I listen to The Savvy Painters podcast, where each week the host talks to a different artist about their work, and their area of expertise, and business practices including book recommendations. I warn you, my to read pile has gotten out of control. One such recommendation was Richard Schmidt’s Ala Prima: everything I know about painting.
One particular exercise he recommends is doing a colour mixing chart. I’m doing this slightly different to how he recommends, as I’m doing a general overview were I paint the tube colour down the middle and mix it with the other colours in two variations, favouring the top colour on top, and the side colour on the side. I got this from Mr Otter Art Studio and Tech Yi Chie . I like the way that Mr Otters Art Studio technique gives you more variation, but I am forever painting the wrong colour in the wrong square, even though I have just started.
I plan to continue painting a more detailed colour page for each colour. I am painting this in a sketchbook, but I’ve primed the pages, once with the grey colour, and once with a clear gesso over my pencil lines so they don’t muddy my colours. I got the idea from Lena Danya’s Sketchbook Sundays series. Richard Schmidt recommends loose pieces of paper, but I know I would loose them. I will misplace this sketchbook but at least they will all be together when I find it again!
Susanna Heath 