Almost all of my paints have dried beyond reconstitution, so I'm going to have to save up and buy new - which made me think about what colors I'll be getting.

I usually just grab my favorites, plus black and white, unless I have a specific need for something close to a standard color. When I was taking Illustration classes, there was a "recommended pallette" so of course I had those, too. Now that I'm painting abstracts instead of realism I can use just about anything.

How do you choose your colors? Do you use the classical color pallette, a set pallette you've developed over the years, or just whatever strikes your fancy in the store?

It looks like you're striking-up conversation, rather than looking for tips or advice. I'm in. When I paint, I prefer to use oils, because they blend better than acrylic. Oils also dry slower, which allows one to play with them a bit more- like doing a paint sculpture on canvas. You can also perform a lot of effects by sprinkling dry pigment on oil medium. Airbrush and aerosol spray paint can be much fun, especially the metallic spray paints, on a piece of work that will remain physical(non-digital). I've known some people who will paint with almost anything liquid or liquefiable- mud, coffee, mustard(ew!), etc... I'm into the real media-digital media crossover thing, so I wouldn't recommend anything that you wouldn't risk placing on your scanner.

Hah. Now I have a vision of someone scanning their mustard covered ass and getting an NEA grant for it...


I pick the colors I like, or whatever strikes my fancy. Mixed water-based oils and acrylics, lots of sea colors. I'd like to add in metallic copper and pewter inks if I had the money, and I toss in pigment powders, too - cyan and violet.

To start with I usally like to have ~ a range of colors though it seems to be my tendency to make every thing Yellow :-p... of course when i was younger everything was blue. Then i went through a green phase. may be i am just going through the color wheel... *SNICKER* big orange is next... WOO HOO

I took a whole damn course on nothing but color drawing; I still am baffled as to what colors to use. I k some individuals just have a natural born talent for mixing and matching color. I how ever am no one of then. Color mixing and matching to me can be one of the hardest things to face while trying to complete any artistic endeavor. I guess that’s why I cheat, and always keep one of those cheap color wheels around. They are really, cheap, and small and can be bought at Wal-Mart. Since, the price of paints can be some damn high Wal-Mart has allot of good oil paints for sell that are pretty reasonable in price. Second in the race for price I would have to say is Hobby Lobby. Then Jo Ann Ect., I use to work there and they have a good selection. There selection for colored pencil I feel is probably better than their paints. Last, is Michael’s this store I feel is the most expensive place to buy any thing art related.
If you are looking for some nifty color combination you should try allot of the airbrush paints that the sale at Hobby Lobby. They have all soughs of metallic colors, that can be watered down and mixed with any thing and still contain there shimmer like quality. Dr. Martin’s ink is another favorite of mine when it comes to doing pen and ink. The other ink, do not have as many color choices I have found. Well, I think I have said enough!

Well this is a fairly simple decision for me as I am economically challenged. I buy the darkest red I can get Crimson, Pthalo Blue, Yellow I don't care what shade, and Possibly purple because it's so hard to mix.

With Black and white added you can and I do mix any color from the above.

I use oil paints they hardly ever dry up, and I personally like the smell.

The odd things I like are enamel paints such as silver by One shot they also have some oil based bulletin paints designed for painting on paper(i don't use them on paper) that I Like because they have a shitload of dryer in them and will dry in just a few hours, They also tend to hold together in my harshest experiments.

Last but not least I like clear Fluorescents

As for color choices, given to my own devices lately I have been playing with the the shades of grey between Blue and Purple, and Orange and Yellow.

I set up a pallet by putting Blue and Purple on the side at least 4 inches apart and mixing between

Then on the opposite side do the same with the orange and yellow leaving plenty of unmixed yellow.


then mix all four in the center add to one edge betyween and you have nearly every color in the grey spectrum between these to work with.

For black I will mix My dark blue with my darke red then add a touch of green to get a rich black. I never mix store bought black with my colors as it turns them a muddy grey.

This mixed color black should be modified to fit the color of the shadow you are ceating, by putting more of red green or blue in.

I tend 2 select my color palette per the project at hand. Also, I've found it very nteresting how colors can change by their surrounding hues... a project from a Color Theory class illustrated this point by using several swatches of one color & laying them atop several different colored swatches & noticing how the one color seemed 2 vary greatly just by it's surroundings.

While I also let the current project dictate the palette, I spent over 3 years using only Prussian blue regardless of subject. I didn't *need* another color. I tried, during this period, to add a dash of crimson or even black. Once... That work did well as a fire-starter.

Mood plays into most of my recent works. Plus, I'm very utilitarian. Browns (any earth tone, actually), black, crimson, and white will suit me just fine.

To chose colors I mainly go with my mood and the subject at hand.

I also go with what I'm doing. and what its for.

