My Hack for Harmonious Color in Abstract Painting

[@circumboreal]

You know those KZbin videos with the annoying titles like “This One EPIC Painting Hack Will Totally Change Your Life and Make Your Art Into Instant MASTERPIECES”? This video is the type of real, practical, mind-blowing wisdom those videos wish they could deliver. This technique should be printed on every paint bottle like the Toll House cookie recipe is printed on bags of chocolate chips. What I’m trying to say is…THANK YOU for saving your viewers from litres of wasted paint!

[@jclosestudio]

Haha thank you 😄 I’m glad I could deliver. No one likes litres of wasted paint

[@barblallier9413]

I agree, it's important to have the mother color. But I had no idea how to do it!! Thanks!! ❤

[@jclosestudio]

@@barblallier9413 Thanks Barb, glad you found it helpful!

[@karenmusa3052]

Exactly..loving this and the name lol THE MOTHER COLOUR 😅😅😅 ❤

[@eloradanan1837]

I have been messing around with colors for 25 years and thought color mixing was a waste of time, because I could just buy the color I wanted in a tube. But after watching your video, I experimented with four different shades of blue, red and yellow. OMG....they all mixed differently! I was shocked! I found that Phthalo Blue, Yellow Oxide and Quinacridone Red mix was the most harmonious to me and mixed every color I could want. Now I am stuck with 60 plus tubes of paint and feel like a total dumb-bunny! This changes the way I think about color and harmonies. This got you a new sub and thank you so much!!

[@jclosestudio]

Hi Elora! I’m so glad this was helpful to you even after so many years of painting. You can always mix a mother colour with those paints from your many tubes 😉 Thanks for subscribing!

[@MarciaBaldwin]

Wonderful info. I've been a professional oil painter for 50 years, and never been taught this. Wow. Simple and perfect

[@jclosestudio]

Hi Marcia! I’m so glad you found this useful!

[@sarahbaskerville4615]

I cant wait to try this with watercolour 😊

[@jclosestudio]

@@sarahbaskerville4615 I’d love to hear how that goes! They often say with watercolour you shouldn’t mix your colours too much, but personally I’ve not had a problem with that

[@lb10003]

Super helpful tips! While I was aware that mixing all your colors from the same ‘parent’ colors would always create color harmony, it hadn’t occurred to me that ANY color could be introduced and made harmonious by adding a touch of the ‘mother’ color (the one produced by mixing all of your parent colors). Thanks!

[@jclosestudio]

You’re welcome, I’m so glad you found it helpful!

[@shanfazelbhoy9491]

I've seen a couple of videos on this concept but this is the best explanation and demo yet so thank you! The mother colour...I like that, brings it all together👍

[@jclosestudio]

She does indeed 😉 Thank you Shan!

[@mohammadislam3802]

You are a GENIUS!!....amazing explanation...to the point...just wow ...

[@SylviaFriesland]

Das ist wirklich eine super Idee. Ich kannte schon den Trick, dass man eine Farbe festlegt und unter die anderen mischt, aber eine Mutter-Farbe aus allen drei zu mischen ist genial! Danke Janine ❤

[@jclosestudio]

Hi Sylvia! Gerne doch, freut mich dass es hilfreich war!

[@Leocalamb2]

The only color harmonizing technique I've seen is to prime your canvas in a preferred color. This one is brilliant! Thank you so much for sharing 🩵 🇱🇨

[@jclosestudio]

You’re welcome Chantel! I can see that working well with transparent colours

[@cofiecoffcoff4287]

Yes this has given me confidence to start painting again. Thank you for being so clear and understanable, and showing it step by step.

[@jclosestudio]

I'm so happy to hear that Cofie! I so hope you do. Do let me know if you have any questions!

[@shakyhandsworkshop]

That was new to me and very helpful. Thank you for sharing

[@jclosestudio]

So glad you found it helpful!

[@GM-yn9nc]

You're a great inspiration to me and I always learn a lot from you.

[@jclosestudio]

Thank you! I’m so happy to hear that.

