Evoking Emotion Through Color

I'm an indecisive person. I can't make a simple decision for the life of me. So it may come to no surprise that when I'm making a fun and impulsive painting that I have a hard time deciding on a few things - color being one of them.

Whenever I'm making a piece that doesn't follow any rules, I go crazy trying to come up with a color scheme. Blue - my favorite color - is always my default. I have to talk myself out of it every single time. To embrace the other colors in my bucket of paint, I try to think about what emotions and feelings I want to express through my work. Do I want people to be happy? Sad? Angry?

There are a million different ways to describe the emotions and feelings that color give off, but I'm just going to talk about a few. Here's a guide to helping you evoke emotion in your art. 

Reds 
Red is a very intense color - extremely powerful. Depending on the hue, it can lead to many different meanings. It can be associated with high energy, war, passion, and love. To learn about what different shades and tints can mean, visit this website. If you are looking to evoke passion in those that view your art, red may be the way to go. 

Oranges
Orange is a warm color, evoking warmth and happiness, but can also create encouragement and determination. With its brightness, it is very attention getting. If you want to get people motivated and moving, orange may be your color. Learn about how other forms of orange can change the feelings you create.

Yellows
Yellow is the color of the sun, also a happy color. If you want people to feel all warm and fuzzy inside, yellow is your main man, Be careful with the colors you combine it with though: it can create a more negative feeling (danger and warning). To learn about what different colors do when paired with yellow, click here.

Greens
Green the most natural color. I find it to be a very peaceful color, reminding me of the forest, grass, and the mountains. It makes me think of a place that isn't plagued by the craziness and evil we experience all around the world. It's a color evoking fertility and growth. If you want people to feel at ease and calm, green is the way to go. 

Blues
Blue is a deep seeming color - shown in the sky and sea. It can mean a lot of things: stability, loyalty, intelligence. Learn more about the many meanings here. Due to its association with water and sky, it is see as a clean and pure, even peaceful color. If you want viewers to feel tranquil and believe you (the artist) to be trustworthy, use blue. 

Purples
Purple is a rich color - evoking prestige and power. Throughout history, purple has been known as the color for royalty and luxury. "Purple is a very rare color in nature; some people consider it to be artificial" (Color Wheel Pro). Depending on the hue, you can create a romantic feeling or even a sad and gloomy feeling. See how.

Black

Black, the darkest color, does exactly that, evoke darkness. It is known to symbolize death, mystery, and even evil. It sends a negative feeling to viewers, making them feel empty, lost, and sometimes scared. If you want a creepy crawly feeling, go with black. 

White
White, a very light and is seen as the purest of colors. It is actually the absence of color. It is a simple color, evoking cleanliness, newness, purity. If you want people to feel safe and sound, new and innocent, white is the way to go. 

There's a lot of color out there. Use it all! 

Different colors may create different emotions, but the any combination of colors can create a whole new feeling. Different people also see different colors in different ways so your message may not be clear to everyone that see your work. 

My challenge to you: Create a whole new emotion with the colors you use. Don't let your paints get lonely, find a way to use them all! Show me what you've made and the emotion you created! I'm looking for some inspiration.  

How to Make Your Art Better

As an amateur artist, I've always felt like I'm not skilled enough to use anything besides cheap paint and brushes. 

As a perfectionist, I've always struggled to take risks in my painting, to try new things, to be okay with imperfection. 

The statements above have kept me from improving as an artist. I've been scared to spend money on better products, things I have never used. But I have learned recently, that in order to improve, risk and uncertainty are necessary. This post will help you learn about things you can do to make your art better - how taking risks will enhance your art and your ability. 

First things first. Paint is not your only option as a painter. Yes, paint can create some amazing work, but is there something you can add to the paint to help you better express yourself?

Mediums 
Sure, you can do a lot with paint. But here are some mediums that will help you to make using paint easier and more effectively create the look you are after. 

Prep Mediums

Prep Mediums
Most canvases amateurs use when painting are already primed and ready to be painted on. But there are different ways of priming a canvas to fit your individual needs. Liquitex offers multiple forms of gesso - from clear, white, grey and black, to super heavy gesso, Liquitex has everything you could possibly need when starting your own canvas. Take a look.




Effects Mediums
Effects Mediums are always something I've wanted to work with. The possibilities are endless. From stringy effects to sand and flakes, there are so many options for you to consider. 

String Gel Effects Medium allows you to create more defined string/strand looking paint - creating a naturally raised look, adding to the depth of your painting. resin sand, and opaque flake effects, there is so much you can do with Liquitex Effects Mediums. 


Resin Sand Effects Medium allows you to create sandy, rough look to your artwork. It forms a thick and coarse look that texturizes your project - something you can't do with paint alone. 

White Opaque Flakes Medium gives your artwork a natural flaky look to it. Great for snow, crashing water, or just to add a little spunk, Liquitex's flakes medium can give you something you never thought possible.

Liquitex has countless effects mediums for you to try. Any of them will certainly add a special uniqueness to your artwork.  

String Effects

White Opaque Flake Effects

Resin Sand Effects

Fluid Mediums 

Fluid Mediums
I don't know about you, but sometimes my paint just doesn't move enough. I need it to be really watery, but I don't want to lose its vibrant color by watering it down. Well, if you know my struggle, there's a solution. Liquitex has a line of fluid mediums that help increase the fluidity of your paint, helping it flow better across your canvas. And there are different variations depending on what you are looking for! 




