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WATER COLOR UNITED STATES

MASTER PAINTERS OF THE WORLD

Susan Crouch

Interpreting

colors

question I’m often asked during workshops is “How do you choose
A colors for your paintings?” It begins with remembering that we
have the option to interpret our reference photos instead of simply
duplicating what we see.
I start by creating a small value sketch and then select a color scheme
to provide the framework for my choices. Next, I look at the reference
photo and ask, “What is the one color my painting can’t do without?”
Once I know the color scheme and my “can’t do without” color, I’m able
to identify the color families that will be used in my painting.
Here’s an example of how this idea works. My photo references for
Glory Days were uninspiring—pale yellow irises and monochromatic green
background. To make
things more interesting,
I chose an analogous
complementary color
scheme and yellow-
orange as my “can’t do
without” color. Using the
12-hue color wheel, my
analogous colors were
red-orange, orange,
yellow-orange, yellow and

yellow-green. e
complementary hues
included violet,

blue-violet and blue. is gave me eight color families to play with and

some ideas for interpreting my photos. e monochromatic green
background was replaced with a mingling of blue-violet, violet and
yellow-green. Instead of plain yellow, the iris petals included yellow-orange,
yellow, red-orange and some hints of blue-violet.
Reference photos are great starting places but we don’t have to stop
there. e adventure begins when our photos become springboards for

interpreting color.
Glory Days, watercolor, 28 x 10" (71 x 25 cm)
Painting ideas are often conceived during my early morning walk and this is how
Glory Days had its beginning. My neighbor’s yellow irises were standing backlit in
the sun and I was able to shoot several photos before the light began to change.
The narrow vertical format required combining several of those photos to arrive at a good
composition. I began by masking the petal edges so the wet-in-wet background

could be applied freely. To suggest a backlit effect, I preserved the white of my
watercolor paper for the lightest values and contrasted this against darker colors.
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