Learning This Could Instantly Improve the Colors in Your Paintings

[@allenvoss7977]

in fact, I’ve just simplified my life with red, yellow, blue, burnt Umber and white. I use blue and burnt Umber as my darkening color, white and yellow as my lightning color . life is so much simpler , as long as your values are dead on you’re OK if your colors off a little

[@mcdonalds1499]

good for you

[@Handles-R-Lame]

Did someone say influenced by Mark Carder? Lol it's all good because Mark is a beast at painting... anyways. Lets hope you dont have a deep turquoise, heavily saturated red/oranges or need truly transparent glazes. Limited pallettes are great for paintings that dont require the need for overly chromatic colors like still lifes and some portraits. Landscapes can have the appearance of being too dark, same goes for some still lifes and portraits.. I think limited pallettes with the addition of similarly necessary chromatic colors makes the perfect range of colors to mix from. Even temperature palletes expand the painters range. Limited pallettes are still great nevertheless as it simplifies color mixing to its most base form..

[@joshuaelek]

Try swapping cyan for blue, and magenta for red. Just as an experiment.

[@DaphneeLajoie]

@@allenvoss7977 Influence by Mark Carder. Look at the new colour wheel

[@r34ct4]

Mark Carder I see O_O. His tutorials are for Oil paints, does it work the same for Acrylic?

[@stevenshackelford1937]

Fantastic. Please do more along this line. AND, IF POSSIBLE... COULD YOU DO A VIDEO ON THE COLOR TEMPERATURES?. Again, TYTY

[@grace_eahh]

without exaggerating, this 23 minute video concisely summarized an entire semester of color theory classes for me. absolutely mind blown at how crystal clear everything was made out to be ~ i literally had an aha moment where i felt my brain expanding 🫡💕 this video is already stored away in my saved folder

[@debbieinitaly]

@@grace_eahh oh my goodness!!! YEESSSSSSS!!! My mind is blown 14 min into this video! @FlorentFargus-arts you are a GENIUS. THANK YOU!! 🫡😵🤯😘😘😘

[@careywanabe]

I have watched a read quite a few color theories and no one has explained it like this. Makes so much more sense.

[@FlorentFargesarts]

Thanks 😉✨🎨🖌️

[@dianepetzold1523]

This is simply one of the most helpful explanations of color mixing for value I've ever seen. You've illustrated it perfectly. The combination of visuals and charts along with your descriptions just makes it all click. Thank you!!!

[@FlorentFargesarts]

You're very welcome!

[@paintingsofwaves_mikewoning]

Agree!

[@Waigwe_Nyoike]

Absolutely

[@FeschaRocka]

Wow thank you for this insight. I‘ve never really thought about color that way

[@toshabeans]

I love color theory! I remember figuring out that orange plus white doesn't just equal light orange. And specific pigments make such a big difference too, like how not every red plus blue make the same purple, or how some paints that include a white pigment or filler will dull the hue you're going for. I would say that understanding these things have pretty much revolutionized my experience of painting

[@nelsonx5326]

Yes. Something I discovered trying to match colors when I was sign painting. I had to mix up a kind of ugly pea green. I finally matched the color when I realized it was a WARM pea green. I believe some black pigments to be warm black, and there are cool blacks. Purple is a cool color. Mixing alizarin crimson and ultramarine blue, both being cool colors, should make a better purple than cadmium red and cobalt blue. Another thing, paints are chemicals, not light.

[@dianecourtney2724]

@@nelsonx5326 Thank you VERY MUCH for your comment ✌🏼

[@Robalogot]

As a colorblind person who desperately wants to paint I love these type of videos. A more mathematical approach to color than "feel". I've been banging my head against the wall, getting frustrated with colors. These are much more helpful than anything out there.

[@stefanorand]

That would be frustrating, I’d be painting monochromatic at that point 😂

[@jeffm3283]

You should take 2D and 3D Design classes, you actually have insight for accessibility in design already with colorblindness I imagine. Also, art is so much more than a pretty colorful painting if I'm being honest. You can definitely do it. Good luck pursuing art!

