Amazing how such a seamingly simple scene of mundane everydayness can turn into one in which we find ourselves drawn in, wanting to study it, to really look at it and be introduced to the hand of the artist. Fabulous demonstration.
I watch quite a few artists at RUclips and very rarely do I have an “aha” moment where some of the fog that lives perpetually in my head clears. I had that today when you were discussing the puddle of paint and pulling colour into the puddle. I always feel so surprised when something that feels so complicated gets resolved by such a straightforward technique. You also made a comment that I found very insightful about the temperature issues with mud. Thank you very much. 👏🏻👍🏻😃
I agree, I've just completed my historical interpretation acrylic painting of many weeks. I'll speed up. Today I'll mix and copy your painting, an exercise made simple.
I'm always amazed at how much information and demonstration you pack into a video under 10 minutes. Thankyou for your wonderful teaching - concise, beautiful and infinitely useful!
Et voila, here is the finished painting, ( I always like to hear Ian saying it), those muted colours have transformed the photograph into something of interest, the gradations and transitional areas just a pleasure to see come alive. Many thanks Ian.
I remember seeing some paintings in the Kelvingrove Art Gallery in Glasgow, which is one of my favourite art galleries, and the colours were very muted. I stood for ages looking at them. “Pastures New” by James Guthrie was one of them. It’s long overdue for another visit! The last time I was there, I got there from the city centre on an old rout-master bus! Really took me back to my childhood and the journey ended all too soon. I was reluctant to get off, such was my enjoyment 😂.
I have tried to paint an old gray barn with very muted and subtle changes. I kept wasting a bunch of paint making separate puddles of three or four colors. Not sure why this wasn't obvious to me, but starting with a single puddle and slightly mixing in the split complementary colors did the trick! Thank you very much for the video!
I have been painting, teaching and studying oil painting over 40 years and have never heard anyone, ever suggest working back from the neutrals towards the pure colors. Excellent idea! I am impressed!
Every Demo you do is fantastic. BUT...this was an EXCELLENT Demo on use of SUBTLE colors. This technique should be taught to every beginning artist. I think that would make such a difference in understanding color and how to "modulate" color to make a painting work. The first subjects to study are line drawing and perspective. Then how to modulate color. Thank you for all you do. Every time!!!!!
Years ago you were only an author I valued greatly. I took many notes from what you wrote. Now we are all so much richer for you presenting on RUclips Thank you for making yourself available to us all.
I paint in watercolor, and always seem to have very saturated colors everywhere! This is a wonderful lesson that I will have to try to apply to my watercolors! Thanks so much!
Thank you. Absolutely genius and helpful. As a beginner, I'm so tired of my oil paintings looking so cartoonish or illustrated while my intent is realism.
This is the first time that I have heard an explanation of "muted vs. muddy colors". It is nice to know that I have stumbled into the right direction when mixing muted colors. Thanks so much for sharing your knowledge and skills.
Seems like pulling from the middle and having a bit of that color in many if not all of the other colors is also a way to create unity and harmony. Thanks so much for doing these videos!
Wonderful sense of light. Made me think of some of Hopper's interiors. What starts out looking very neutral ends up quite colourful when everything's in its place.
What a beautiful painting! Seeing it blocked out 2 dimensionally made so much sense as an abstract composition. Then you fooled our eyes again and made it into a pile of boxes. Brilliant! One of the best paintings in this series, in my opinion.
Hi Jo, glad you liked the video. Not this week (perspective) but next week I am doing a video on how to paint greens so will talk about low intensity greens.
So funny that I watched this today as literally yesterday I was applying some finishing touches to a painting and had to rub them out as the color looked muddy on the canvas while at the same time, it looked a beautiful hue on my brush. I did not come to the thought you shared here but resolved by pushing my color closer to the ones already in my river to get away from the muddy look. Really appreciate all you share with us.
Thank you Ian for showing us a way to create harmonious color in muted paintings. I've never seen such a clear description of what causes a muddy painting and how to make beautiful muted colors instead. Great demonstration and your painting is beautiful.
