Class description

In this class we will learn about how to choose colors that are suitable for you, for your own watercolor palette.

When I started painting with watercolors, I didn't know what colors to buy, so I bought some pre-made palettes. Some of the greens in these palettes were to bright for me, some of the earth tones were two pigments color, and some of the palettes were with very sensible choices of colors, but they didn't inspire me.

So, I wanted to create a class which will work as a guide to how to choose colors that inspire you, to a create an exciting and balanced palette that fits your own creative style.

In this class, we will:

Understand better what is written on the labels of tubes and pans.

Learn the universal language of pigment names.

Be introduced to triads and the harmony they bring.

Receive suggestions for possible recipes for choosing the colors for your palette.

At the end of this class, we will do a class project of creating your own watercolor palette and painting a chart.

This class is for artists in all levels, who aspire to create a watercolor palette that fits their own preferences and needs.

I wish you will go through the class with joy and to get inspired.

Best wishes,

Ifat Ben Yosef

Class outlineI

1. Introduction+ Why create your own palette 2 min. examples for pre-made palettes (Daniel smith, van gogh) and palettes I made for my own preferences.
2. Class Materials, student vs. artist grade paints 2-3 min.
• Water colors – artist/student grade (van gogh, cotoman/roman szmal, Daniel smith…)
• Watercolor paper
• Quarter/half/pans/palette with wells
• Brushes – a flat brush no.6 and a round brush no.6
• Tape for defining space for the swatches.
• Two jars of clean water.
• A cloth to reduce the amount of water on the brush.
3. The universal language of pigments 3 min.
• What are these letters and numbers?
• Why is this important (to not buy the same color from different companies, to find information about colors you like, to be able to converse about colors with people that use different brands than you do)
4. Pigment properties 7 min.
• Lightfastness
• Opacity
• Staining/nonstinging
• Granulation
• Flow
• Clear and bright vs. muted
• Environment friendly colors
• Vegan friendly colors
5. One pigment color vs. several pigments color 2 min.
• What is the difference and why is it important?
• Examples
• Exceptions (Quin. Gold)
6. Cataloging your watercolors 2 min.
7. Triads, the path to harmony 6 min.
• primary colors triad
• split primary triad
• other triads
• harmony through painting with triads
• getting to know better the potential of you colors through working with triads.
8. Palette recipes 4 min.
• Split primary triad
• Supporting colors
• Colors you like the most
• Color mixing to realize if these are the best colors for you
9. Creating a palette for different painting subjects 3 min.
• Florals
• Landscapes and wildlife
• Urban sketching
• portraits
10. Mini class project: creating a limited palette of six colors and drawing a color chart. 3 min.
11. Examples for twelve colors palettes 2 min.
12. Class project: creating a 12/24 colors palette 6 min.
13. Drawing a color mixing chart for your palette 8 min.
14. Final thoughts 1 min.

Resources for the class project

You can use what ever art supplies you have on hand, and also the materials I suggested in video #2 class materials.

Watercolors
quarter pans/half pans/full pans
a palette
toothpicks
cold pressed watercolor paper
color properties catalog of the brand you chose
a flat watercolor brush for painting the color charts

More resources

My YouTube channel, Ifat Flower
handprint.com
janeblundellart.com

Mini class project: creating a limited palette of six colors and drawing a color chart (video #10)

For the mini class project, we will create a limited palette of six colors. It assists in getting to know better your watercolors and their potential. It also helps to identify which color you cannot live without, and which triads you like the most.

Here are the directions for this mini project:

Decide the painting subject your limited palette will focus on. For example: landscapes, wildlife, botanicals, florals, portraits, color mixing palette and more…
Choose the three primary colors that will be most suitable for this painting subject. Play with color mixing to identify which primary colors and triads you will use the most for your painting subject.
Choose more three colors that will support the three primaries you already chose. Do some color mixing of the first three primary colors and the additional three you chose now, to understand the potential of this limited palette. If you need to change some of the colors, change them now.
Fill a palette of six wells or six quarter pans/half pans/full pans with the colors you chose.
Swatch the colors to a color chart.
Post your mini project in the class project area.

class project: creating a palette of 12/24 colors and drawing a color chart (video #12)

For the class project, we will create a palette of 12/24 colors and swatch a color chart.

Here are the directions for the class project:

Decide the painting subjects your palette will focus on. For example: landscapes, wildlife, botanicals, florals, portraits, color mixing palette and more…
Choose the three primary colors that will be most suitable for this painting subject. Play with color mixing to identify which primary colors and triads you will use the most for your painting subjects.
Choose more triads and supporting colors. Do some color mixing of the colors you chose, to understand the potential of this palette. If you need to change some of the colors, change them now.
Fill a palette of 12/24 wells or 12/24 half pans/full pans with the colors you chose.
Swatch the colors to a color chart.
Post your mini project in the class project area.

Ifat Yosef

14

23