What is Your Color IQ?

I’ve had many people ask me about my artwork, “How did you know to put that color there? I can’t even see that color in the reference photo?”

I’ve always had a knack with color. It’s one of the few things I truly feel I do well. I can look at a color and be able to match it without holding the two colors next to each other. Color has also always been one of those things that fascinates me: the psychology of color, color trends, color mixing, etc. I should have gone to work for Pantone and never looked back.  Many men, but not many women have various forms of color blindness, while others have very strong color vision and color acuity. Check out this test I found that you can do to determine your level of color IQ: http://www.xrite.com/custom_page.aspx?pageid=77&lang=en

I find this so interesting and I hope you will too. I scored a zero – which indicates I have perfect color vision (at least until cataracts set in at some point). What’s your color score?

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Inspiration is…

I find it interesting to talk to other artists and find out what inspires them.  For me, it’s pretty simple.  My artwork is inspired by color, nature and how light reacts to the surfaces of objects.  As far as artists go, the Impressionists have always been my inspiration.  Monet, Renoir, Toulouse-Lautrec and Pissaro all bring a fascinating interpretation of how they see the world and subsequently put it on a canvas.  I love how they are able to look at something and see colors that most of us cannot fathom are there.

Claude Monet
Water-Lily Pond

Looking at the above painting by Monet at his beloved Giverny, I am amazed at the diverse range of color in what our eye interprets as a mostly green field.  Now, look at the following photo that I took this summer at Giverny of the actual pond he used as reference:

Giverny – France, 2012

Monet’s dynamic use of color bring the lily pond to life.  The yellows bring light to the canvas.  The blues depict cool shadows.  Texture allows the viewer to feel the leaves.  Reflection shows the stillness of the water.

The Impressionists were not well thought of when they came on the scene in the mid to late 1800’s.  Their style and bold use of color was a drastic departure from the dark, dramatic and realistic styles of their predecessors.  I’m thankful that they forged that path for artists who came after them.  Anytime I get an opportunity to see an Impressionist exhibit, I take advantage of it. I always learn something about how to use color and texture in my artwork.  Who inspires you?

Color Me Here…

About a year ago, I decided I wanted to venture back into art, mainly just as a hobby or a way to create art for my house.  I started with my graphite pencils and illustrated a drawing of Lucy, my Golden Retriever.

(Artwork Copyright 2010 Lisa M. Mills – All Rights Reserved)

This rendering of Lucy depicts her on her favorite perch – the stairs.  She was unmoved that I was photographing her and moved even less that I illustrated her.  She’s a lazy girl.

That one drawing got me hooked all over again on art (you can see my story on the “About the Artist” page).  I then began to photograph my dogs, birds, critters in the yard – virtually anything I could draw.  I’m slow at my craft, but steady as I rebuild a portfolio.

Last spring, I discovered another artist named Alyona Nickelsen who has a book called “The Colored Pencil Painting Bible.”  Wow.  She is amazing.  I found out she offers an online school and I thought this would be a great way to hone my skills as an artist.  I took Part 1 in September and will be starting Part 2 in November.

Here’s a sample of my accomplishments in Part 1:

My husband suggested I was going “out of my gourd” while I was working on it as it was so intricate.  But I persevered and won the Class Challenge Project (this gourd) for Part 1 of the class. (Each class has a challenge project at the completion of the class, where students are encouraged to submit their work to compete against one another.)  This was rendered in sepia, plus black colored pencil and a colorless blender.

So, thanks for stopping by Color Me Here…I’m looking forward to the journey.