Really lovely painting! i think i'm attracted to it as a subject of mundane objects that illustrate the beauty of light. I also think its so cool how you modulated the lighting in the reference photo to have a single focal point. Very cool!
Perfect timing- just considering how to get from really vibrant intense area to muted colours without a helpful shaft of light and the penny has dropped! Thank you Ian!
Your painting is so beautiful!! I LOVE muted colors!! I also LOVE the light and shadow in your paintings. I am excited about your teachings on perspective next week ... a COMPLETE mystery to me, perspective is!! THANK YOU IAN for allllll your EXCELLENT videos!!
Nailed it again Ian!! You are able to effectively transmit complex painting technique concepts into accessible, easy to understand and implement terms. I can't wait until next Tuesday"s lesson!!! Thank you so very much!!!!
Ian, thank you for moving me in the proper direction visually. Your elucidation in words and in paint has allowed me make up for more lost time than I care to remember. With your help I have finally been able to compose my painting and paint what I see.
Wow! I could stare at this painting for hours being mesmerized by the light and shadow and shape. A chair, some boxes, table , shoes and light. Masterful. Once you have that ANYTHING is beautiful. My watercolour fingers are being teased back to oil to try something like this with goopy paint. It would work with watercolour, but ohhh I am tempted to pull out my oils..and go searching for mundane beauty. Thank you. Happy Tuesday!
I am always amazed to see how you show light even though it is not "really light" since you are, as you state, using muted colors to achieve the effect. Always informative and helpful, thank you
Excellent tutorial working on a painting of the Coach House at the Vaughn Estate , my wife was at Sunnybrook for her yearly check up at the Odette Center
I just can't believe that you made something THAT beautiful out of that photo. You really have an in-depth understanding and analysis of what you see that I'll never be able to gain (too old already). But, wow, what an eye. You really make things look so easy. Great inspiration!!!
Ian is a truly amazing teacher. I took his courses last year (he is doing another set next year!) and he taught us to see the way he sees, and suddenly my world looked entirely different. It's startling and exciting to have your perception of your world shift like that!! You are not too old! If I can learn it at 70+, so can you!
@@Ladysmyth Thank you soo much, Diana, for your encouraging words! :D I'm located in The Netherlands, so it's going to be difficult to follow his classes 'in situ', but I watch and re-watch his videos all the time to try to learn that capacity of abstracting the 'real' world into shapes and colors. Am so greatful that he still shares his knowledge every week without tiring, determined to make us just a little bit more aware, teaching us to understand the beauty, harmony and contrast of the world around us. Amazing! This painting with the boxes in front of the solid coach is a gorgous abstraction of shapes and colors. I'm amazed. You're lucky, Diana. I would love to see how your work progresses. :D
@@Tizaheijting the course I took was Skyped around the world..we had members from Hawaii, England...I don't recall all. I suspect the classes will be the same time as last time, which for you means 5 or 7 pm Saturday or Sunday. It also included group and personal critiques and a group forum where we could learn from each other. Best money you could spend on instruction.
HI Patricia, I agree with Diana, you're not too old. I'll be talking about the courses late in the fall and if they seem like a fit for you I'd be delighted if you could join us. The meetings are weekly on zoom. All the rest is online so you can be anywhere. My very best wishes.
Thanks for this one on “muted” colours. The last time I painted I discovered this for myself (Isn’t that the best way of learning sometimes?). I had a middle “puddle” of neutrals and started to pull from that into my brighter colours. And here I thought I was so smart. LOL. And, I love the way you take an ordinary subject and make it extraordinary as a painting. I see now that the simple things around us can make for a great composition. Looking forward to next week on perspective. Always a challenge for me.
I have waited years for your level of instruction regarding color mixing. Most especially on how to support the eye-brain connection toward great design. It is ultimately great design supported by a color theory that makes perfect sense. Thank you Sir Ian!
Really helpful and you explained how to accomplish painting muted colors really well and very easy. In the past I have tried to use a purchased tube neutral warm or a cool gray and mix my colors into them. I always came away with a muddy mess that did not look cohesive. Your method keeps the colors harmonious which is what I am after in my paintings. This is one of the very best demonstrations on how to mix muted gray's with out them becoming muddy. I love it! Thanks so much!