[@sttarch5150]

Can you wear the colorblind correcting glasses?

[@janilledutton139]

I've been an artist for a long time and have never heard such a clear and truly eye-opening explanation of color mixing! Fantastic!! Thank you❤

[@arachosia]

This is a really good lesson. It’s rare to see complex issues like this discussed.

[@FlorentFargesarts]

Glad it was helpful!

[@tekaneo]

How elegantly explained a fairly complex topic! Thank you so much, you are a great teacher!

[@purrsolus]

I've learned more in 20 minutes about color concepts than 4 years in studio art.

[@anaiise9358]

😭

[@mairicaughey8128]

Absolutely agree!

[@stefanorand]

Just painted a Lego mini figure and struggled with getting my yellows dark and my blues light. Blew my mind when you jumped right into yellow and blue! This changes everything!!!! What a great video! Truly the best advanced color video I’ve seen out there

[@DArtist2010]

This is one of the most illuminating color lessons I have ever had. Merci, Florent.

[@chaddesrosiers1107]

I like to think of the colour wheel as a big funnel. Like the kind you would spin a coin around to watch it circle and get sucked in. Every mix is a journey that is going to get sucked in by the colourless hole in the center. The further you have to travel for your mix the more your going to get sucked in. Gotta throw your mix a few life lines from the high chroma colours to keep it on course... least it end up in the colourless pit of suck. lol Thanks for the great video. :)

[@citadelofwinds1564]

This has been clearly explained and very useful. I've done various art classes over the years, and not one of those teachers mentioned the option of using colours other than black or white to darken and lighten hues. I have been going through the videos on this channel since I came across it last month, and it is hands down in my top two most useful, high-quality YT art channels.

[@AuntMay2011]

This is exactly what I needed!!! I have been struggling with color quite a lot and could not figure out what I was missing. It was this!! Thank you so much!! Fantastic video as always. Love your work and content. Thank you!

[@GooiYingChyi]

The rule of thumb is adding white almost always make the color pale and lighter (ie: chalky and dusty). The exception is with really dark staining colors like Phthalo blue, which a tiny bit of white can make it look more vibrant from its masstone, but a little too much, you will have the same problem of desaturating the color. Now adding white does not intrinsically change the hue, ie, you cannot change a blue to a green by adding white. In this video there is nothing wrong with mixing white, yellow with an orange. It can certainly make it both lighter, and slightly more vibrant, depending on the yellow that you use. Now, if you do that, you can no longer "get" the same orange, in fact, it should be an orange-yellow that you are getting. So the change in hue is the sacrifice you have to make in order to maintain chroma (vibrancy). Likewise, you can generally get brighter "blues" when mixing a phthalo blue with a little bit of green, and a bit of white. But then again, you are not getting the same blue, you are getting a blue-green. The easiest way to achieve the colors you want is to buy a single pigment color that best resembles it. Mixing colors generally makes it muddier (with exception, like phthalo green and yellow makes really bright leaf greens). So my rule is, if you can't mix the color you want, don't. You'd be far better off getting a new color and then tune it to your liking, then to waste paint trying to make a perfect mix. Then again, where is the fun without experimenting with mixes? So, if you want a truly bright orange, mix an orange with a fluorescent orange. That way you won't need to sacrifice big hue shifts that makes the color so yellow. If you want a truly bright blue... well, there isn't one without using some UV glow in the dark blue paint. It's just physically not possible with the pigments we have today. The best shot you have is to glaze a phthalo blue, or only add a tiny bit of white to it. Cobalt Turquoise Light (PG28 or PG50, not Cobalt Teal), is the closest you can get to a "bright" opaque blue, without getting too much of a green in it.

[@OddWoz]

Not being much of an artist myself(aside from some modest photoshop/gimp experience), this was such a helpful video for me in better understanding color theory and how the professionals are able to find the perfect combinations. It was always so painstaking before for me to fumble through colors through trial and error, but this really demystified a lot quite quickly. Filled in a lot of the gaps. I feel like every other explanation I’d seen just fell so short in comparison. So thank you for sharing this.

