How to Bring Consistency to Your Artworks
Do you sometimes struggle with consistency in your paintings or artworks?
If you feel like there is no common thread running through your artwork, this post just might help you!
I OFTEN FIND MYSELF TRYING TO MIX A SPECIFIC COLOR OVER AND OVER AGAIN.
And what usually ends up happening, is I don’t quite get the concoction right. I make a similar one — and that’s totally fine — but sometimes I just really wanna make a very specific color and I want to use that color throughout a collection of works, like a lot.
Obviously, some slight color differences are necessary to create a range of works, but for that one color that you seem to wanna work with all the time, this is a great tool! Plus it makes your art just look overall more cohesive, especially if you work with a range of media.
I LIKE TO USE EMPTY BABY FOOD JARS TO MIX MY COLORS INTO.
It’s great because I’m recycling the jars, and it’s also great because they actually hold quite a bit of paint — the artworks I use these for are primarily my small scale embroideries. For those of you who work in a larger scale setting, I’m sure there are empty containers like pickle jars or jam jars that can hold a much larger quantity of paint, and you could definitely use those as well.
EVER SINCE I STARTED MIXING THESE PAINT COLORS THAT I USE ALL THE TIME, I’VE FOUND MORE CONSISTENCY THROUGHOUT MY WORK.
A FEW TIPS:
1.) I use a LOT of white for my light colors. (I do a lot of beach scenes, and so I always need a good sandy tan.)
2.) It can be beneficial to create a really saturated version of a hue that you like so that all you need to do is add white when you’re using it and you’ve created a scale of the same hue.
3.) I like to add some water when I’m mixing; I find it helps my colors last longer in the jars, and also gives them a more fluid body that I can’t get when they’re straight out of a tube.
BEFORE YOU GO, LET ME KNOW
Have you been doing this already yourself? What kind of containers do you use to mix your colors and how long do you find your colors last in their jars?
Thanks so much for reading!
