I don’t really have much more to say about the Green, Purple and Orange triad I’ve been using for the past couple of months, except to say that I’ve enjoyed the versatility of it. I’ve sketched light furred dogs and black and white dogs, and people with all different skin tones. It has been fun and exciting to play with. Here’s one more for the record books…
And yes, it’s on a discontinued watercolor paper. Drat.
Coming up, as I begin to get back to a regular posting schedule you’ll see a lot of discontinued paper. I found a lot of odds and ends as I was doing the downsizing. (I’m still in the middle of the downsizing, or at least I hope I’m in the middle and it will be completed soon!)
Triad Tip
If you aren’t used to switching around the pigments that you depend on, be sure you work with a new limited palette everyday for at least a week. (Of course, groan my students, she thinks you need to do this for a month.) Then look at all your pieces with your fresh eye and see not only how you’ve grown in the use of that palette, but also how your eye is now adjusted to using it and thinking in terms of those palettes.
Also expect to work a little more slowly. You know you can mix a neutral by taking X and Y, but you aren’t using X and Y today so you have to think through the best way to get a warm or cool neutral as needed with the colors you are working with.
This type of mental gymnastics is good for you—better than that morning Sudoku! Have Fun!
Can you be more specific about the triad? I searched through the blog, but didn’t find anything more specific than green, purple, orange. I’m convinced that knowing this will unlock secret powers.
I’m sorry Greg, I thought I mentioned the current triad in one of my other posts. (Things are very fractured here right now.)
I was working with a triad of green-gold from Schmincke, and then from Richeson I was looking at Vermillion as the orange and I was using a MIXED purple made of Richeson Quin Pink and Phthal Blue.
I used the Richeson paints because I found them in one of my teaching packs for taking to classes. I don’t even know if they still make this paint. But it was doing well in the tubes and worked great.
My point is you can substitute those for Daniel Smith etc. But the Schmincke green gold is really to me a very special paint and I recommend you use it. Especially if you have to painting any Califorinia Dudes with dishwater blond hair. (Or gals, for that matter.)
Explore the greens, oranges, and purples you already have too. That was the point when I was talking original about this with my students.
Have fun.