[@juliehatchart]

Best explanation for color theory I've ever heard. Thank you!

[@61sgcust]

Many thanks for that Florent! One of the best demonstrations and explanations I have ever seen. I think this will lead me to a reorganization of my palette into something more usable.

[@seanyb960]

Thank you! Your various videos on colour theory have completely changed how I approach painting and helped be level up!

[@FlorentFargesarts]

You are so welcome!

[@xuyang1981]

Bought Florent’s oil painting and colour courses couple of years ago! Florent explains the colour theory so well, I’m still watching and referring back to them regularly!! Highly recommended!

[@serrielu8025]

This was the best color lesson I have ever seen. I’m a beginner, mostly self-teaching/ KZbin taught painting “artist.” You explain very well and no “fluff or nonsense” to have to sit through. I am very appreciative. Subbed and look forward to viewing all your product. Thanks so much! Edited for “artist”.

[@CindyVonHier]

You dont know, how much you helped me with your videos about colors. Thank you, you answer my questions!

[@lindseylovesart]

As a self taught artist, I so appreciate you sharing your color theory knowledge! Thank you!!

[@arich20]

This puts words to what my eye has been doing through trial and error! Thank you so much, the clarity of the color tree and the lines you drew is so helpful. Will be much faster to mix now!

[@heyhallybae]

this video is a masterpiece, thank you very much!

[@rahulujjal8245]

Practicing this in digital art for a long time but the explanation is so well executed felt like I re-learned the technique! subbed. Thanks for such a well paced and extremely well explained video.

[@ethnyjane3248]

Wow! In under 34 minutes, what I just learned about colour mixing will give me brighter truer colour for the rest of my painting life! So grateful!

[@quetzalflight5790]

BIGGEST COMPLEMENT I COULD GIVE IS LIKE BRUCE SPRINGSTEEN SONG : ' NO SURRENDER ' THE VERSE : ' I LEARN MORE FROM A THREE MINUTE RECORD THAN I EVER LEARNED IN SCHOOL ' THANK YOU FOR YOUR WORK AND CHANNEL YOUR CLEAR EXPLICATION.

[@candyflip6345]

Beautiful channel, I am learning so much. I made color charts 10 years ago and I am planning on making them again to refresh my memory and skills. I am excited to apply your techniques. Thank you.

[@nelsonx5326]

Something I discovered trying to match colors when I was sign painting. I had to mix up a kind of ugly pea green. I finally matched the color when I realized it was a WARM pea green. I believe some black pigments to be warm black, and there are cool blacks. Purple is a cool color. Mixing alizarin crimson and ultramarine blue, both being cool colors, should make a better purple than cadmium red and cobalt blue. Another thing, paints are chemicals, not light.

[@AuntMay2011]

Ooo… awesome!! Thank you!

[@TheRedundantArtist]

I thought ultramarine was a warm blue? I love colour theory but it can be so confusing sometimes lol

[@palnagok1720]

​@@TheRedundantArtist...warm or cool can change markedly when you put it next to other colours.

[@williamFlat]

This is definitely the best color theory tutorial on the enteire internet. Thanks Florent!

[@jamesgriffith8767]

I'm so glad I got the pdf with this information and if I forget what to do I can come here for a refresher.

[@christianedufour1242]

Hi Florent. Je suis une aquarelliste « émergente ». J’apprends. Je découvre ton canal et je joue avec mes couleurs. Il faut savoir qu’à l’aquarelle, le blanc c’est le papier que l’on voit en dessous de la couleur, et que l’équivalent d’ajouter du blanc consiste en fait à diluer le pigment avec l’eau. Ceci rend la manipulation et la gestion des 3 pôles assez difficile mais pas impossible. On peut foncer, mais si on ajoute trop d’eau, hop on s’en va dans une autre direction comme si on avait mis trop de blanc. Mais je crois quand même que tes explications et démonstrations kpourront m’aider à planifier mes mélanges. Quoi qu’à l’aquarelle, on travaille aussi beaucoup avec les mélanges spontanés directement sur le papier en laissant l’eau travailler. On ne contrôle pas tout à fait le résultat car les mélange forment leurs teintes et l’eau affecte la « value » , la brillance perçue. Comparé à l’huile, je constate que c’est un médium pas mal plus difficile à maîtriser. Merci de me donner des outils que je peux adapter.

