I read Grit by Angela Duckworth, and it encouraged me to "Zero in on specific weaknesses and drill them relentlessly." I want to gain mastery of color, so I'm zeroing in on color theory and drilling it relentlessly.
In order to do that, I read about the color wheel and making color palettes. Here is simple yet effective advice.
For the first drills, I started with Primary colors (red, yellow, blue) and Secondary colors (green, orange, violet). The "Main" colors.
Now I am doing the Tertiary colors, the colors between the "Main" colors. I am only doing one color at a time, aka a Monochromatic color scheme.
Tertiary colors are more subtle, usually being influenced by the colors around them. Some common examples are Turquoise, a Blue-Green, and Maroon, a dark Red-Violet.
Today I am doing Blue-Green and using this advice.
Here is my "Most, some, a bit" palette.
Next, I'm doing a challenge from design school. To start we pick four colors, and I have chosen four colors from the palette.
We were assigned to accurately transition from one color to the other, choosing the correct colors by eye. This improves our ability to see subtle differences in color and become better at choosing them. This is my attempt at transitioning between colors.
For comparison to how accurate I was, this is the mathematically "proper" transition done by the computer. Can you spot any differences?
Finally, I want to have some fun, so I'm going to color in a coloring book.
To color this in, I will be applying the palette colors in their "most, some, a bit" amounts. Can you see where each color fits in?
Note: The color palette isn't entirely accurate. Why? Because I'm learning! The shadows on her Mask, Cape, Boots & Gloves is chosen from the mathematically "proper" transition, top right 2nd down. The shadows in her hair and utility belt are a color outside the palette.
Final notes: While I stand strong in my convictions and say "I know what's going on," I also like to completely let go. I like to pretend I know nothing, that I don't know best, and listen to others with a childlike ear.
Tune in next time!
-Grahamicus
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