it.

At the same time, I’m really missing my comfy, familiar techniques. I’m considering doing a few pieces to indulge my yearning to get back to them.

I’ll talk a bit more about how I’m shaking things up over here in Studio Nettle next Wednesday!

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Sometimes, I struggle with painting so much I don’t enjoy it.

Then, I feel guilty about not enjoying it.

I wonder when the day will come that I can consistently pull-off paintings without major learning curves to climb.

I wonder how much more progress other artists would have made given the same amount of time that I’ve had to develop my skills.

In the same breath I admonish myself for not simply enjoying the process with no thought for the final product, and then wonder how anyone can make anything of quality this way.

I worry about how much paint I’m going through without results.

Valerie talked about being fixated on being best at what she’d decided to be best in yet realising that she wants a simple life. That she doesn’t really want a name, or to be great. That she just wants to be happy.

I don’t know how I feel about that but I do know that I don’t want my happiness to be contingent upon how well I smeared some paint onto canvas on any given day. I want to be able to laugh it off, learn something, and carry on. I need to disentangle my sense of self-worth from skills I have mastered (or am yet to master).

Upon the advice of a much trusted artist friend, I’ve started reading “The War of Art” by Steven Pressfield. I’ve only read the introduction and already I’m thinking, “I need some of what this guy’s got going on”. He says that at the end of the day he doesn’t even think about whether or not the work he’s produced is any good!

If you can relate to any of this, maybe you’d like to read “The War of Art” along with me. If not, do share your secret in the comments!

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• Paper n Stitch is a blog that promotes artists & makers of all things handmade and they want you to tell them about your shop!
• Very cleverly illustrated talk by Sir Ken Robinson on the need for an education revolution.
• Because I can’t get enough of ceramics.
• One of my favourite Wade Robson choreographed dances.
• Have you heard of Tiny Song? So handy when there’s a song you want to listen to in full but don’t necessarily want to buy (yet).
• Listen to audiobooks for free next time you’re in the studio.

Happy interweb meanderings!

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What I didn’t mention at the time is that when I first started out I absolutely showed my partner the little creations I was proud as punch of… and was shattered when he couldn’t muster up what I considered to be the appropriate level of enthusiasm.

As an artist, you need to begin cultivating an inner source of validation for your work as soon as possible (and as a human being but that’s a tad beyond the scope of this post). When we seek support from friends and family for our artwork without a strong internal source of validation, we’re in trouble. There are many vast and varied reasons why you might not receive the support you think a loved one should show for your work, which are entirely independent of the worthiness of your art.

If they’re not already enthusiastic about your work and your plans for it, it’s not your job to win them over. Work to impress yourself. I adore this fierce statement of self-belief and independence of spirit from an artist I follow on Twitter:

“My art is just what I think art should look like. Feel free to make your own.” — @ArtistJV

The very special group of people who agree that your art is what art should look like might not include your partner or your mum, and that’s okay.

In an ideal world, we’d all have a nest of kindred-spirits to snuggle up with and talk about our soul-projects to with wild abandon. I do believe it’s important to put tendrils out into the universe, and be as authentic as we can whilst doing so, in order to find these rare folk. In the meantime however, let’s:

• Find a way to give ourselves what we’re looking for in others.
• Recognise that some folk in our lives can’t give us what we need in this area.
• Let them and ourselves off the hook and stop expecting to get what it is you’re looking for from those quarters, and
• Give others what we ourselves are in search of (because it’s a nice thing to do).

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This listing of online colour mixing resources is made up of the things I found most helpful during my recent frenzy of research on the topic.

• Everything you ever wanted to know about black paint and how to make it.
• An introduction to colour bias — this was a flipping revelation!
• An excellent general colour mixing guide from Golden with some fun colour recipes using combinations you might not have thought to try.

After going through these resources (and plenty more) I have a lot to go on with and won’t be doing any further reading until I’ve experimented a bit. I did come across quite a few recommendations for books on the topic, however, which I made a note of for future me. Of all the books I saw recommended, these are the ones which made it to my “to-read” list:

“Color Choices: Making Color Sense Out of Color Theory” by Stephen Quiller

A very enticing synopsis states this book: “shows readers how to discover their own personal “color sense”… a book that offers readers a fresh perspective on perfecting their own color styles.”

“Colour” by Victoria Finlay

The history of colours. Not something I’d read cover-to-cover but it would be fun to dip in and out of, gathering arcane tidbits here and there.

“Blue and Yellow Don’t Make Green: Or How to Mix the Color You Want-Every Time” by Michael Wilcox

If colour bias was a revelation to you too, this might tickle your fancy.

Finding quality resources online invariably involves wading through some chaff, so I hope this resource took some of the pain out of it for you.

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