[@cristinanieto683]

A very good lesson on how to mix color properly! Thank you.

[@tinakelly6782]

One of the best instructional video clips I've come across. Normally I accomplished the chroma I wanted by intuition & artist eye, even though I had used the same method you explained today but I had no idea of the fact or principle behind what I've been doing. This instruction gave me clear understanding and can organize my thought which I can use it every time I paint without guessing or spending time to try this one & that one until I get the colors I want. Thank you so much, you're an excellent artist and good teacher. Keep up your good job. (I already subscribed & clicked "Like".) 👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍

[@lauriecook3015]

Thank you thank you thank you. I’ve earned my living at art for sixty years and only now am beginning to grasp color theory? Winging it was getting old. Great video!

[@KathyBrooksArt]

What a wonderful lesson and demonstration. Thanks!

[@kathleenschlecht3371]

I WILL WATCH AGAIN AND AGAIN. INFORMATION WORTHY; LOVE THIS. 🥰Kt

[@mountainside26]

This is the most important color theory lesson I’ve seen since learning the basics. Amazing- thank you so much!

[@fromeveryting29]

Colour is so fun and interesting! It took me until this last year to REALLY understand the logic of colour, even after an art education and degree in art history. Developing my palette, facing frustration and watching seasoned painters actually explain their choices on youtube has taught me so much. I’m not really into strong colour. I don’t really like to mix a ton either. Seems I’ve always been drawn to muted, limited palettes. My entire palette is: - Titanium white for lightening and cooling. - Phthalo blue for skies and some vibrant greens/blues. - Ultramarine for darkening, distance and muted greens. - Alizarin Crimson for reddish objects and muted purples. - Burnt sienna, amazing warming earth colour for skin, natural objects, wash and mixes with ultramarine for black. - Yellow ochre for warm, natural objects and skin, hit by light. Muted greens with ultramarine. - Cadmium yellow medium for more vibrant greens, warm lightening and sky nead horizon. Limited palette: - Titanium white, Prussian blue, yellow ochre and red oxide/burnt sienna. I love the muted effect this makes. Kind of a modified zorn palette.

[@b.bailey8244]

Nicely explained with good examples - very helpful to keep colors more vibrant and rich when you want that - all in 23 minutes - thanks!

[@SallyMossArtist]

This is one of the most informative colour lessons I've ever seen! Thank you very much for this!

[@welcometothemachine321]

I learned something about color theory that I have been overlooking in my work. Thank you for giving me a refreshing perspective in mixing my colors. 😊

[@NancyJoyceAbstractArtist]

Absolutely amazing again Florent! Gros merci pour tout ce que tu partage! Super helpful!

[@Louyou2]

Was very interesting. Over my head though. Need to rewatch. I'm using acrylics though.

[@ryanthomas3880]

Very well done! Thank you! I'm sure I'll revisit this many times

[@brandibelarts]

One of the best examples I've ever seen! Fabulous. Absolutely fabulous

[@FloriaTosca]

😮 I almost for a split second sort of understood that!!

[@FlorentFargesarts]

Well, hope it last longer if you watch again 😅🤣

[@FloriaTosca]

I did...and I'll keep on watching. I understand.. retaining needs practice. Thank you

[@jdmosaics]

@@FlorentFargesarts I believe that different companies use different pigments to get their colours. Paint may have the same name but are def not the same when trying to mix a colour. Thanks you for this info, most appreciated.

[@michmash5341]

I happened upon this and really enjoyed the ease with which you explained the 3 values and then actually drew in the color chart to show how the color is pulled towards the color you add to it! Then how to draw the color back again. ❤

[@Springflut_]

I'm working on my first oil painting (a portrait of Deadpool which is far from perfect) and I started out with just red, white and black... it took me a while to understand that I needed to work with other colors to recreate the different shades of red as realistically as possible. This is a great explanation and has added a lot to my knowledge and I'm going to start implementing some of the things straight away!

