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COLOR  is lesson will focus on the practical application of Color Bias  eory and basic color mixing using Wendy’s favorite 22 colored pencils. How do you choose which pencils to mix when trying to match a color in nature? To assit you in this decision, it is helpful to understand Color Bias  eory. Careful combinations of these pencils will enhance three-dimensional form and realistic color in your botanical drawings.  e objective of this lesson is to explore and experiment with color. Color theory is a broad and complicated subject, but we will try to keep it as simple and practical as possible.  is lesson relies heavily on the accompanying videos. Watch the videos to fully engage with this lesson. For a detailed explanation of color theory please read Chapter 7 – “Understanding Color” in Wendy’s Book: Botanical Drawing in Color – A Basic Guide to Mastering Realistic Form and Naturalistic Color. Also refer to page 3 of this program, Year of Botanical Drawing, for a list of the 22 colored pencils.

COLOR BIAS THEORY 2 1 Color is created by mixing pigments.  is course recommends 22 pencil pigments. Some of these pencils mix to create bright colors, Bias Orange while others will appear dull when mixed. All colors stem from three primary colors: red, yellow, and blue. Variations of red, yellow, and Bias Green blue will be bias toward a secondary color: green, orange, or violet. 3 When mixing colors that are bias toward the same secondary color, the results are o en bright; when mixing colors that are bias to opposite secondaries, the result will be a dull color. 4 6

5 Bias Violet Color wheel showing color bias

Six primary colors and the corresponding pencils.

COLOR MIXING EXPERIMENTSVIDEO PART 1 In video ‘Part I’ Wendy demonstrates Color Bias  eory using only primary colors. While watching the video, experiment with Wendy by making your own color blends using only the six pencils listed above. Each of these pencils has a warm or a cool bias. Using the template shown here, create three charts: • Red and yellow, to make orange • Yellow and blue, to make green • Blue and red, to make violet When blending primary colors that have opposing biases, notice the color’s dullness.

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CREATING NEUTRALS WITH COMPLEMENTARY COLORS Complementary colors are opposite on the color wheel. Any two complementary colors “complete” each other, meaning that together they contain all three primary colors. When you mix two complementary colors together, the result is o en a neutral, or “brownish” color. When you understand how complements mix to create neutrals, you can adjust your drawing to match colors that you  nd in nature. For example, if you are drawing a green leaf that is beginning to turn brown in autumn, you could add red to the green to neutralize that color.

When complementary colors are combined, all three primary colors are included and therefore appear brown or neutral.

Green leaf turning red and all the shades in between.

COLOR MATCHING  VIDEO PART 2 Watch Part 2 of the video for this lesson to see Wendy color-matching botanical subjects. When you choose a botanical subject to draw, think about how you will create the colors in your subject. To establish those parameters, think about the chart on the left, showing Hue, Value, and Intensity. Each color has a hue (the true pigment color), value (how dark or light it is–or how much dark sepia it may contain), and intensity (how bright or dull it is). Once you understand the ingredients in a color, choosing pigment combinations can be less intimidating. • To match hue, use Color Bias  eory to adjust your colors. • To build tone, use dark sepia or other dark colors relative to the hue for darks and burnish with white or ivory for lighter values. • To adjust intensity, add complements or neutrals to dull bright colors.

CREATIVE COLOR WHEEL DESIGN CHALLENGE Your assignment for this lesson is a color experiment and an exercise in creating a reference tool for future drawings. To add a little fun, this is also a design challenge for all the students in the program. We will have a People’s Choice Award for stand-out drawings. Students will vote on their favorite creative color graphic. C: Use 6, 12, or 22 pencils to design a unique color wheel or informational graphic that illustrates a concept from this lesson that you  nd compelling (the color bias theory, color mixing, color matching, etc.).  e Creative Color Wheel assignment is designed to help you develop an understanding of color mixing and color blending without worrying about a realistic botanical subject, though you can use a realistic botanical subject if you choose to do so. Get creative! Wendy’s Creative Color Wheel

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