This month’s color is Violet-Red, the berry hues of maroon, magenta & cyclamen pink.
Today, the thing I really wanted to do was see how much variety there is in this narrow band of the color wheel. The pinky-purples to the coolest reds. Without stretching far in tonal value, how does one color show up against another?
Well, to begin each medium has a quality aside from the color. The paints I’m using today are craft acrylic that have a satin-almost-matt finish.
I’ve got a few markers, some water based and some permanent – some of these new and juicy with ink and some quite dry which make more feathery lines.
Crayons and colored pencils have a certain sheen that picks up in the light, sometimes with a little color shift from the waxiness.
Piling on layers of color, mixing the mediums between the layers, adds layers of character, a sort of aliveness, as the different marks overlap and interact together.
Nothing here is complex. Nothing requires years of practice, skill, or concentration. It’s just a belief that by keeping on going, something good will appear.
Every time I do this I hear the same conversation in my head:
“it’s just a mess”
— it’s not done yet.
“it’s going nowhere”
— keep going.
“I don’t know what I’m doing”
— none of us do, keep moving.
“It’s getting worse”
–keep moving.
“I hate this”
–you know that will change
Yes.
Yes, I do.
Today was no exception.
Truth be told, right up until I was looking at the final photos you’re seeing here, I was a little bit disappointed with the outcome.
So in case you hear a conversation like this start up in your head, know you aren’t alone. You can let that conversation run along in the background while you content yourself with the act of moving colors around, in whatever particular order takes your fancy.
Here’s how today’s creating came together.
“Twelvty” 12 Colors in 12 Months
Every month this year I am making a series of mixed media pieces in just one color. At the end of the year I’ll combine them into one big multicolored work.
I’m sharing my process throughout this adventure here in this blog. (So far this year I’ve explored Yellow, Yellow-Green, Green, Blue-Green, Blue, Violet-Blue & Violet)
I’d love for you to join me. TWELVTY is open to everyone, and better yet, it’s free!
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