- Feb 1
- 3 min read
At the start of the new year, I set a small process-related goal: to begin keeping a color journal each time I paint, so that I have a log of the colors I use. I have a well-established journaling practice and have been journaling for years, but keeping a visual color journal is new for me. Usually, when I paint, I wing it by mixing intuitively and moving quickly without documenting much along the way. This month, I made a deliberate effort to slow down and record the colors I used each time I sat down to paint.
I’m glad I did.
The first thing I noticed was how valuable it is to see paint swatches wet versus dry. Many of the colors actually became brighter and more beautiful once they dried, which isn’t always obvious at the moment. During my first attempt throughout the first week in January, I put paint down and then forgot to label it (not helpful, lol), but even those unlabeled swatches revealed how often I work within a similar palette unless I am intentionally limiting myself to primary colors.
By the second week of January, I got more disciplined. I began labeling each color with the paint name and simple abbreviations, which made a big difference. I could clearly see how colors interacted, like how medium magenta looked next to teal, even when they were not fully blended.
One of the biggest lessons this month came from experimenting with how I create darker shades. Traditionally, I default to black. But I learned a tip (via Instagram—@malcolmmuronda) about using other colors instead. For example, instead of mixing black with yellow to create a darker, muddy greenish tone, I tried mixing yellow with raw sienna. The result was a richer, warmer dark that still felt like it had dimension instead of reading flat. That shift opened up a whole new way of thinking about depth and range of color in my paintings.
I also noticed how sensitive certain color combinations are. When I mix medium magenta with dioxazine purple, the result is saturated and vibrant. But adding even a small amount of black, white, or raw sienna softens that richness. Sometimes that’s exactly what I want, and seeing it documented helped me understand those choices more clearly.
Not surprisingly, magenta showed up again and again this month as it does almost every time I paint. From it came many purples and warm pinks, which makes me think during this cold, dark winter I must be craving spring. I also found myself drawn to darker yellows, especially cadmium yellow dark. I did some cooler color experiments with teal, and I’m especially loving Cerulean Blue Deep from Golden right now.
Colors I Used This Month
Most of the paints I used were from Golden, including both their Open (slow-drying) line and regular acrylics. My January palette included:
Dioxazine Purple
Cerulean Blue Deep
Naphthol Red Medium
Medium Magenta
Cadmium Yellow Dark
Raw Sienna
Teal
Ultramarine Blue
Black Gesso (Golden)
White Gesso (Liquitex)
I may have slipped cadmium red light once or twice, but overall, I mostly stayed away from it this month.
Looking ahead to February, I want to keep experimenting, especially with darker values. Instead of relying solely on black, I would love to do side-by-side comparisons: black versus a complementary or earth tone from the opposite side of the color wheel. I have been working a lot with tints and shades lately, and perhaps a bit less with midtones.
One habit that has been especially helpful: at the end of each painting session, I take an in-progress photo and convert it to monochrome. This immediately shows me where I might need deeper shadows, brighter highlights, or fewer midtones. It’s a technique I’ve learned from several artists, including Betty Franks and Jodi King, and it has been a game-changer for adding dimension and balance to my pieces.
I’m excited to see how this practice evolves as I continue documenting and paying closer attention to the color combinations I am creating.
Yours in creativity,
Maria
