Mixed Media Color Studio Review & GIVEAWAY

Find color! This is Mixed Media Color Studio: Explore Modern Color Theory to Create Unique Palettes and Find Your Creative Voice by Kellee Wynne Conrad. Take an in depth look at modern color through a series of practical exercises and projects using acrylic paint. Learn about color by playing with color. Modern color is defined as a base palette of primary cyan, primary magenta, and primary yellow (CMY). This palette offers an incredible array of colors that you cannot get by mixing traditional colors. In Chapter 1 Kellee reviews the mixed media supplies she uses. This includes acrylic paint, acrylic mediums, brushes, mark-making tools, collage elements and substrates. To do the color exercises and projects in this book you'll need, minimally, a few tubes of acrylic paint (3 primary colors and white), something to paint on and a brush or two. She encourages resourcefulness. If you don't have a listed tool or material substitute or adapt. The exercises in Chapter 2 show you how to uncover your signature color palette and discover new ones. Kellee shares her 5 color principles and talks about her one guiding rule of design - variation. Chapter 3 is packed with color mixing exercises starting with a color wheel warm up. Experiment with the CMY modern color palette and more. Luscious paint color swatches and mixes are found throughout. Put it all together in Chapter 4 and make some art. Twelve mixed media projects explore painting styles, techniques and color. Each step-by-step project has a focus - complementary colors, value, range, grays and saturation. The following colors are highlighted - green, blue, orange, purple, red, black and yellow. Several guest artists are featured. If you want to master color get this book! I've never used acrylics before but this book makes me want to. It's a wonderful modern color adventure. See excerpts and the complete table of contents below. Quarry Books released the 128 page paperback ‏on August 24, 2021. A Kindle edition is available. Get your copy below!

I N T R O D U C T I O N

How I Found Color

1

SUPPLIES

My Favorite Supplies For Making a Colorful Impact

2

DISCOVERING YOUR SIGNATURE COLOR PALETTE

A GUIDE TO CREATING YOUR PERSONAL COLOR PALETTE

Palette Collecting Exercises

Kellee's Five Color Principles

My One Guiding Rule of Design: Variation is the Key

3

MODERN COLOR THEORY

LET'S EXPERIMENT WITH COLOR

Color Wheel Warm-Up

The Benefits of Making Mud

Color Has Value

Color Proportion

Alternative Primaries

Color Mixing Experiments

4

PALETTES AND PROJECTS

Lesson 1: 

COMPLEMENTARY SUCCESS

Project: Painted Postcards

Lesson 2:

FROM DARK TO LIGHT

Project: Abstract Landscape

Lesson 3:

HIGH-KEY/LOW-KEY

Project: Moody Abstracts

Lesson 4:

COLORFUL NEUTRALS

Project: Architectural Arches

Lesson 5:

CHROMA POP

Project: Painted Portal

Lesson 6:

TRICKY GREENS

Project: Dynamic Landscape

Lesson 7:

INFINITE BLUES

Project: Small Seascapes

Lesson 8:

TAMING THE WILD ORANGE

Project: Abstract Florals

Lesson 9:

ROYAL PURPLE

Project: Mixed Media Landscape

Lesson 10:

A THIMBLE OF RED

Project: Abstract Garden

Lesson 11:

BLACK AS A COLOR

Project: Mixed Media Florals

Lesson 12:

YELLOW ON TOP

Project: Mixed Media Abstract Botanical

GUEST ARTISTS

Alice Sheridan

Priscilla George

Laly Mille

Ange Miller

Regina Lord

Becca Bastion Lee

Melissa Doty

Final Thoughts

Acknowledgements

About the Author

Index

How I Found Color

Creating a Color Wheel

SUPPLIES

Oh, the thrill of walking into an art supply store and seeing all those pretty paint tubes lined up, calling to you to bring them home. But before you blow your budget, consider a few things: You don’t have to have it all. A few tubes of paint, a surface to paint on, and a brush or two will give you a good start. I suggest using a variety of materials for the projects in this book, but I encourage you to be resourceful. Adapt with what you have on hand, substitute when possible, and be innovative with your supplies. If you are interested in learning about art supplies, we’ll review the possibilities in this chapter.

DISCOVERING YOUR SIGNATURE COLOR PALETTE

Color is part of my identity as an artist. I’ll bet that if you looked at your work, you would see a color pattern as well. When you paint, do you have a go-to palette or know how to identify one that is materializing as your own signature color combination? A golden thread runs through your work and your life, and it’s the key to your own signature color palette. The best way to discover your signature color palette is to see the world with wonder. Figure out what lights your soul on fire and then embrace your natural path toward creative expression. Soon you will see color combinations everywhere you go that you simply can’t resist.

MODERN COLOR THEORY

Previously, color theory included hues such as ultramarine blue, cadmium red, and cadmium yellow. The newer colors of phthalo, quinacridone, and azo yellow are synthetic hues not found in nature and have revolutionized the way we create because they offer an incredible array of colors that you can’t get using the traditional color palette. Many artists have moved over to new and exciting possibilities with modern synthetic colors. This is where modern color theory comes into play. For printing and graphics, and now on your canvas, you can use primary cyan, primary magenta, and primary yellow. Let’s take a deep dive together into a whole new world of modern color theory.

PALETTES AND PROJECTS

One of the greatest pleasures in working with mixed media is that painting in layers is forgiving. You can correct mistakes and adjust your work along the way by experimenting with different mediums and mark-making tools. Be creative in your approach—use what you have—and substitutions are allowed. Nothing is a mistake in the process of making art. If something doesn’t go as planned, consider it serendipity, a chance to discover something unexpected in making your most authentic artwork.

TRICKY GREENS | PROJECT: DYNAMIC LANDSCAPE

In this lesson, you’ll see how a green-centric painting compares with one that is balanced with other colors and more natural hues of green. When painting landscapes, many of my students are inclined to use a bright St. Patrick’s Day green right out of the tube or mix a similar super-saturated color. To create a dynamic and interesting landscape, more variety is needed. That’s why we’re going to push the range of hues we use and include complementary colors.

INFINITE BLUES | PROJECT: SMALL SEASCAPES

This lesson will not only expose you to myriad blue hues, but it will also bolster your acrylic painting practice. If you don’t have a million blues like I do, return to the color wheel warm-up lesson (see page 36) and mix a variety of blues using the modern primaries. Once you have a nice selection, begin playing with paint and create these lovely small seascapes.

YELLOW ON TOP | PROJECT: MIXED MEDIA ABSTRACT BOTANICAL

Let’s get wild with our biggest project. This is a great opportunity to try out any of the mixed media techniques or ideas that we’ve covered, and we’ll see what happens when we bring it all together into one big yellow phenomenon. Don’t hesitate to make it your own!

The modern CMY color base.

Photo I took of part of back cover.

Get your copy of Mixed Media Color Studio at Amazon Canada and Amazon USA. The Quarto Publishing Group has generously offered to giveaway a copy! One winner will be selected at random. Open until May 14, 2022. Canadian and USA addresses only. Good luck! 

a Rafflecopter giveaway