Color for the Artist

Mastering color theory and being able to create vibrant paintings with a limited palette are the specialty of master artist Stephen Quiller.

In this motivational art instruction video, both beginner and intermediate students will be introduced to the “Quiller Color Wheel,” Quiller’s own unique color selection tool that allows the artist to evoke any mood or feeling in their painting with a few strokes of the brush.

This workshop begins with a discussion of color theory and how the Quiller Color Wheel can be used to design successful color schemes and to plan a better palette. As the student becomes more comfortable with this tool, Quiller demonstrates how easy it can be to mix an endless range of hues.

One of the things that set Quiller’s Color Wheel apart from other similar tools that you may have seen is that it’s populated with common pigments and paint names, rather than generic hues. This allows the artist to easily notice and shop for the colors that are needed on a regular basis. The lesson continues with instruction about how to mix missing colors, how to layer opaque colors over transparent colors, and how and why to mix your hues on the paper instead of on the palette. All of Quiller’s advice and expertise is accompanied by a series of examples and a demo painting of a snowy lakeshore.

Quiller also introduces his five basic color schemes; monochromatic, complementary, analogous, split-complementary, and triad, and techniques for utilizing each in your art.

With this lesson, you’ll be better prepared to use both bold and muted colors to your advantage.