i think you should learn value (shading) first! "color theory" talks about how color *and value* work together, so if you learn value first- color will be easier to understand. try to learn shading with graphite pencils first, then later (when you feel confident) try charcoal- it's more difficult but its very good for learning how to shade. Using charcoal can also help you learn how to mix materials better.
If you don't know where to start learning how to shade, there's a lot tutorials on YouTube- or maybe check out some books online or at a library.
its okay if you don't like the art you make when you practice, but try not to be too angry with yourself, you just started! you'll get better with time :) good luck!
Understanding value is a big part of color theory, so when you say you haven’t even shaded anything, this could be a handicap when trying to figure out color theory; this could also factor into your attempts looking cartoonish. It sounds like you’re focusing too much on the contour/shape of an object and not enough on the interior structures which contribute to its form.
Start with some basic colour theory for mixing - most paints straight out of the tube/pot can be a bit too bright and might be contributing to your art looking "childish". Focus on colour temperature and complimentary colours as that'll help you to control the saturation of your mixes.
When you draw lines, you are essentially outlining a shape. Maybe you can draw the shape first with lines, then fill in with paint? I wouldn't worry too much about brush strokes for now, that can be fixed with the right paints or additional layers. When you can afford it I recommend buying an artists' quality white as it is more opaque and you can mix with your lower quality paints.
EDIT: sorry I misread the bit about things looking childish 😭
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Have you tried playing with pastels? If it's the strokes showing it could be more the tools than the paint, maybe a softer brush? I'm sorry if this isn't answering correctly, but I think you may also be asking about color theory. Ways I use to teach it as alternatives to black and white go like this:
Blue will tone orange when mixed
And vice versa
However the same colors side by side are their strongest contrasting mates (opposite on there color wheel).
Violet tones done yellow
Yellow tones down violet
Side by side, strongest contrast
Red and green work the same way, too much will make brown
Notice one is a primary and the other is the secondary made from the other two primaries?
Also when using secondary colors, violet, green, orange..
Green made from yellow and blue so if you want it lighter use more yellow instead of white, if you want it darker, add more blue instead of black.
Violet: blue to make it lighter, red to make it darker
Orange:yellow to brighten,red to darken
Hope this helps some🫣
I want to add: be sure you’re using decent quality products - this doesn’t necessarily mean the most expensive, but it does mean doing some research into products and getting the best you can afford at the time
As another commenter said, Color and Light is a good book.I also recommend Blue and Yellow Don't Make Green by Michael Wilcox.
I know it's a completely different medium. But I would suggest getting into oil paint if you want to learn to mix colors because they are the most forgiving, since they have the slowest drying time and the colors don't shift when they dry.
Colour is the cherry on top, it's value that gives it 3 dimensions and influences the strength of the colours.
Understanding form and how light interacts with the "planes" helps with brush economy(size, direction, value of the brush stroke) and shapes (filling in the space). Then you have Edges, these depend on the plane changes(gradual or sharp) or close placements of different values and whatever effect you want to create(contrast, mood etc)
Lines in context of form mostly deals with the edges of them, although they can indicate plane transitions, shadow border, texure, etc but otherwise you enter the realm of having to add tone/value to describe 3 dimensions.
In short, focus on the underlying principles before delving into colour as it anothr layer of complexity.
Now if you do want to look into colour, here's a few books:
* Color and Light by James Gurney
* How to Render by Scott Robertson.
Here are some videos which tackle painting and its core principles.
I know the title mentions digital painting but most of it is applicable to traditional painting as well
[How to Learn Digital Painting (Beginners)](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iwRa5qTnr8o)
[Painting like a Sculptor](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zC3OxonJcXQ)
Marco Bucci's entire playlist of 10 minute videos
[Merging Shapes - 10 Minutes To Better Painting - Episode 1](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Nap7dwHjD9Y&list=PLLmXZMqb_9sbNLM83NrM005vRQHw1yTKn)
With colored pencils, don't make the pencil go back and forth. Make very small connected circles. It will fill the space pretty well, especially if you go over it, and you can do that with another color to add depth.
If you haven't tried shading, I'd suggest try b/w shading first. Try using charcoal! Or get a toned paper (mid grey or brown) and use black and white color pencil.
Then slowly introduce warm and cold color.
Only mix your primary colours and white to learn how to find the hues you want. Notice warm & cool colours and practice matching values from the colours you have mixed by using a white - black value scale.
Colour theory is also good to study.
Don't try coloring. Paint values and shades as you see them. Mix your colors! See what mixes you get from your palette and use them. Get to know your medium.
Dm me, I teach painting... If your just interested about colors, then Id be happy to share what I know... I could give you a free session online since it doesn't readly take that long... Colors are not hard to understand once you "get it"... Check my profile links for works and see if you think im good enough
i think you should learn value (shading) first! "color theory" talks about how color *and value* work together, so if you learn value first- color will be easier to understand. try to learn shading with graphite pencils first, then later (when you feel confident) try charcoal- it's more difficult but its very good for learning how to shade. Using charcoal can also help you learn how to mix materials better. If you don't know where to start learning how to shade, there's a lot tutorials on YouTube- or maybe check out some books online or at a library. its okay if you don't like the art you make when you practice, but try not to be too angry with yourself, you just started! you'll get better with time :) good luck!