[@MikeMikkelson]

You are my favorite go-to for oil painting tips. I'll be taking one of your courses this summer. I particularly love this video because of how the science of how colors effect one another and how they are or are not perceived by the human eye. Very enlightening. Thank you!

[@cynthiahalewijn6140]

Fantastic!! Thanks soooo much!!

[@manicangel7796]

I love your videos and I am impressed with how much you know. Your fun to watch HOWEVER.. if I even bothered to learn this much about color or graphs or charts or that Satan put the Alphabet in Maths, then I would NEVER paint. It's too tedious and sucks all the fun out of it .

[@GM-rl3sm]

thanks so much I can't wait to work in this way to bring up the flat colors when I need to darken and lighten!

[@esca-t4k]

Fascinating. I really love your style of teaching, Florent. 🌟

[@FlorentFargesarts]

Thank you so much 🎨🖌️

[@AnimaedArte]

Thank you for sharing your knowledge and experience 🥰

[@nathaliasarmento204]

I’ve studied color theory for years now and this is the first time I see this kind of approach to it. It seems obvious, but in fact it isn’t (especially when the references you’re using to study are pretty much what is institutionally known, i.e., they tend to not update their sources) I’m really happy for starting my day with your video, it made my thinking juices flow! Wonderful work! Especially on catching my attention between thousands of art videos on youtube with a perfect thumbnail 😂

[@crisalidathomassie1811]

Excelente presentation with detailed demo. Worth to watch it many times. Thanks so much. This is a great eye opener for sure! Blessings and take care

[@hennestgamedev8469]

really good content thanks

[@guxdg]

I just love this video, so clear and so useful in a matter so difficult to explain in a simple way. Thank you

[@FlorentFargesarts]

Glad it was helpful!

[@jeffm3283]

I'm gonna practice this ASAP thank you.

[@yvesnarbonne6688]

Wow! Super classe sur les couleurs, merci Florent!

[@k8marlowe]

Wow! I learned quite a lot from this video. Thank you for such a clear and visually compelling explanation.

[@Majad86]

It's brilliant, amaizing etc. Your two videos showed me how understand color.

[@frozencancukfinearts]

Best explanation I've ever heard and watched!

[@bh9090bh9090]

This is exceptional.

[@paintingsofwaves_mikewoning]

Great video, thanks for the info. I mostly mix based on gut feeling but this makes it all a lot more logical

[@FlorentFargesarts]

Glad it was helpful!

[@maryhill7999]

Thank you for this clear explanation of what seemed to be so abstract a subject as to deter my efforts to work through murky explanations. This will be a much reviewed resource. I’m using watercolors and hope to have a space to commit to practicing oil blending to paint.

[@jennawhiffen8069]

Thanks!

[@Egy166]

In fine Art we used the color Flesh, yellow NAples and rose pale color to keep the color vibrant .

[@poppetcrabappletoadflax414]

I’m also thinking that another way t push the value lightening is to use translucent shades, perhaps thinning the paint to allow lighter canvas to show through

[@CaffeinePwrdAl]

Loved this video, great description of how colour works in all its non intuitive ways!

[@FlorentFargesarts]

Glad you enjoyed it!

[@remysstuff3321]

F A C I N A T I N G. Just yesterday was playing with darkening a yellow thanks to your explanation it totally makes sense for my outcome. Cheers

[@markpullenfineart]

At Pennsylvania Academy of Fine Arts ,they instructed a simple starting palette bland burnt umber to darken blues and purples ,less w purple. On the light side add burnt sienna or indian Yello touch w white very powerful

[@anelisemaggetti5459]

Fantastic, amazing video, never seen an explanation this good!!

