Mastering the Art of Textures and Colours

Whether you’re a seasoned artist or a beginner, mastering the art of textures and colours is essential for creating truly stunning artwork. Textures and colours add depth, dimension, and personality to your work, making it stand out and come to life. When it comes to art, Angela Hawkey’s prints are vibrant, playful, and full of life. Angie loves to experiment with colours and textures to create truly eye-catching and meaningful pieces to hang in the home or office – from bold abstract art to striking landscape and seascape art.

In this blog post, we’ll cover some tips and techniques for mastering the art of textures and colours, from understanding colour theory to using different materials to create textures. If you’re looking to pick up some extra knowledge for the next time you go to an art gallery, or you’re a painter yourself, there are heaps of handy tips in this post – so read on, fellow art-lover.

To create great textures and colours, it’s important to understand colour theory. Yep, even something as fun as “colour” has a theory behind it! Colour theory is the study of how colours interact with each other, and how they can be combined to create a range of different effects. It covers elements like hue, saturation, and value, and teaches us how to create colour schemes that work well together.

One important concept in colour theory is the colour wheel. The colour wheel is a visual representation of primary, secondary, and tertiary colours, and it can help you choose complementary colours and create harmonious colour schemes. A complementary colour scheme uses colours that are opposite each other on the colour wheel, while a harmonious colour scheme uses colours that are adjacent to each other. It’s always worth experimenting with colours that work well together and colours that contrast to make striking, eye-catching art! Don’t be afraid to make a mess – the most exciting art is born in boldness.

Art isn’t all about what we can see.

Experimenting with different tools such as the palette knife can add interesting textures, shadows, depth and dimension that can’t be achieved by colour and a paintbrush alone. There are so many different materials you can use to create fun textures, from watercolours to oil paints to pencils and markers. Each material has its unique texture, and by experimenting with different materials, you can create amazing effects you didn’t even know were possible.

Watercolours, for example, are known for their soft and fluid textures. They can be used to create a range of effects, from delicate washes to bold and vibrant colours. Oil paints, on the other hand, are thicker and more opaque, and can be used to create rich and textured effects that leave shadows and make you want to reach out and touch them. Pencils and markers can be used to create precise and detailed lines, while pastels can be used to create soft and blended effects. The list of possibilities is endless, so it’s always worth having a play around and discovering what ignites your imagination!

To truly master the art of textures and colours, you need to know how to mix them together effectively. Remember learning at school how yellow and blue paint makes green? This is kind of like the grownup version – but it all goes so much further than that. Mixing different textures and colours can create a range of effects, from subtle to bold. For example, you can create a soft and delicate texture by mixing watercolours with pastels, or you can create a bold and vibrant texture by mixing thinly applied oil paint with a thick palette knife application.

When mixing textures and colours, it’s important to experiment and play around with different combinations. Don’t be afraid to try new things and see what works best for you. You can also use different tools, such as brushes, sponges, and palette knives, to create different textures and effects.

Mastering the art of textures and colours is essential for creating striking artwork. By understanding colour theory, using different materials to create textures, and mixing textures and colours effectively, you can create artwork that is full of depth, dimension, and personality. Don’t be afraid to experiment and play around with different techniques and tools, and above all else, have fun! Art is all about experimentation and making bold, creative choices – so unleash your creativity.

Angela Hawkey is an award-winning Australian artist known for her abstract and expressionist paintings. Angie’s paintings bring joy through texture, colour and shape. You can find Angie’s artworks in private collections in the US, UK, Germany, South Korea, New Zealand, Ireland and Australia. Learn more about Angie and browse her original artwork here.