What can I shot from a can? Most of my stuff lately has been me trying to get spray can flames down. I can do a pretty decent 3 color fade, whit to yellow to red. I've got a small compressor, but no airbrushing guns cause cheap ones suck and good ones cost lots of dough. I flamed my motor board for graduation.


If I'm doing brush work I use acrylics and acrylics only. Ease of clean up and the non-toxicity are my main reason. I HATE using caustic cleaners, water works just fine. And I'm ALL THE TIME putting brushes in my mouth. Acrylics taste better than most other paints, but reds still taste AWFUL!!!


I can usually get acrylics in any needed shade. What I can't get I mix. Mostly I use earthy colors lots of browns, greens, and dark colors. If I'm doing something exciting its action colors, reds, yellows, bright stuff.


I'm also doing car sketches and color matching for cars I'd like to build or paint. For that I stick to some old stand by rules.

1. The color of your car can define it to an era.
2. Some colors never go out of style.
theres more but those 2 suffice it all

So no pastels, no whacky bright colors, no checkerboards, no foolishness. Reds, blues, whites, dark greens, blacks, and in some cases yellows are stand by colors. They never go out of style. Don't pick some wild color unless you want to totally repaint your car in 5 years cause it gets laughed out of the cruise in.

I choose my colors by mood and subject....
but I always have the following: black/white, purple, blue, red and I always buy neon colors... pink and blue are my favorites~

Not to be a bitch, but, Janell, you could analyze a dog turd to death.
How does anyone choose anything? That's what makes an artist an artist, a person chooses what they do because that's as original as who the person is. If someone is really an artist, why would they need the suggestions of the entire board as to what kind of paint to buy?

miz kitty wrote:Not to be a bitch, but, Janell, you could analyze a dog turd to death.
How does anyone choose anything? That's what makes an artist an artist, a person chooses what they do because that's as original as who the person is. If someone is really an artist, why would they need the suggestions of the entire board as to what kind of paint to buy?

miz kitty wrote:Not to be a bitch, but, Janell, you could analyze a dog turd to death.
How does anyone choose anything? That's what makes an artist an artist, a person chooses what they do because that's as original as who the person is. If someone is really an artist, why would they need the suggestions of the entire board as to what kind of paint to buy?

I'm fairly certain she was just striking up conversation on a subject she enjoys, not really seeking advice.

vertigo25 wrote:

miz kitty wrote:Not to be a bitch, but, Janell, you could analyze a dog turd to death.
How does anyone choose anything? That's what makes an artist an artist, a person chooses what they do because that's as original as who the person is. If someone is really an artist, why would they need the suggestions of the entire board as to what kind of paint to buy?

I'm fairly certain she was just striking up conversation on a subject she enjoys, not really seeking advice.

Apparently other people enjoy talking about it, too...
<shrug>

Although I am beginning to be grateful for posts like that and the one directly after; it makes skimming easier.

JaNell wrote:

vertigo25 wrote:

miz kitty wrote:Not to be a bitch, but, Janell, you could analyze a dog turd to death.
How does anyone choose anything? That's what makes an artist an artist, a person chooses what they do because that's as original as who the person is. If someone is really an artist, why would they need the suggestions of the entire board as to what kind of paint to buy?

I'm fairly certain she was just striking up conversation on a subject she enjoys, not really seeking advice.

Apparently other people enjoy talking about it, too...
<shrug>

Although I am beginning to be grateful for posts like that and the one directly after; it makes skimming easier.

Sonicgoo wrote:Well this is a fairly simple decision for me as I am economically challenged.

I know about that - I sold a bunch of books to McKays Sunday and still had to use our charge card to get just white acrylic, violet water-based oil, gold, and gloss varnish.

I usually use what is lying around in my room. But, when I do go out to buy colours I get whatever I need to replace what is gone or whatever colour calls to me.

I typically use oil paints...If you use a product called Japan Dry, you can add it to the oil bases and the dry time is extremely faster...We are talking hours as opposed to days.

Also a good thinner and gloss is always a must.

Did you ever try that spray on popcorn ceiling finish? Great stuff.

OmeGaDucK wrote:Did you ever try that spray on popcorn ceiling finish? Great stuff.

Not yet - no money. It's in the part of my brain that gets 3 am wild hairs, though...

Yeah I use Japan Drier, you can get some interesting effects by mixing it in some of the paint in your pallette and not in the backgraound color it will fisheye and tree.

It gets pretty fumy thouhg plenty of ventilation is advised. Also One Shot makes a Bulletin paint that can only be found at industrail paint shops that already has dryer in it. It dries flat but you can get some wonderful natural fractal effects out of it.

For instance:


this was created with bulletin Oil paints on paper applying the paint with brushes then applying plastic and paper to it.

With my wang