Hi Debra, I'm glad you found the video helpful. By adding a neutral to all your paint it's true the whole effect gets not really muted but dull. All the best.
I always think that in fact it is the master of muted color that really knows how to make a color pop. Too much color can of course make the end result noisy and that in its own way then diminishes all the colors. Glad you liked the video.
WOW!!! I really find it amazing how you can take an image of something I'd never take a second look at and you make it into a very interesting painting! AND it is wonderful how you did this painting, I almost feel like...hmmm... maybe, just maybe, I might be able to try this (roughly speaking, of course)! Thank you -- nice video 😊
Wow, I love your finished paintings and the wonderful, easy-to-understand way that you explain color mixing and shadows both lighted and not as well to help the viewer see beauty in simplicity. I am subscribed and have begun to study the idea of trying a more representational approach.
This is one of the best both helpful and engaging, I have always struggled with colour relationships. The simple subject becomes a satisfying dramatic composition without the use of high key blasting colour or primary intense colours all over the place fighting with each other
Something I’m a bit unclear on is that you talked at the beginning about the difference between muddy and muted, and how the temperature of the colours is important to consider. So, if you mix that central pile of neutral, and then take another colour from the 'outer' circle to modulate the neutral for painting a particular area, that colour could be warm or cool, so isn’t that the same way we end up with mud rather than muted? In your painting they don’t look muddy, I have to say, but I’m not sure why, if they’re mixes of maybe four colours by that point! I’m now almost completely up-to-date with watching your videos, by the way, and I’ve learned a lot already. Thank you!
HI Caroline, delighted you've been watching all the videos. The issue isn't about the color being muddy on the palette. The issue only happens when you put the color on the painting in relationship to other colors. That is when you can get a color looking muddy because the color temperature is wrong in relation to the colors around it. You can mix all the colors you want on the palette, but it is that color then put on the canvas that has to work.
Another winner! The arrival of your video is the highlight of my week! That vibrant blue and yellow I bet are actually quite muted when looked at individually- made bright by their neighbouring muted colours. I just love the vast family of greys! This is a stunning painting- I would love to see more domestic subjects.
So glad you liked it Judy. I'm struck by the sunlight hitting things around the house. So often the photo just doesn't convey enough and from life the light only lasts a few minutes. But I like doing them. Glad you liked it. Thank you.
I always struggle choosing a scene to paint, so I marvel at how you can take an image I would have never thought was interesting, and turn it into a beauty. Really fantastic demonstration as always.
Thanks for this tip on muted colours ian. The puddle is a great idea. The painting of such ardinary everyday things is amazing. Looking foreward to the one on perspective. Thanks sgain.
I just came across your channel and you have already become my teacher. Clear concepts very well explained and your short videos are full of good teachings. Thanks a lot!! Already subscribed and joined your email list.
Thanks so much Ian. I’m pretty much addicted to your RUclips videos. I see everything now in a whole new light (pardon the pun). Also purchased your book - Mastering Composition Techniques & Principles To Dramatically Improve Your Painting. I would certainly recommend it to anyone who is watching your videos and want to improve their painting. Thanks again Ian and keep doing what you’re doing.
I just want to let you know I’m barely a few pages into Creative Authenticity and I’m actually bummed that I have a date with a friend tonight to go to a truly wonderful park, because I want to continue reading! Thank you so much for writing this book 💙
I watched some of your videos specifically focused on composition, though most have that component worked in anyway, months ago. They were excellent! Last week I decided to watch EVERY video you have published on your channel, and I just finished! They are all very helpful and I so appreciate the effort and motivation it takes to develop, edit, and publish so much valuable content - THANK YOU! Now that my binge watching is complete, I will keep up with your new ones and use others as reference, but more importantly, it is time to put more miles on my brushes 😄. I have lots of head knowledge and need to develop more brush knowledge! In any case, please keep them coming and I wish you continued growth and success with your channel!