[@gathercreatelivewithleslie8340]

Yes, I have a watercolor set from Da Vinci I bought ears ago and this is the technique they employ for the set. The mother color for one set is purple and then they have another set that is green. It makes everything cohesive. I had forgotten about the mother color until you reminded me.

[@jclosestudio]

That sounds like a great set, might need to look that up, Leslie!

[@renatebock6332]

This is new for me. Thank you so much for for the tutorial.

[@ChantelleArts]

this is a brilliant tip, amazing work ☺☺

[@jclosestudio]

Thank you Chantelle, glad you think so!

[@kathygrillo7647]

You’re amazing …I’m learning so much from you…. Thank you so much

[@jclosestudio]

Thanks Kathy, I'm so happy to hear that!

[@cslattfri]

Incredible! I will be using this tip for sure. I struggle with putting colors together in an abstract but this will make it much easier. Thank you so much for posting this!

[@jclosestudio]

You are so welcome!

[@olivecoleman3814]

wow, a brilliant hack. I'm going to tell my art group on Wednesday. I 've been painting for many years and may have been doing this without my knowing. Harmony is one of the things I strive for in a painting. This will make it so easy to do in the future. Thank you for the tip.

[@jclosestudio]

Hi Olive! Wonderful, so glad you found it helpful. Hope your art group will too!

[@magdycomics]

Very nice video, in fact it IS THE FIRST TIME I UNDERSTAND that important and fundamental theory. Wow that makes a difference. Thanks

[@jclosestudio]

Hi Magdy! So happy to hear that. It is a very powerful concept, hope it'll help you!

[@magdycomics]

@@jclosestudio i will pass it to my friend. Keep the sincere work up.

[@marianneverhe2517]

Thank you so much! Finally a clear explanation, I really needed that❤

[@jclosestudio]

I'm so glad Marianne!

[@lorilander9619]

I have never heard of this and I could not love it more! Wow! I have been using it on my current piece and it is magic! Thank you so much! ❤️❤️. You are such a treat to watch and learn from!

[@jclosestudio]

Fantastic! So happy this has helped you, and amazing that you've already put it into practice.

[@alisonlyons4691]

Hello Jennine, l didnt know about the mother colour until a few weeks back while at a weekend workshop where this was explained. I've been painting for years and it's such a useful tip. I do like your explanation of it, you make it very clear. Thanks again......Alioban ❤

[@jclosestudio]

Hi Alioban! It helps so much. Of course you can also deliberately break the rules once you know them.

[@barbarahenn-pander5872]

I appreciate this information. I would love more examples. It’s still all such a mystery to me!!

[@jclosestudio]

Hi Barbara! I’ll try and show some more examples in the future. The best way to understand it is to give it a try yourself

[@T.Winnifred]

I have never used this technique but I am excitrd to try!

[@jclosestudio]

Would love to hear how it went for you!

[@karenmusa3052]

Omg thanku, I get so mixed up and mix horrendous colours up lol then it sits till i put black in it and use it for something or other 😅🙄 I love this name ❤❤❤ THE MOTHER COLOUR 🥰 I could see myself yelling that at someone when ticked off 😊 Seriously tho, thanku, very helpful and informative ❤

[@jclosestudio]

Haha, secret insult 😊

[@karenmusa3052]

​@@jclosestudio😂😂😂❤

[@artworld9799]

Very important work👍👍👍👍 Greetings!

[@jclosestudio]

Thank you!

[@traceyferreira8042]

Thank you for that! I’ve been struggling to understand this.

[@jclosestudio]

Glad it was helpful!

[@debbieclaus464]

Brilliant tutorial!

[@jclosestudio]

Thank you Debbie!

[@sabinagraf6041]

amazing explanation! thank you!

[@jclosestudio]

You're very welcome!

[@christinebarone2151]

Thank you, you made it very easy to understand and apply to practice.

[@jclosestudio]

You’re welcome Christine!

[@YiqunLin-m1t]

Thank you very much for your sharing.

[@jclosestudio]

My pleasure, Yiqun!

[@comartse]

Thank you for your pleasant presentation! This was an eye-opener for me.

[@jclosestudio]

I'm so glad!

