A color study is a small painting or drawing that focuses almost entirely on color arrangements. The goal of a color study is not to create a beautiful painting but rather to explore and test different arrangements of color. It is often done as a lead-up to a more serious painting.
Tips for Creating a Color Study
- Identify the key colors in your scene or subject.
- Simplify the scene to the most important colors.
- Use a large brush to quickly simplify the details.
- Experiment with different color mediums, such as colored pencils, oils, acrylics, watercolors, or gouache.
- Experiment with different lighting conditions to see how the colors change.
- Include swatches of your colors on the study to make it easier to reproduce them in the main piece.
- Don't be afraid to experiment and push your colors further than you first thought.
Exercise – Same Subject Under Different Assumptions
Create multiple color studies of the same subject under different assumptions about the lighting, weather, or environment. This will help you expand your color vocabulary and flex your color mixing muscles.
Want to Learn More?
Learn more about color studies and how they can help improve your paintings in my course, the Painting Academy.