Amazing how such a seamingly simple scene of mundane everydayness can turn into one in which we find ourselves drawn in, wanting to study it, to really look at it and be introduced to the hand of the artist.
Fabulous demonstration.
Agreed
Really appreciate your letting me know. Thank you.
It really demonstrates that it's not just about subject matter, but that the _composition_ is key
I watch quite a few artists at RUclips and very rarely do I have an “aha” moment where some of the fog that lives perpetually in my head clears. I had that today when you were discussing the puddle of paint and pulling colour into the puddle. I always feel so surprised when something that feels so complicated gets resolved by such a straightforward technique. You also made a comment that I found very insightful about the temperature issues with mud. Thank you very much. 👏🏻👍🏻😃
I agree, I've just completed my historical interpretation acrylic painting of many weeks. I'll speed up. Today I'll mix and copy your painting, an exercise made simple.
Thanks so much Luna. I really appreciate your letting me know it was so helpful. Best wishes.
Hi Jonathan, I think that sounds like a good plan. A faster, looser interpretation of something after weeks of tighter, slower painting.
You literally couldn’t have said it any better! Wow
I couldn't agree more , Ian please do a video on mud because of wrong temperatures , you can use any of my paintings!
Finally a simple explanation about muted colours!
Delighted you enjoyed it
I'm always amazed at how much information and demonstration you pack into a video under 10 minutes. Thankyou for your wonderful teaching - concise, beautiful and infinitely useful!
I'm glad you found it helpful
Et voila, here is the finished painting, ( I always like to hear Ian saying it), those muted colours have transformed the photograph into something of interest, the gradations and transitional areas just a pleasure to see come alive. Many thanks Ian.
Thank you so much. Delighted you enjoyed it.
So love this. Thank you. It feels like a modern day Andrew Wyeth.. The calm everyday scene.
Thanks Janet.
I have been searching the whole YT since a year and now finally I found this channel that teaches in such a way
I could really see the relationship between your colours in that painting. Everything seemed to belong which gave it a comfortable feel. Thank you.
Thanks Pauline. It's easier to get those relationships to work when the color is more muted.
Rich engaging neutral color gives this painting great harmony and subtle beauty.!!
thanks for this great lesson in the SuBLIME!
Really happy you liked it. Thank you for kind comments here. Best wishes.
I want to title this delightful painting MOVING DAY. Enjoyed this.
Our youngest is going to college in a month and my wife had pretty much the same title for it.
I remember seeing some paintings in the Kelvingrove Art Gallery in Glasgow, which is one of my favourite art galleries, and the colours were very muted. I stood for ages looking at them. “Pastures New” by James Guthrie was one of them. It’s long overdue for another visit! The last time I was there, I got there from the city centre on an old rout-master bus! Really took me back to my childhood and the journey ended all too soon. I was reluctant to get off, such was my enjoyment 😂.
I just cant thank you enough for these videos. I’ve learned so much. I appreciate your time and effort and instruction. thank you again.
You are very welcome
Yes, interesting, subtle colours - all looks 3-dimensional. Thanks, Ian.
You are welcome Jane. All the best.
This is so fascinating. It reminds of marco bucci’s videos on coloring in the greys!! His videos are mainly for digital art, but love the concept
you have just described what I have inadvertently been doing for the past few years. I appreciate the confirmation.
Great to hear. All the best.
I expected you to show yourself mixing those colors on your palette, after the intro stressed that different technique. Loved the example itself!
Glad you liked it!!
I have tried to paint an old gray barn with very muted and subtle changes. I kept wasting a bunch of paint making separate puddles of three or four colors. Not sure why this wasn't obvious to me, but starting with a single puddle and slightly mixing in the split complementary colors did the trick! Thank you very much for the video!
Thank you so much! I’ve been trying to figure out muted colors for the longest time and this helped so much
Love the gray puddle in the middle tip...Thanks...Great video!!!!
Thanks Ramona. All the best to you
Fascinating approach to color mixing. Thank you! Lovely painting too!
Thank you so much Pat!
I started watching your videos just a week or so ago. I've already noticed the difference in my painting.
