Introduction
When I started painting, I got used to replicate whatever color on the reference photo. After a while I found out that I could mix any color in the reference photo. But it made the painting process less interesting. I didn’t want to replicate the photo all the time and certainly I wanted to build up my own style. One day while I was on Instagram, I saw a photo that was very appealing to me. Yet again, I didn’t want to copy a photo pixel by pixel. So how could I borrow the things I loved about that photo? Then I came up with this “color palette painting method”.
It works well for me and I hope to share it with you.
Example A, Khmer smile
First of all, I choose a subject that I want to paint. In this case, the reference photo is stone statue in Cambodia. I like the structure but definitely not the color as in the photo. So next, I remove all colors in Photoshop and make it grayscale to emphasize values.
Picture below (left) is the one I really love from Instagram, by photographer @joseluis_mallard. The color on this building is attractive. I want to use the color but on a different subject (the buddha statue above). Therefore I pick up some colors from the photo and make a palette, as show below (right).
According to my new color palette, the shadow will be dark bluish grey, highlight will be pale cream and yellow/brown tone for major part. There are also some teal color as reflection in the shadow. Now, it is the fun part, to paint the subject with the designated color palette.
The result is shown above. With the designated color palette, the buddha statue is totally different from its original picture.
Example B, Blue dragonfly
Here is another example. In the original reference photo, the color is grey and dull. I like the composition and subject. But want to find more exciting and vivid color. So first, I remove all colors in Photoshop and make it grayscale.
Picture below (left) is my color reference source, art by Ivailo Nikolov. He has amazing colors in his boat painting. Then I pick up some colors to form a color palette.
With dark purplish brown as shadow, bright yellow as highlight and blue/teal as contrast color, this waterlily and dragonfly photo is transformed into an interesting painting. No color is from original photo at all. Check the result below.
Summary
Generally speaking, this “color palette painting method” is to determine the color palette first, then paint the subject you like with this designated palette. By doing that, all color used in the painting will be in a safe envelope. Also, this method gives more freedom when choosing reference photo. For instance, I may only like the character’s pose in reference photo A, but like the color combination in reference photo B. I can simply combine these two and create the painting I like.
A few more words, a harmony color palette is everywhere in nature such as a beautiful bird, flowers, trees and sky. You can try to pick up some color from a charming landscape picture and see what you get. Here are some reference photos that I simple like their color theme.
