Cerulean Is a Weird Color

I sat down to paint with nothing in mind. I really wanted to try out some basic shapes and forms - putting in some practice with flat washes and diffused edges. I didn't end up with a finished painting, but I do feel a little more comfortable with the paint.

As the title and picture would suggest, Cerulean is odd. Cotman brand Cerulean pigment has really weak tinting strength. Even in its most concentrated form, Cerulean is extremely light in color. Oddly enough, it is also the only hue in my palette that stains and separates on the page. I really like the effect it created on this sphere, but it's not appropriate for most things.

I appreciate that Cerulean is more subdued than Pthalo Blue; it just happens to go a little too far in the opposite direction. I may have to look into French Ultramarine for something in between the two.

Comments

Ferret

Trying out a challenge to myself - to create "finished" pieces with a limited color palette on a consistent schedule. I am still working out the final guidelines. I think I would like to challenge myself to use a new texture in each piece as well. I've had this unfinished sketch in my sketchbook forever. Even though I'm not entirely happy with it - it feels great to finally have it done!

Ice Skating Characters

Twinbee

Trying some new ways of picking colors for my digital pieces. I was not aware that Illustrator has a tint slider. I feel much more confident sticking to a very limited number of hues with a tint and shade for each. This illustration uses only three: blue, pink, and tan. Twinbee is one of my favorite video games - it perfectly captures the weird concepts and bright colors that find their way into my work. Not sure where this pose came from, but I didn't want it to waste away in my sketchbook.

Rainbow Bisque

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