That is great news. Thanks for letting me know.
I have been painting, teaching and studying oil painting over 40 years and have never heard anyone, ever suggest working back from the neutrals towards the pure colors. Excellent idea! I am impressed!
Thanks so much Denise. I really appreciate your telling me that.
Every Demo you do is fantastic. BUT...this was an EXCELLENT Demo on use of SUBTLE colors. This technique should be taught to every beginning artist. I think that would make such a difference in understanding color and how to "modulate" color to make a painting work. The first subjects to study are line drawing and perspective. Then how to modulate color. Thank you for all you do. Every time!!!!!
So glad you liked the video Mimi. Best wishes.
Years ago you were only an author I valued greatly. I took many notes from what you wrote. Now we are all so much richer for you presenting on RUclips Thank you for making yourself available to us all.
You are most welcome. The tech world eventually got simple enough to anyone can make a video.
I love that these are so focused on one small point. You really get that point across without taking an hour and it's very helpful.
Hi Cindy, yes brief and concise. It means I find there are questions raised that a longer video could address but I'm with you. Short.
I paint in watercolor, and always seem to have very saturated colors everywhere! This is a wonderful lesson that I will have to try to apply to my watercolors! Thanks so much!
You are so welcome John
Thanks for the neutral puddle mixing idea and a great demo.
very helpful
Thank you. Absolutely genius and helpful. As a beginner, I'm so tired of my oil paintings looking so cartoonish or illustrated while my intent is realism.
Thank you, Ian, you are a gently spoken man... I love your teaching ♥
You are so welcome!
It is a beautiful painting and composition ! the colours are great and subtle ! Thank you so much !
Glad you liked it Christine. all the best to you.
This was quite the epiphany! Such a simple yet genius method. Mind blown, thanks🎨
Thank you very much for talking through the process
This is the first time that I have heard an explanation of "muted vs. muddy colors". It is nice to know that I have stumbled into the right direction when mixing muted colors. Thanks so much for sharing your knowledge and skills.
You are most welcome Donna.
Seems like pulling from the middle and having a bit of that color in many if not all of the other colors is also a way to create unity and harmony.
Thanks so much for doing these videos!
Glad you are enjoying them.
Wonderful sense of light. Made me think of some of Hopper's interiors. What starts out looking very neutral ends up quite colourful when everything's in its place.
Thanks Ken. Glad you liked it.
What a beautiful painting! Seeing it blocked out 2 dimensionally made so much sense as an abstract composition. Then you fooled our eyes again and made it into a pile of boxes. Brilliant! One of the best paintings in this series, in my opinion.
Thank you so much !
It’s fun to watch that you turn everyday object as an art piece when there is light hitting on. Thank you!
By the way, what is low intensity green means?
Hi Jo, glad you liked the video. Not this week (perspective) but next week I am doing a video on how to paint greens so will talk about low intensity greens.
@@IanRobertsMasteringComposition look forward it.
I cannot say thank you enough!! I've been struggling with colour! I love muted colours and this ABSOLUTELY makes perfect sense to me! It works!!!
So funny that I watched this today as literally yesterday I was applying some finishing touches to a painting and had to rub them out as the color looked muddy on the canvas while at the same time, it looked a beautiful hue on my brush. I did not come to the thought you shared here but resolved by pushing my color closer to the ones already in my river to get away from the muddy look. Really appreciate all you share with us.
I'm delighted you found it helpful.
Thank you Ian for showing us a way to create harmonious color in muted paintings. I've never seen such a clear description of what causes a muddy painting and how to make beautiful muted colors instead. Great demonstration and your painting is beautiful.
You are very welcome Alice. Glad you found it helpful.
GREAT demo!!
I'm glad you liked it.
Really lovely painting! i think i'm attracted to it as a subject of mundane objects that illustrate the beauty of light. I also think its so cool how you modulated the lighting in the reference photo to have a single focal point. Very cool!
Thanks Danny. Glad you liked it.
portrait of the shoes: love it! most pop contrast
I tried muted colours today . Turned out great ! Thanks so much for the tips !
