Discord, Analogous, Complimentary, Color Theory...
Color theory can feel overwhelming for everyone—myself included! Here's how I approached selecting the final two colors for my test abstract painting:
Steps for Choosing the Colors:
Start with Primary Colors: My painting began with Yellow and Cyan (Blue). However, these colors weren’t pure primaries since I mixed each with another hue. For example, the yellow and blue in my painting don’t form a true complementary pair. Ideally, I should have added a touch of red to the cyan to create a cooler, blue-purple shade.
Define the Main Focal Color: Using the program Slurp on my Mac, I identified the Hex color code of the main focal point in my painting—a Yellow-Green shade, specifically #D9DE5C.
Find Complementary and Analogous Colors: With the Hex code in hand, I visited the Canva Color Wheel. Entering #D9DE5C as the base color and selecting "Analogous" from the drop-down menu gave me the two additional hues I needed: light green and light tan.
Integrate the Analogous Colors: These complementary shades will support the primary Yellow-Green, adding harmony and depth to the painting.
Lessons Learned:
While my initial colors weren’t textbook accurate, this process clarified the importance of refining color mixes and using digital tools to guide decisions. With practice, this becomes second nature.
Below are the visuals of the steps I followed for this experiment. 🎨
I "Slurped" the yellow/green color and got the Hex color: #D9DE5C
Using the Color Wheel website: I entered in the Hex color, and selected the Analogous Drop Down:
It's as simple as this: my painting will feature four harmonious colors, along with Black, White, and the Toned canvas as the base.
Another approach is to use the exact hex color of the wall where the painting will hang. This shade becomes the main color of the painting. For example, instead of using the Yellow-Green I chose in this piece, I could have matched the Beach Grass Tan color of my walls. That would give me a truer Blue as the complementary color, plus two Analogous colors to balance the Blue, along with Black and White for contrast.
Once you've practiced this method a few times, it starts to feel intuitive. You'll see how easily it all comes together. Best of luck!