Basic Colours And Values for Oil Painting

Learning the basic colours and values for oil painting is easier said than done. But once you have become familiar with a tone, setting the colors for your painting would be much easier.

In painting, a tone means how light or dark a color is rather than the actual color. Implementing these tones, however, is a very bothersome to a lot of painters because they get distracted by the strong appeal of colors.

Ever color you make has a variety of tones, depending on the actual color. Therefore, it is important to realize that the tones are related to each other. How light or dark they may seem depends on what is around them.

For a tone that is obviously white, you will know that it is surrounded by even lighter tones. This is a principle in determining basic colours and values for oil painting.

The number of tones is varied from the range. Lighter hues, including yellow, produce smaller range of tones than darker ones. But why is it important? Well, if you found the relationship of all the tone, the result will be a living harmony of all the tones, similar to a musical composition. In other words, your painting will be more beautiful if you get the tones right. If not, your painting will just be a complete waste of time and effort.

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Recognizing the basic colours and values for oil painting is the key to a successful contrast in a piece of art. If you know right color to use and the range of values, you will easily determine what to use in your painting. But if not, you will surely find it hard to put the colors in to your painting.

To exercise your skills in determining the colors and values, you should paint with basic tones for a start. You should also have an idea of what to paint. If you do have one, then it’s time to start with the exercise. Draw the picture and start putting the paint. However, identify their relationships first to be able to determine basic colours and values for oil painting.

If you want to know more about colors and values, it is best to get a color chart or learn how to create a hue circle yourself. You will easily identify some of the most basic colors used in painting when you look at the chart. Plus, it will also help enhance your skills in painting with the knowledge of what colors to use in your art.