Perfect timing- just considering how to get from really vibrant intense area to muted colours without a helpful shaft of light and the penny has dropped! Thank you Ian!
Excellent. Glad to hear it.
Amazingly explained Video! Wanted to learn this for quite some time! Thanks so much! :)
Great! Delighted it was helpful.
Your painting is so beautiful!! I LOVE muted colors!! I also LOVE the light and shadow in your paintings. I am excited about your teachings on perspective next week ... a COMPLETE mystery to me, perspective is!! THANK YOU IAN for allllll your EXCELLENT videos!!
Thanks so much. I am working on perspective now.
Nailed it again Ian!! You are able to effectively transmit complex painting technique concepts into accessible, easy to understand and implement terms. I can't wait until next Tuesday"s lesson!!! Thank you so very much!!!!
Thanks for letting me know Jan. I appreciate it .
Ian, thank you for moving me in the proper direction visually. Your elucidation in words and in paint has allowed me make up for more lost time than I care to remember. With your help I have finally been able to compose my painting and paint what I see.
Very glad to hear it. Thanks for letting me know.
Thank you for such a great lesson! You are a wonderful instructor. ❤
Thank you so much Dana.
Loved this finished painting …. Such an interesting composition
Wow! I could stare at this painting for hours being mesmerized by the light and shadow and shape. A chair, some boxes, table , shoes and light. Masterful. Once you have that ANYTHING is beautiful. My watercolour fingers are being teased back to oil to try something like this with goopy paint. It would work with watercolour, but ohhh I am tempted to pull out my oils..and go searching for mundane beauty. Thank you. Happy Tuesday!
glad you liked it Alison and yes, the oils!
Merci, I needed that explanation.....Thanks for your tuesdays wonderful classes.
You are so welcome Brigitte.
Ian, your demo painting demonstrates what I frequently tell my students-that you can make a beautiful drawing or painting of humble things. Lovely.
It's a good lesson I need to keep reminding myself of too. All the best Elizabeth.
This was fantastic, Ian. Thank you! Love the painting! g
Hi Gayle, so glad you liked it. Nice to hear from you. All the best.
Just what I was looking for and I didn't even know it!
Thanks for all the knowledge!
You are welcome Josh.
Thank you so much for this video. So much to learn.
Glad you found it helpful Marie.
I am always amazed to see how you show light even though it is not "really light" since you are, as you state, using muted colors to achieve the effect. Always informative and helpful, thank you
Delighted you liked it Julie. All the best.
Makes beautiful from the ordinary, yet again!
Thanks Laurie.
Mind bogling for me. Hope to watch this again, too!
Delighted you enjoyed it Dee
Excellent tutorial working on a painting of the Coach House at the Vaughn Estate , my wife was at Sunnybrook for her yearly check up at the Odette Center
I remember the coach houses in Toronto from when I grew up. I always wanted one for a studio.
I just can't believe that you made something THAT beautiful out of that photo. You really have an in-depth understanding and analysis of what you see that I'll never be able to gain (too old already). But, wow, what an eye. You really make things look so easy. Great inspiration!!!
Ian is a truly amazing teacher. I took his courses last year (he is doing another set next year!) and he taught us to see the way he sees, and suddenly my world looked entirely different. It's startling and exciting to have your perception of your world shift like that!! You are not too old! If I can learn it at 70+, so can you!
@@Ladysmyth Thank you soo much, Diana, for your encouraging words! :D I'm located in The Netherlands, so it's going to be difficult to follow his classes 'in situ', but I watch and re-watch his videos all the time to try to learn that capacity of abstracting the 'real' world into shapes and colors. Am so greatful that he still shares his knowledge every week without tiring, determined to make us just a little bit more aware, teaching us to understand the beauty, harmony and contrast of the world around us. Amazing! This painting with the boxes in front of the solid coach is a gorgous abstraction of shapes and colors. I'm amazed. You're lucky, Diana. I would love to see how your work progresses. :D
@@Tizaheijting the course I took was Skyped around the world..we had members from Hawaii, England...I don't recall all. I suspect the classes will be the same time as last time, which for you means 5 or 7 pm Saturday or Sunday. It also included group and personal critiques and a group forum where we could learn from each other. Best money you could spend on instruction.
