Recently someone in my community asked me how to choose a palette. The palette can really influence the aesthetics of your painting. Here are some of the most commonly used color palettes in different art genres.

Portrait Palette: 

When it comes to portraiture, the artist’s palette takes on the responsibility of conveying the intricate nuances of human expression and emotion. A portrait palette often emphasizes flesh tones, capturing the diversity of skin hues, shadows, and highlights. Here are some key colors that I use often in portrait painting:

• Cadmium Red: Used for warm undertones on skin and rosy cheeks.
• Naples Yellow: You can use it as the base of many different skin tones. 
• Yellow Ochre: It adds warmth to skin tones.
• Ultramarine Blue: Provides cool shadows and can be used in mixing with yellows and reds for subtle variations in skin tone.
• Burnt Sienna or Raw Umber: creating darker and tanner skin tones, and shadows. 
• Titanium White: Essential for highlighting and achieving light values. Tip: Don’t use it alone, the highlights you see on a person’s nose tips or check bones in portrait paintings are usually not pure white, but mixed with Naples yellow, or similar colors. 

Bouguereau is famous for his life-like portraits:

Plein Air Palette: 

Plein air painting means painting outdoors in nature.

Some popular plein air palette includes:

• Viridian: Ideal for capturing lush greens in landscapes.
• Cerulean Blue: A must-have for painting the sky.
• Sap Green: Not as saturated as viridian, so it’s perfect for foliage and natural elements.
• Yellow Ochre: Adds warmth to earthy tones and captures the glow of sunlight.
• Cadmium Yellow: Capture sunlight that bounces off everything in nature. 
• Burnt Sienna: Useful for earthy tones and capturing the essence of trees and rocks.
• Raw Umber: Cooler than Burnt Sienna. Another must-have to paint earth and shadows in nature. When you add a little Raw Umber with Blues, you will get the darks that are close to black but not totally black, so it looks more natural. 
• Cadmium Red: You can use it to mix with blues to make purple shadows, instead of using purple. I found it more natural looking when I mix them. 

landscape painter George Inness loved to paint the beauty of 19th-century American landscapes.

Still Life Palette: 

Still, life is a great practice to improve your painting skills. When I was in art school, my teacher first taught me how to paint cups, glasses vases, and all kinds of common household items. It’s a great way to learn forms, edges, compositions, and all those important fundamentals in painting. 

A still-life palette is often a delicate balance of soft hues and muted tones, to bring out the peace and calm in our environment. Key colors to consider for a still-life palette include:

• Ivory Black: Provides depth and creates shadows and darker areas.
• Burnt Umber: Useful for earthy tones and capturing the texture of objects.
• Cadmium Yellow: Adds a vibrant touch to flowers, fruits, or other focal points.
• Rose Madder: Offers a soft, delicate touch for floral arrangements.
• Soft Grays and Pastels: Perfect for creating serene and contemplative atmospheres.

Paul Cézanne set the ground for the emergence of modern art movements with his inventive still-life and landscape paintings.

Those are some of my favorite palettes. Of course, there are many, many different color combinations. When you paint paint a lot, you will find your personal favorite color palette. 

If you have any questions about painting and art business in general, just comment on this post and I will make sure to get back to you!

Cheering you on!

Ying 

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We all know that feeling of being in a zone where time seems to stand still, and our hands move almost on their own. 

It’s a magical place where we are fully immersed in our work, and everything else fades away.

But sometimes, we can get caught worrying about the end result. Will it be good enough? Will people like it? Will it sell? These thoughts can take us out of the moment and steal the joy from the process of creating. 

But the true beauty is in the act of creation, in how our minds and hearts come together to form something new and unique. We must remember that the journey of creation is just as important as the destination.

NYT bestseller author Arthur Brooks’s new book inspires people to find true joy and purpose in the second half of life. 

It talks about the four common misconception people think will bring them happiness: money, power, pleasure, and fame. Actually, the more people have those, the more miserable they become in the second half of life. Because they eventually find out those don’t bring them more joy and fulfillment. 

The four real things that bring happiness are faith, family, friends, and work. Working with your hands and mind is a God-given gift and is a requirement for life’s purpose and fulfillment.

You can find the link to this book here: https://www.amazon.com/Strength-Finding-Success-Happiness-Purpose/dp/B08WDN9LSM/ref=sr_1_13?crid=9MZZQB6MZFZL&keywords=arthur+books&qid=1680024844&sprefix=arthur+%2Caps%2C113&sr=8-13#customerReviews

Ecclesiastes 3:22, we are told, “So I saw that there is nothing better than that a man should rejoice in his work, for that is his lot.” 

Let’s remember that our art is a reflection of our souls. Our work as artists is not just a job. It’s a part of who we are. And when we find joy in making art, our works become an extension of ourselves. So let’s allow ourselves the freedom to experiment, to make mistakes, to explore our ideas and inspirations without worrying about the outcome

We must embrace the process, the ups and downs, the mistakes, and the happy accidents. They are all part of the journey, making our art unique and beautiful.

You can watch my creative process in this short IG video here: https://www.instagram.com/p/CqVqLmTAKeB/

Cheering you on!

Ying

The post Finding Joy in Your Art appeared first on Ying McLane.

What kind of artist are you?

I recently had an epiphany while looking at other artists’ works. 

I saw this trend in artists painting beautiful women with flowers on their heads; apparently, they sell pretty well. Then you know, a little bit of FOMO (fear of missing out) settled in. But I quickly caught myself. And I thought of this:

Some art keeps you looking—the vibrant colors, sophisticated compositions, and designs keep your eyes busy and entertained. And that’s wonderful!

Then some art keeps you thinking. 

I’ll never forget seeing Rembrandt’s self-portrait at The Frick museum in New York City. A simple portrait with a dark background depicts the artist’s older self. The whole pairing is simple to the degree of austerity. But somehow, this master’s gaze from hundreds of years ago still mesmerizes me. And I felt I couldn’t move my feet away from that painting. Those are the types of paintings that keep you thinking, feeling, and imagining.

There are no right and wrong styles of painting. And you can move from one to another in the different stages of your art journey. Right now, I am striving to make paintings that contain more spiritual elements and keep people thinking. 

So, what kind of artist are you? Drop a comment here.. 

On another note, I just published a new 3 minute art tutorial: Watercolor peony greeting card. Click this link and subscribe to my Youtube channel, or share with a friend. I would apprecate it!

Cheering you on!

Ying 

The post <strong>What kind of artist would you be?</strong> appeared first on Ying McLane.