Gel Mediums

Gel Mediums

Is your paint not cooperating? Do you want it to stay standing, but it just falls flat and has a mind of its own? Yeah, well Gel Mediums might be the thing that you need. Personally, these have made a huge difference in my artwork recently. You want some thicker paint? Yeah, there's a gel for that. You want your paint to dry a little slower? There's a gel for that. Oh, you want to make your paint to look more glossy? How about more matte? There's definitely a gel for that. So many gels! Take a look!

Learn more about the different mediums Liquitex has to offer here.


Everyday Products
Yes, there a lot of mediums out there that can help you enhance your artwork to beyond limits you every imagined, but products sold on the shelf are not your only options. Some of my best pieces include things that I found in my backyard. Or Elmer's glue. Or even your dad's shaving creme. Before you go out and buy one of the amazing, but possibly pricey products, think about what you have around your house that might help make your art better. 

8 Basic Ways to be Inspired

I am a "left-brained" person. I'm analytical, practical, and controlling. Logic is my best friend. But I love to paint, draw, and craft - which can be challenging when my need for perfection towers over the little creativity I do have. 

So for me, getting started is always the hardest part. I have to know what I want to do, and how I want to do it before anything can get done. My need for a plan, a strategy, always preside over my "wild imagination" when I want to create art. Therefore, I sometimes always seek out inspiration before creating something. It gives my left brain a peace of mind, knowing that I will have somewhat of a plan before I start while feeding the artistic need my right brain demands. 

So just in case you are also a left brained person who loves to create art, I've come up with eight things that help me when I'm looking to be inspired. Or if you've just hit artist's block, have a look and try one, two or all eight. 

1. Brainstorm - 
Sometimes you just have to sit and think about it. When I try to keep everything in my head, it all gets jumbled, tangled, and eventually, lost. When I brainstorm ideas for art projects, marketing plans, or trips, I have to write it down. I can keep better track of a piece of paper than a random idea that popped into my head 30 minutes ago. 

When you write things down, you can come back to it. Some of the best ideas I've had have come from thinking about something, writing it down, and revisiting it later. It allows you to reenter the situation in a different state of mind. 

2. Talk to Someone - 
It's amazing what ideas and advice other people can give you - whether it be intentional or not. I could be talking about making a gingerbread house with my friend when a great idea for a painting sparks. 

Sometimes I have to have a nice venting session with my roommates, a phone call with my mom, or  to clearly think through an idea I might have. Their advice and experiences can prove to be a great way for me to come up with ideas. So talk to someone. Whether they give you an idea or just help you get your mind off your lack of ideas, it can be beneficial. 

3. Go for a Walk - 
It's amazing what fresh air can do for ya. Back away from the canvas and get out of the house. Take a stroll alone or with a companion (you could shoot two birds with one stone doing this). Let nature clear your mind and help you gain a new perspective about what you are trying to accomplish. Check out some of these nice walking/hiking trails where you might feel some inspiration.

4. Get Lost - 
This one can be interpreted differently by different people. Explore the unknown. I don't mean explore the dangerous unknown, I definitely mean a safe unknown. This option is supposed to get you paying attention to things you normally wouldn't. If you're "getting lost" in an unfamiliar part of town, don't rely on your compass, pay attention to buildings, statues, plants that you've seen before to get you back. Try noticing the smaller, older, more traditional, unfamiliar. What we know can blind us from the possibilities of the unknown. Or walk the path you usually take to your house or down the street, but instead really focus on the environment you are around. Breathe in the air and let your mind wander. It can be really relaxing and inspiring.

5. Be a Kid Again - 
I know nobody will be opposed to this one. Who wouldn't love to be a kid again? Kids are honest, imaginative, explorative. Be that. Explore. Be daring. Have some fun. I don't know about you, but I get caught up in being "grown-up" and responsible that I literally forget to have fun until someone tells me to calm down and relax. Take a day away from work, chores, errands, etc. and be a kid again. Here's one of my favorite places to be a kid again. 

6. Think Smaller - 
I have this problem with thinking really big. Like too big. This summer I told myself that I could create a five panel painting of a moonscape with elephants before I went back to school. To put this in perspective, the next largest painting I had created before this was about 4x smaller. I did, in the end, finish this painting, but without the elephants, I'm no good at painting living creatures and I knew that. Sometimes you have to focus in on your idea. Bigger isn't always better.

Start small, create that confidence. Fun and crazy ideas seem so much more plausible when you start on a smaller scale. The outlandish ideas that came to you when doing the above steps aren't as outlandish on a smaller scale. Plus, the bigger the canvas, the bigger the frustration. 

7. Do Without Thinking - 
This one is especially hard for me. But try and do without thinking. Don't plan out the color scheme or the end result. Just put some paint on the canvas and go with it. You could be surprised. If you're a perfectionist like me, please don't go in with a plan - but by all means, feel free to keep making straight lines. Sometimes the best result will come from a happy accident, or from just spontaneously painting. I dare you to try it!

8. Try Something New - 
This doesn't have to be in the artistic sense, but do something you've never tried before. Do an activity in your town that you've never done or don't think you would like. Try using an additional medium in your painting, paint an object you've never tried before. It might turn out crappy, but it's a learning experience. It will help you expand your mind, broaden your imagination. Paint from a different perspective. Create from the point of view of a bird, a tree, the water. 

No matter what, you are creating art, and there's no right or wrong in creating. Just give it your all and don't ever be afraid to take that first jump. Because you can't wait for inspiration. You have to go out and get it.