Color Explorations with Watercolors

[length 2:15] Shelley Toon Lindberg discusses the reasons for this module's supplies and shows various options.

[length 4:43] Get to know the color system with which you are working by investigating the opacity and transparency of your watercolor paint set.

[length 7:05] Explore the mixing of primary colors while being introduced to the use of white, grey, and black for tint, tone, and shade.

[length 5:08] Experiment with adding varying amounts of black, grey, and white to one selected color. By trying different tints, tones, and shades of a color, you can expand the range of colors within your paint set.

[length 3:57] In Lingit colors are named for animals, plants, and other things in the natural world of Southeast Alaska and are said to be “like” those things. Shelley Toon Lindberg hosts a short discussion of place-based color observations and highlights language resources available as digital apps. She demonstrates the "Yakutat Tlingit" app (for iOS) and mentions the "Learning Tlingit" app (for iOS & Android).

[length 2:38] Try a color meditation by forming arches of warm colors, cool colors, and neutrals with your paint set.

[length 2:52] Shelley Toon Lindberg guides you through an exercise creating colors in tribute to different individuals in your life.

[length 7:57] Learn about the work of Josef Albers on color interactions. Try an experiment of analogous colors (3 or 4 colors which border each other on the color wheel, often referred to as "colors living in the same neighborhood"). 

[length 7:14] Shelley Toon Lindberg introduces complementary colors (colors that "live across the street" from each other on the color wheel). When used next to each other, complementary colors often pop to the eyes of the viewer. When combined they produce a variety of neutrals. 

[length 4:49] Use complementary colors to paint an item from the natural world. You may choose an item (e.g. feather, shell, stick) to use as you begin this video, or you may follow along with the feather from Shelley's demonstration.