[@crescentsiv4970]

This is an excellent video-color theory explained all in one go! I noticed the resulting saturated orange turned out darker than the dull orange, which suggests that achieving very light colors with limited white can be tricky. I’ve seen some masters use complementary colors to make their hues shimmer and appear more vibrant. Florent Farget, could you elaborate on this? Would this approach help dull light tones look more saturated?

[@natachaumar5052]

This is the clearest explanation for lightening and darkening colours. I felt like the colors were turning on me! Question eg what if i am using an orange mixed from red and yellow? Paint supplies are limited where i live. To make that mixed orange lighter i would use a bit more yellow, a small amount of red and a bit of white? It means i must try and balance out my mixed orange towards a lighter or darker version? Does this only work for tube colors?

[@ritavercruyssen7120]

A eye-opener , thanks Florent x

[@FlorentFargesarts]

👀 Thanks

[@allegro2347]

Merci beaucoup Florent! ❤ un sujet complexe expliqué simplement. Une bonne piqûre de rappel !

[@jordanwright8230]

I usually forget to like videos. I did not forget this time.

[@FlorentFargesarts]

Thank you so much 😊🙏

[@PursuingHeaven]

This is a great lesson, I assume this works with any color media? Pastels, pencils, and various kinds of paint? I am into mixed media but mainly use pastels and colored pencils and am thinking that applying this concept. If I layer my poly chromos (harder oil pencil) or blend with my luminance (softer wax pencil) it should help improve and clean up my chromas. I feel like I always starts so vibrated but as I shade and lightening with various forms of gray (warm and cool) and black and white I get really dingy sometimes and lose the vibrancies I worked hard to achieve from the first few layers.

[@pierluigimarchi8108]

Man i Paint miniatures and let me tell you this Is the fix that i was seeking for to my color mixing knowledge!!! Thnx aloot...of course i Ve purchased the PDF!!

[@angelafrings3440]

Watching your colour theory video(s) is like watering a seed, suddenly there is another glimmer of understanding.

[@FlorentFargesarts]

Glad to hear that!

[@lazydaisybookart474]

A great video! Thankyou for sharing. I want to make a vibrant but light purple. So I am going to experiment.

[@Rocio-qi9oh]

Como siempre, una explicación muy clara y sabia. Agradezco tus enseñanzas, me ayudan en la dirección correcta. Aprovecho para pedirte que, por favor, no olvides versionar al castellano tus cursos. Por favor 🙏. Gracias por compartir tu maestría.

[@fdef12678]

Can't believe I stumbled on this video only 10 days after it's release. Fantastic video

[@poppetcrabappletoadflax414]

This is great, thank you. I’m wondering why you chose to add a touch of a different red into the lighter value rather than just a touch of the original red that you were lightening. Presumably the different red would also slightly reduce chroma. Is that the intention?

[@juliearanha8679]

This is absolutely amazing knowledge to me. I've always wondered why my colours look so dull. Is it the brand of colours I'm using or do I need to buy more shades. Never knew about colour dissecting. Thank you so much for sharing this video.

[@palnagok1720]

Just putting a complementary colour next to its opposite can brighten it up

[@GKganesan]

This is incredibly useful. Thank you ever so much

[@ChooseTruthAlways]

These are precious details that make the whole Difference! 🙏👌👌👌💕

[@KateN-yo2cl]

Excellent explanation - so helpful. Thank you!

[@Magicpoppy]

Amazing! I bought the color pdf....sooo helpful🙏

[@joannewittenbrook8051]

Years ago in art school, we were not permitted to use white or black paint. I am grateful for that experience

[@AnnKristinArt]

This feels like a magic trick! Thank you so much for sharing your knowledge and enriching my practice!!

[@charlottehogberg9855]

Thank you so much for this well explained and comprehensive video!

[@deefairweather6235]

So helpful! Thank you so much for sharing!

[@amysbees6686]

Bravo, Florent! You have discovered the mystical Munsell color theory! Have you seen UK artist Pail Foxton? Discovering Munsell completely changed his painting process!

[@FlorentFargesarts]

Discovered it a while ago and it was the first color system that made things click for me as well. Then gave it away for something similar but more geared towards painting