How to Tell if a Color is Warm or Cool

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How to Tell if a Color is Warm or Cool

I get asked over and over by students: “How do I know if a color is cool or warm?” So, I thought I would address that question in this video.

All colors have a warmer or cooler version. To keep things simple, the video reviews only primary colors - the major primary paint colors that all paint manufacturers make.

I think students make this way too complicated. It’s really very simple to tell if a color is warm or cool. You should be able to tell by simply looking at the color. If that doesn’t work, you need to understand why a color is warm or cool and what makes them that way.

The simple rules of thumb to remember are these:

  • Warm colors are warm because they have yellow, orange or red added to them.

  • Cool colors are cool because they have blue or green added to them.

You need to be familiar with the colors you use. What I have shown in the video are colors that every artist should have in their palettes, and colors common to all paint manufacturers. A good way to begin learning how warm and cool colors affect color mixing, you could use each of the primaries shown in the video to create your own color wheel. While mixing the secondary and tertiary colors of the wheel, you will begin to understand warm and col colors better. Plus, it’s a really fun exercise.

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David

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ALL ABOUT COLOR is a great online course that will show you a straightforward, no nonsense, clear and easily understandable approach to using harmonious color in your paintings.

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