[@liaclark2393]

that is great learning about colours thank you ,

[@jclosestudio]

Glad you find it helpful Lia!

[@reneekroyer5104]

Is the soft body paint more translucent than a medium or heavy body? This technique is totally new to me; I've never heard of it before, but it makes total sense. Thanks again.

[@jclosestudio]

You can have transparent and opaque colours in soft, medium and heavy body paint. Whether a colour is transparent depends on two things: 1. The quality. Student quality paints tend to be translucent because they have less pigment in them. 2. The pigment. Earthy pigments tend to be more opaque for example. You might want to watch this video on acrylic paint: kzbin.info/www/bejne/eIjMg6WjlJp2bpY

[@taldom3069]

Очень полезный совет! Благодарю Вас!

[@jclosestudio]

Мы будем очень рады видеть вас!

[@valerijohnson2839]

New to me. I enjoy your well thought out videos. You paint such beautiful and serene paintings.

[@jclosestudio]

Thanks so much Valeri!

[@traceyelliott6891]

What an incredibly easy idea and it works so well. Thank you

[@jclosestudio]

You’re welcome Tracey!

[@claudiasteffens8898]

Danke für den tollen Tipp👍

[@jclosestudio]

Aber gerne doch, Claudia!

[@mell3749]

such a helpful video!! wow

[@jclosestudio]

Thanks you Mel, glad you think so!

[@ericadrake2366]

This is great advice, and explained well thank you Jeannine. I have not done this, and I’ll definitely try it.😊

[@jclosestudio]

Im so glad Erica. Do give it a try!

[@dorisr6424]

Excellent advice, I’m going to try that. Thank you for sharing with us.

[@jclosestudio]

You are so welcome Doris!

[@danielgordon176]

Very helpful and excellent explanation…thanks so much!

[@jclosestudio]

Thank you Daniel, glad it was helpful!

[@Pam-j6b]

Brilliant color theory. Thanks.

[@jclosestudio]

Thanks Pam, glad you liked it!

[@ranjanachand9306]

Awesome information..new to me.thanks

[@jclosestudio]

You're welcome Ranjana!

[@kymcrowart7876]

How would this work with the lightest value? Would your mother color make it a mid tone? For instance the lightest pink on your canvas? Was that the mother color with white? Thank you so much for this video. Such wonderful information taught so well.

[@jclosestudio]

Hi Kym! Thanks so much 😊 For a light value you would only add a tiny bit of the mother colour. Otherwise, as you say, it will make it a mid tone. The lightest pink was magenta, yellow oxide and white, I mixed it from two of the three primaries I originally selected.

[@carolseigrist3435]

This is new to me and brilliant!

[@jclosestudio]

Hi Carol! So glad 😊

[@melindakenton8307]

I so needed this! Thank you

[@jclosestudio]

You’re welcome Melinda!

[@ShakilaTaranumMaan]

Amazing thank you

[@jclosestudio]

You’re welcome Shakila!

[@carmaela2689]

This is brilliant ❤

[@jclosestudio]

Hi Carmaela! Works so well 😉

[@freezo244]

Very cool! Or should I say warm? Either way-brilliant!

[@jclosestudio]

Lol thanks!

[@reneekroyer5104]

Okay, just to confirm: Your 3 primary colors of choice were 1) majenta 2) phthalo blue 3) yellow oxide ? So when you mix those 3, you get a neutral color that is harmonious with other colors, as you add a bit of that in with other colors? This video was helpful to me as I am new at this. Thank you.

[@jclosestudio]

Hi Renee! Correct, those were the primary colours. And yes, mixing them makes a neutral colour. And mixing that with other colours makes them harmonious with the three primaries, cause there is a little bit of the primaries in the new colour. So glad this was helpful!

[@christopheralcantara4378]

VERY NICE! Thank you so much

[@jclosestudio]

You’re welcome Christopher

[@carynpercell8979]

Are the paints used on the commission painting the same 3 you used in the color demo before at the beginning? Love your videos!

[@jclosestudio]

Not 100%. In the first few layers I used a few random colours, but most of them are the same (magenta, yellow oxide, phtalo blue)

[@gideonros2705]

Thank you for explaining it well. New sub

[@jclosestudio]

Thanks so much Gideon! And thanks for subscribing!

