Painting and the Double Primary SystemWhy it is best to use a palette with two reds, two blues and two yellows and have a separate mixing palette and both clean and dirty water and a sponge.

Dan China

Everyone knows the three primary colours

1Three primary colours

It is helpful to use the colour circle as the basis for looking at colour

2The secondary colours

If you mix the three primaries you get grey

3Three primaries make grey

Therefore mixing complementary colours is the same as mixing three primaries.

4complementaries

Mixing yellow + (blue and red) = grey

Complementary colours are opposites in the colour circle

5complementaries

Tertiary colours

Mixing blue + (red and yellow) = grey (good for skies)

These greys and browns mixed with complementary colours are tertiary colours (they contain the 3 primary colours)

6Complementaries = tertiary colours

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=Looking at colour

7Complementary colours are

School paints

These standard school colours are part of a continuum. For instance, red moves from a reddish purple through to a deep reddish orange

8School paints

Brilliant red is close to orange and contains some yellowBrilliant yellow is close to orange and contains some redBrilliant blue is close to purple and contains some red

Some yellow in the red makes the purple slightly dull

Some red in the yellow makes the green slightly dull

9

Brilliant Blue and Brilliant Yellow have too much red in them

Lemon yellow and cobalt has no red at all and will mix brilliant acid lemon greens

Crimson and brilliant blue contains no yellow and will mix brilliantPure magenta/purple Brilliant red and brilliant yellow will mix good orange

We need two reds, two yellows, two bluesto mix clear secondary colours. This is the double primary system.

10We need two of each primary colour

Double Primary System

Brilliant Red(scarlet, strawberry, tomato, pillar box)

Crimson(raspberry, wine)

Brilliant Yellow(sunflower, buttercup)Lemon Yellow(lemons)

Brilliant Blue(Ultramarine, Bluebells)Cobalt(sky, Cornflowers)

+ white + black or prussian blue

This means w

e need an eight well

Colour palette

11The double primary system

Note use of complementary colours hereLook at Seurat, Cezanne etc – greys and complemetaries

12Add richness

Painting equipment – how not to organise it.

Using equipmentBeing in control

Painting equipment – how not to organise it.To make it work and be in control You need an eight well paletteYou also need a separate palette for mixingYou also need water to clean your brush (dirty water)You also need a cloth or sponge to dry your brushYou also need water to dilute colour (clean water)

Sponge or cloth

dirty water

mixing palette

8 section paint palette paper

clean water

8 section palette

Sponge or cloth

dirty water

mixing palette

8 section paint palette paper

clean water

8 section palette

When changing and mixing colours children should be taught to get into the habitof cleaning their brush (in the dirty water jar) then drying it on the sponge before taking more paint from the paint palette and adding it to the mixing palette. They also clean and dry their brush before taking clean water and adding it to the paint in the mixing palette to dilute their colour.If they do this they will be in control of their colour mixing.

When changing and mixing colours children should be taught to get into the habitof cleaning their brush (in the dirty water jar) then drying it on the sponge before taking more paint from the paint palette and adding it to the mixing palette. They also clean and dry their brush before taking clean water and adding it to the paint in the mixing palette to dilute their colour.If they do this they will be in control of their colour mixing.

Sponge or cloth

clean water

dirty water

mixing palette

8 section paint palette paper

Shared equipment between two Personal equipment

Setting out a painting table

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