Four Keys To Mixing Cleaner Color For Your Landscape Painting

[@sherrym.2413]

I'm at the stage in my painting that this information is what I needed to hear! Thank you

[@philstarke.artist]

Glad they’re helpful!

[@song4night]

very good lesson. Thanks Phil.

[@philstarke.artist]

Glad you liked it!

[@solici]

I find these slideshow style lessons so helpful! Thank you, Phil!

[@philstarke.artist]

Thanks! It's a good way to show many examples.

[@NexusRanG]

Thank you phil

[@philstarke.artist]

You're welcome

[@kenneth1767]

Hi Phil. I use the the following questions to scrutinize my colors, assuming the value structure is correct: does the color like muddy? Then it's too warm for its context. Does the color look chalky? Then it's too cool for its context. That's how I navigate colors. Sometimes we want a muddy or chalky effect, but by choice. Also, colors close to their original value create the strongest melody, and colors of closest value create harmony.

[@janehalley8564]

Muddy or Chalky...this is so helpful! thank you.

[@philstarke.artist]

Yes it does

[@painterlybrushes4035]

You're awesome buddy. Merry Christmas

[@philstarke.artist]

Thanks, Merry Christmas

[@amylemley1676]

Hello. I took a class (I am a near beginner) in a well-lit studio, and did my first nocturne. It looked very pleasing in the studio; my foreground was a dark with dark green yucca. I had a lot of color variation, greens, greys, violet blues. But at home, I couldn’t even see the yucca. I have much less natural light at home. This isn’t really a muddy color iss, it is a value issue, but I would like instruction on the issue of light in the studio and light st home, and how to do a nocturne. Thanks for your excellent lessons, I truly am glad I found you on KZbin.

[@ronschlorff7089]

Good Phil on the essentials of painting "cleanly". Right, certainly earth, dirt, and mud pigments can make "muddy" colors (lol) but as you showed other ways too, like temperatures wrong. I have an old VHS on the California Impressionists I got about the time I started plein air in mid 90's, in CA. A pbs series of four parts, recommended, was put on by the Irvine Museum which has many of the works of the artists you featured, like Payne, Redmond, and Puthuff. Good stuff as always, Phil. Yes, in his book Edgar Payne makes brief mention of a good "student palette" of three primaries and three secondaries. I use that one for all paintings, landscapes, figures, portraits etc. It is always "clean and harmonized" to use few "pure" pigments and no "dirt colors"!! LOL

[@philstarke.artist]

Glad you enjoyed the video! It's always good to keep things clean.

[@philstarke.artist]

Thanks, good imput

[@taniaregina5007]

Boa tarde Phil, que explicação valiosa, muito obrigada pelo seu carinho em ensinar. Deus continue abençoando sua vida ❤❤

[@philstarke.artist]

You’re welcome!

[@meghanworkman6449]

Thank you so much for your wonderful instruction. One of my big problems is, I take things way too literally. Example: I was struggling to understand what you were meaning by not having more than two or three colors. I thought, "But all these paintings have more than three colors in them!" Then it hit me: you meant not more than two or three colors to mix together (at least, I hope I got your meaning right lol). Love your videos - please keep them coming!

[@philstarke.artist]

Thanks Megan, yes, using more than 3 colors in a mixture can cause muddy color, but, never say never.

[@paulembleton1733]

Beginner here starting to realise the relationship between colour and value. At first I was thinking to much about colour, and had no idea what value even means. My latest is at the other extreme and uses just one colour (sap green) for almost the entire painting. Aha! I was using to many colours before, and it’s easier to see what value is all about. This vids helps drive those points home. Thanks!

[@philstarke.artist]

You're welcome!

[@eddienew2044]

Thank you for your clear explanation. I am very interested in trying to achieve cleaner colour and this will help a lot. I have three questions if I may which may be of interest to other subscribers too. 1 I tend to put my darkest darks in the foreground but would it be better, in general, to put them in the middle ground? 2 Is it easier to mix clean colour with artist/professional grade paint than with student grade? 3 Does cleaning or switching brushes more often help get cleaner colour?

[@philstarke.artist]

Hi Eddie, yes, clean brushes really do help, I try to keep brushes for lights and separate ones for darks. I don’t think it matters if it’s student grade or professional, although professional oils are stronger or more saturated.I do make sure my 3 primaries are a good professional grade, the earth colors can work in a good student grade. To create depth you need the darkest values up front. But we can also place it near the focal point to draw attention, sacrificing some depth if it’s in the middle ground.

[@eddienew2044]

@ Thank you. I will try a comparison picture using all student grade versus artist grade primaries and student grade secondaries. While I could probably afford to use all artist grade I find myself reluctant to squeeze out large quantities of them. Restricting the number of them will certainly help.

[@kantamana1]

I find that if the lightest and darkest colors are clean, that is all that really matters to avoid muddy colors.

[@NexusRanG]

It would be interesting to learn how to bring paintings back from mud

[@philstarke.artist]

The best thing to do if your colors are muddy is to scrape the paint off and start over.

[@NexusRanG]

@@philstarke.artist Thank you

[@nrgisameer1473]

Thanks Sir u make taste beauty. Sir, how we can have z right values, by painting a lot or watching paintings or mixing colors or what !!

[@philstarke.artist]

a lot of painting and watching

[@harrietruffy9993]

Thank you so much for this! I’m guessing many of these artists let their paint dry or at least set up to prevent muddy color? Thank you, too, putting the spelling of these artists names…my hearing isn’t the best, and having their names spelled out allows me to look them up and view more of their work:-)😊

[@philstarke.artist]

I’m glad you enjoyed the video.