[@consideredwhisper]

Lovely tutorial.

[@jclosestudio]

Thank you Stephe!

[@jayegamboa3325]

Interesting! Thank you❤

[@jclosestudio]

You’re welcome Jaye!

[@susanmarcoux7005]

Thanks Jeanine ❤

[@jclosestudio]

You’re welcome Susan!

[@yeshonestly4268]

Thank you 👍👍👍

[@jclosestudio]

You're welcome!

[@sabrinakemkes3748]

Thank you 😃

[@jclosestudio]

You're welcome Sabrina 😊

[@NoNina960]

Can i use it with watercolor or acrylic?

[@jclosestudio]

Definitely with acrylic. For watercolour they always say that the colours get a bit dull when you mix too many pigments. But I haven't noticed that problem personally.

[@RishaBond]

This is such an ah-ha moment! I have been noticing for DECADES that some paintings have "something" about their colors that look more amateurish than others (just my opinion browsing art for sale in e.g. galleries). The overall skill level, expression, uniqueness, etc. in the painting can be wonderous but the colors not working (being harmonious) can make it feel disappointing. The closest I could come to figuring it out was that some artists may use paint directly out of the tube and some make their own blends -- your video points out that there's more to it. Every once in a while, an artist can do something really jarring with the color palette and make that part of the expression: rules can be broken, but it has to be intentional. Anyway, thank you for your explanation. Now I want to spend all day painting color wheels!

[@RishaBond]

Replying to my own comment because of another "ah-ha": I think this works because in real life we usually view things with the same tone of light. So giving everything a bit of the same mother color gives the effect of having the same ambient tone of light, hence harmonious. Maybe this is standard knowledge in art training but it's an ah-ha to me. You have to really think about when you would have two very different light sources in real life, though it can happen. Famous exceptions in paintings: Nighthawks by Hopper and The Empire of Light by Magritte.

[@jclosestudio]

Ooh the joy of painting colour wheels and mixing paint for fun 😄 So glad this was helpful! You are so right, once you know the rules you also know how you can deliberately break them to your advantage.

[@cecilialind9474]

Thank you!

[@jclosestudio]

You're welcome Cecilia!

[@YosemiteLee]

Yes I was taught about using a mother color by 2 different instructors. One instructor added he always added a single “guest color” as he called it or he felt his painting became too monotonous otherwise.

[@jclosestudio]

Oh I love the guest colour idea! Thanks for sharing, Lee.

[@charmainbain3965]

New subscriber, thank you for sharing.

[@jclosestudio]

Hi Charmain! Thanks so much for subscribing!

[@sardonicsophisticate3974]

While I didn’t learn this concept from your video. I learned it from another famous art guru. It was revelatory in my art practice. There are my before mother color paintings and my after mother color paintings. I no longer exhibit my bmc paintings they look so unharmonious and amateurish.

[@jclosestudio]

That's a wonderful testimonial for the mother colour! It's transformative, isn't it

[@Michou1012]

Et bien, merci!!

[@jclosestudio]

je vous en prie!

[@SabineMüller-j6f]

Hi Jeannine, I had to watch this 3 times to realise that you show 2 different methods for the harmonious colours.😅

[@jclosestudio]

Hi Sabine! True, using a mother colour and also using a limited colour palette to begin with. Hope it wasn’t too confusing!

[@SabineMüller-j6f]

​@@jclosestudiono, perfect. Cannot wait to try it myself. I was stuck painting landscapes. Then found your superchannel😊now I want to paint abstract and disappoint all my realist friends. But I dare🎉😅

[@jclosestudio]

Who knows, they might be converted 😉

[@SabineMüller-j6f]

@@jclosestudio I'll let you know:) Jeannine

[@davo-ju6er]

i. cant get past " couple of swatches" (3) the a few random colors (2). 🤦‍♂️

[@jclosestudio]

lol

[@cliffdariff74]

Thanks... color is a mystery

[@jclosestudio]

Hopefully a little less now!