HI Patricia, I agree with Diana, you're not too old. I'll be talking about the courses late in the fall and if they seem like a fit for you I'd be delighted if you could join us. The meetings are weekly on zoom. All the rest is online so you can be anywhere. My very best wishes.
Thanks so much Diana.
I love your videos, I always come back to them. Thank you
Happy to hear it! Delighted that you found it helpful.
Thanks for this one on “muted” colours. The last time I painted I discovered this for myself (Isn’t that the best way of learning sometimes?). I had a middle “puddle” of neutrals and started to pull from that into my brighter colours. And here I thought I was so smart. LOL. And, I love the way you take an ordinary subject and make it extraordinary as a painting. I see now that the simple things around us can make for a great composition. Looking forward to next week on perspective. Always a challenge for me.
I agree with you entirely. Figuring things out on your own, you really own it. And yes perspective next week.
Beautiful painting!
I have waited years for your level of instruction regarding color mixing. Most especially on how to support the eye-brain connection toward great design. It is ultimately great design supported by a color theory that makes perfect sense. Thank you Sir Ian!
Thanks 🙏 Made my day!
Glad you enjoyed it Laura.
Really helpful and you explained how to accomplish painting muted colors really well and very easy. In the past I have tried to use a purchased tube neutral warm or a cool gray and mix my colors into them. I always came away with a muddy mess that did not look cohesive. Your method keeps the colors harmonious which is what I am after in my paintings. This is one of the very best demonstrations on how to mix muted gray's with out them becoming muddy. I love it! Thanks so much!
Hi Debra, I'm glad you found the video helpful. By adding a neutral to all your paint it's true the whole effect gets not really muted but dull. All the best.
thanks so much, neutrals have been my bugaboo- so I have avoided them. This really helps.
I always think that in fact it is the master of muted color that really knows how to make a color pop. Too much color can of course make the end result noisy and that in its own way then diminishes all the colors. Glad you liked the video.
ohhhh.. just Love this painting 🙏 💕
I very much enjoy your clear and thorough explanations, the examples, and the way you demonstrate your concepts. Thank you for what you're doing!
You're very welcome!. Like the tag Luken U See!
@@IanRobertsMasteringComposition 😉
Lost of warmth with those muted colors! Beautiful painting. Thank you very much for this lightning lesson.
You are welcome Joanne.
Thank you Ian. And that is a beautiful painting.
You make the dullest subject come to life and gain beauty, can't wait for next week.
Thanks so much Albertina.
WOW!!! I really find it amazing how you can take an image of something I'd never take a second look at and you make it into a very interesting painting! AND it is wonderful how you did this painting, I almost feel like...hmmm... maybe, just maybe, I might be able to try this (roughly speaking, of course)! Thank you -- nice video 😊
Wow, I love your finished paintings and the wonderful, easy-to-understand way that you explain color mixing and shadows both lighted and not as well to help the viewer see beauty in simplicity. I am subscribed and have begun to study the idea of trying a more representational approach.
Beautifully done ! Thank you for the quality & great lesson !
CRAAAAAZEEEEEE how fantastic this is! Truly a beautiful piece of art from a rather ordinary still life.
Thanks so much Sally.
Very neat and balanced painting! Hard to believe that "muted-clean" contrast can work so well! Thanks for sharing Ian!
You're welcome Andrei.
This is one of the best both helpful and engaging, I have always struggled with colour relationships. The simple subject becomes a satisfying dramatic composition without the use of high key blasting colour or primary intense colours all over the place fighting with each other
Something I’m a bit unclear on is that you talked at the beginning about the difference between muddy and muted, and how the temperature of the colours is important to consider. So, if you mix that central pile of neutral, and then take another colour from the 'outer' circle to modulate the neutral for painting a particular area, that colour could be warm or cool, so isn’t that the same way we end up with mud rather than muted? In your painting they don’t look muddy, I have to say, but I’m not sure why, if they’re mixes of maybe four colours by that point!
