Lesson 29: the Intensity Scale

by Mary Ann Boysen

Intensity Scale - For making grays, we use the complementary colors on the color wheel. Start with one color; let’s say a blue. Paint a solid square of this blue. Then in the next square, add just a touch of its complement (orange) Then in the third square, add another touch of the complement; and so forth, until you come to the end when the last square is only the complementary color. In this group of squares you will have varying shades of gray. Gray is not just a color out of a tube. You create interesting grays with complementary colors. They can be green grays, purple grays, reddish grays, blue grays. This is the way we make our paintings interesting to the viewer. There is nothing more boring than a gray straight out of the tube!

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