I get asked CONSTANTLY how I make my colors in my paintings so bright.
I'm always flattered when people ask because my vibrant colors are what I've worked hardest to capture over the years as a painter.
I love painting with saturated, bold colors because they convey such strong emotion.
They make me feel joyful and positive and bring colorful life to the memories I'm always trying to capture in my paintings
It took me a while to learn how to consistently capture bright colors, but the answer is surprisingly simple.
I'll break it down in 3 tips for you...
1. Invest in high quality paint. I know this can feel tough if you're not used to spending a lot of money on art supplies, but honestly if you do nothing else, this alone will transform your paintings.
High quality paint is brighter, the pigments are more pure, and they mix better with other paints. My favorite paint brand is Golden for exactly these reasons. It's not cheap, but with paint you really do get what you pay for.
My work would not look the way it does without high quality paint. Simple as that.
Download my list of recommended paints right here!!
2. Don't mix more than 3 colors together at once. The more colors you mix, the more opaque your colors will get and the less light will pass through. The less light that makes it through your paints, the less your painting will look like it's glowing.
Obviously this is not a hard and fast rule. There are exceptions when you're trying to create a specific effect with a color, but in general, try not to mix too many colors together at once.
3. Experiment with your colors! The better you get to know your colors, the easier it will be to know which colors will look great together in a painting.
Some colors blend beautifully and others mix to make mud. If you play around with your colors in your sketchbook before going straight to a finished painting, you'll get familiar with what happens when you combine colors.
Practice these three tips and your colors will get brighter too!
XO,
Laurel
P.S. If you love painting, but sometimes struggle to stay inspired, I have a free 5 Day Colorful Mindset Challenge coming up in March BUT we've started getting ready with pre-challenge exercises in my Facebook Group! If you're not already in it and want to connect with over 1,200 other painters and get inspired, join us right here now!