I’m now almost completely up-to-date with watching your videos, by the way, and I’ve learned a lot already. Thank you!
HI Caroline, delighted you've been watching all the videos. The issue isn't about the color being muddy on the palette. The issue only happens when you put the color on the painting in relationship to other colors. That is when you can get a color looking muddy because the color temperature is wrong in relation to the colors around it. You can mix all the colors you want on the palette, but it is that color then put on the canvas that has to work.
Aha, I see what you mean! I’ll go away and think about that and have a play around with some mixing. Thank you for the explanation.
Another winner! The arrival of your video is the highlight of my week! That vibrant blue and yellow I bet are actually quite muted when looked at individually- made bright by their neighbouring muted colours. I just love the vast family of greys!
This is a stunning painting- I would love to see more domestic subjects.
So glad you liked it Judy. I'm struck by the sunlight hitting things around the house. So often the photo just doesn't convey enough and from life the light only lasts a few minutes. But I like doing them. Glad you liked it. Thank you.
I always struggle choosing a scene to paint, so I marvel at how you can take an image I would have never thought was interesting, and turn it into a beauty. Really fantastic demonstration as always.
Thanks so much Patrice.
Problem is when you are able to turn every thing into beauty you never ever get ready. and there is work more and more, over and over.
Thank you so much for your beautiful demonstration and very clear explanation.💐
Glad it was helpful Varda.
Thanks for this tip on muted colours ian. The puddle is a great idea. The painting of such ardinary everyday things is amazing. Looking foreward to the one on perspective. Thanks sgain.
Glad you enjoyed it Mary.
I just came across your channel and you have already become my teacher. Clear concepts very well explained and your short videos are full of good teachings. Thanks a lot!! Already subscribed and joined your email list.
Welcome. Glad you are enjoying the videos.
Amazing composition! I love the geometry that is happening
I liked that too and I suppose talk a bit about that this week when I analyze the perspective of the the image.
Very very very helpful.... Thanks for sharing this gem ✨
Awesome. Can't wait for next week.
Delighted you enjoyed it.
I really learn a lot from your tutorials. Thanks.
Glad you like them!
I'm delighted that you find them helpful. All the best
Thanks so much Ian. I’m pretty much addicted to your RUclips videos. I see everything now in a whole new light (pardon the pun). Also purchased your book - Mastering Composition Techniques & Principles To Dramatically Improve Your Painting. I would certainly recommend it to anyone who is watching your videos and want to improve their painting. Thanks again Ian and keep doing what you’re doing.
HI Trevor, I'm delighted you are enjoying the videos and my book. I like that "a whole new light." All the best.
Gorgeous!!!! Love it! Thank you so much!!!
Awesome! Thank you so much Ian for such a clear wonderful explanation 🙏🙏
I just want to let you know I’m barely a few pages into Creative Authenticity and I’m actually bummed that I have a date with a friend tonight to go to a truly wonderful park, because I want to continue reading! Thank you so much for writing this book 💙
So delighted you are enjoying it Jennifer.
Great concept, mixing out! Thanks.
Thank you..it's fascinating to watch you at work. You are a true teacher... wonderful tonal work. Loving your videos.
Thank you very much!
I watched some of your videos specifically focused on composition, though most have that component worked in anyway, months ago. They were excellent! Last week I decided to watch EVERY video you have published on your channel, and I just finished! They are all very helpful and I so appreciate the effort and motivation it takes to develop, edit, and publish so much valuable content - THANK YOU! Now that my binge watching is complete, I will keep up with your new ones and use others as reference, but more importantly, it is time to put more miles on my brushes 😄. I have lots of head knowledge and need to develop more brush knowledge! In any case, please keep them coming and I wish you continued growth and success with your channel!
HI Corri, well that's an accomplishment seeing all the videos. Now as you say, the brushes. Delighted you have found the videos useful. All the best.
This is wonderful, I've never seen this way of looking at muted color!!!
Delighted you found it helpful Joan
Fantastic sir..! Truly amazing 💕💕
Thank you Mohan.