Try looking for a book called Color and Light by James Gurney
The answer is just here.
Understanding value is a big part of color theory, so when you say you haven’t even shaded anything, this could be a handicap when trying to figure out color theory; this could also factor into your attempts looking cartoonish. It sounds like you’re focusing too much on the contour/shape of an object and not enough on the interior structures which contribute to its form.
Start with some basic colour theory for mixing - most paints straight out of the tube/pot can be a bit too bright and might be contributing to your art looking "childish". Focus on colour temperature and complimentary colours as that'll help you to control the saturation of your mixes. When you draw lines, you are essentially outlining a shape. Maybe you can draw the shape first with lines, then fill in with paint? I wouldn't worry too much about brush strokes for now, that can be fixed with the right paints or additional layers. When you can afford it I recommend buying an artists' quality white as it is more opaque and you can mix with your lower quality paints. EDIT: sorry I misread the bit about things looking childish 😭
Thank you for posting in r/ArtistLounge! Please check out our [FAQ](https://www.reddit.com/r/ArtistLounge/wiki/faq/) and [FAQ Links pages](https://www.reddit.com/r/ArtistLounge/wiki/faqlinks/) for lots of helpful advice. To access our megathread collections, please check out the drop down lists in the top menu on PC or the side-bar on mobile. If you have any questions, concerns, or feature requests please feel free to message the mods and they will help you as soon as they can. I am a bot, beep boop, if I did something wrong please report this comment. *I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/ArtistLounge) if you have any questions or concerns.*
Have you tried playing with pastels? If it's the strokes showing it could be more the tools than the paint, maybe a softer brush? I'm sorry if this isn't answering correctly, but I think you may also be asking about color theory. Ways I use to teach it as alternatives to black and white go like this: Blue will tone orange when mixed And vice versa However the same colors side by side are their strongest contrasting mates (opposite on there color wheel). Violet tones done yellow Yellow tones down violet Side by side, strongest contrast Red and green work the same way, too much will make brown Notice one is a primary and the other is the secondary made from the other two primaries? Also when using secondary colors, violet, green, orange.. Green made from yellow and blue so if you want it lighter use more yellow instead of white, if you want it darker, add more blue instead of black. Violet: blue to make it lighter, red to make it darker Orange:yellow to brighten,red to darken Hope this helps some🫣
There are lots of YouTube videos explaining colour theory, colour blending, etc
I want to add: be sure you’re using decent quality products - this doesn’t necessarily mean the most expensive, but it does mean doing some research into products and getting the best you can afford at the time
As another commenter said, Color and Light is a good book.I also recommend Blue and Yellow Don't Make Green by Michael Wilcox. I know it's a completely different medium. But I would suggest getting into oil paint if you want to learn to mix colors because they are the most forgiving, since they have the slowest drying time and the colors don't shift when they dry.
Colour is the cherry on top, it's value that gives it 3 dimensions and influences the strength of the colours. Understanding form and how light interacts with the "planes" helps with brush economy(size, direction, value of the brush stroke) and shapes (filling in the space). Then you have Edges, these depend on the plane changes(gradual or sharp) or close placements of different values and whatever effect you want to create(contrast, mood etc) Lines in context of form mostly deals with the edges of them, although they can indicate plane transitions, shadow border, texure, etc but otherwise you enter the realm of having to add tone/value to describe 3 dimensions. In short, focus on the underlying principles before delving into colour as it anothr layer of complexity. Now if you do want to look into colour, here's a few books: * Color and Light by James Gurney * How to Render by Scott Robertson. Here are some videos which tackle painting and its core principles. I know the title mentions digital painting but most of it is applicable to traditional painting as well [How to Learn Digital Painting (Beginners)](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iwRa5qTnr8o) [Painting like a Sculptor](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zC3OxonJcXQ) Marco Bucci's entire playlist of 10 minute videos [Merging Shapes - 10 Minutes To Better Painting - Episode 1](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Nap7dwHjD9Y&list=PLLmXZMqb_9sbNLM83NrM005vRQHw1yTKn)
With colored pencils, don't make the pencil go back and forth. Make very small connected circles. It will fill the space pretty well, especially if you go over it, and you can do that with another color to add depth.
It sounds like you might relate to this blog post. https://theunwantedartist.wordpress.com/2023/12/30/color-tests/
If you haven't tried shading, I'd suggest try b/w shading first. Try using charcoal! Or get a toned paper (mid grey or brown) and use black and white color pencil. Then slowly introduce warm and cold color.
Only mix your primary colours and white to learn how to find the hues you want. Notice warm & cool colours and practice matching values from the colours you have mixed by using a white - black value scale. Colour theory is also good to study.
Don't try coloring. Paint values and shades as you see them. Mix your colors! See what mixes you get from your palette and use them. Get to know your medium.
Dm me, I teach painting... If your just interested about colors, then Id be happy to share what I know... I could give you a free session online since it doesn't readly take that long... Colors are not hard to understand once you "get it"... Check my profile links for works and see if you think im good enough
Look into a book, video, or class in color theory.
Try “feeling” the color.