All About Color Mixing for Watercolor Beginners: Watercolor

By Honey Silvas

All About Color Mixing for Watercolor Beginners is a joyful exploration into the world of colors!   Learn all about modern color theory and practical color mixing.  Great for beginners and intermediate artists!

• Language: English
• Publisher: Honey Silvas
• Release date: Jun 1, 2023
• ISBN: 9798215344651

Honey Silvas

I am a watercolor, mixed media artist, and visual storyteller based in Bradenton, Florida. I love painting vibrant abstract pieces, bright loose florals, and minimalist landscapes. My work is inspired by travel, culture, as well as the everyday. I’m Filipino-Chinese, born and raised in the Philippines. I studied Film and Audio-Visual Communication at the University of the Philippines Diliman, where I learned about cinema, photography, storytelling, composition, color, and more. After graduation, I worked as a cruise ship photographer, and eventually, photo lab manager at Royal Caribbean Cruise Lines, aboard ships such as Splendour of the Seas, Serenade of the Seas, and Grandeur of the Seas. I have travelled to over 30 countries. I moved to Charleston, South Carolina where I worked as an event photographer and videographer. I also worked as a web programmer and UX designer. I later settled in Bradenton, Florida with my husband, daughter, dog, and cats.

Book preview

I love  COLOR!

What drew me into modern watercolor was the bold, vibrant colors.

But when I was just starting out, I couldn't get that beautiful look in my own paintings because I didn't understand the language of colors. Everything I did was turning out drab, wishy-washy, disharmonious, or just meh. Sometimes the colors I used were turning out so ugly on the paper and I couldn't comprehend why or what I was doing that was so wrong. Even when I had the correct materials, I did not know how to use them and was not getting good results.

It took me years to figure out how to get the look that I wanted. After lots and lots of research, and tons and tons of practice, I was finally able to make sense of how to use the colors properly and have a system that works for me. It's amazing how much good color improves and elevates the work. I will explain my system as well as break down everything I've learned step by step. It's simple once you know how. This is by no means the only way to learn color, but it works for me so I hope it works for you as well.

This book is divided into three main parts. In the first part, we start out simple by using a limited palette of just three primary colors. The second part explores the split primary palette of 6 colors so you can get more interesting and vibrant mixes. The third part uses an expanded palette for an even broader range of colors.

Join me as we explore this wonderful world of colors. Happy painting!

How to Get the Most Out of This Book

It's best if you follow along with me as I explain the concepts of color mixing. It's one thing to read about mixing colors, it's a totally different thing to experience it yourself and see the results as you mix your own colors.

Some things seem really simple when explained, but might require a bit more troubleshooting when done in real life. There is going to be a lot of trial and error along the way, so be kind to yourself.

I've tried my best to make my color swatches as correct and accurate as possible. Colors are different on screen and print compared to real life so it's important to create your own swatches from your own colors, paper, and brush.

Try to incorporate learning about color mixing into your regular watercolor practice. It's better to do short study sessions regularly than one large cram session, but any practice is better than nothing so do whatever works best for you. I recommend devoting at least one session