Learning objectives
■ Work with a restricted palette using split complementary colours
■ Complete several paintings using slight colour variations
Working with colour is diffi cult. If you are new to painting in oils, there is a lot to take on, and you might feel like a circus performer spinning plates. You must think about tonal values, but also about colour temperature, and you must manage the rheology of the paint (how thick it is or how runny). Usually, however, as novice painters we worry most about colour and making our colours match what we see in nature, or in the photos that we want to copy.
It is always useful to look at painters of the past and see what tips we can glean from them. If we are considering colour, the French Impressionists might be a good place to start. The French Impressionists were a small
