My Palette Graph color charts
Mixing all the colors in your palette is an exercise highly commended by famous artist Richard Schmid.
Each MPG system should have a full set of pre-masked sheets for you to mix your own color charts (up to 12 colors). That's not all! There are more good things you get when you order your own MPG kit. See below for more info and a description of the MPG clear color charts.
THE KIT INCLUDES:
Making your own MyPaletteGraph *clear* color charts system will have…
(1) ~ 1 binder to hold the 13 clear sheets after your painting them has cured
(2) ~ 1 printed sheet of Cautions, Guidelines & Tips. This sheet gives brief and helpful instructions for getting started. There is much more information available on the How To & FAQ page.
(3) ~ 13 clear sheets (legal size), pre-masked primed and ready for you to paint
(4) ~ 1 clear grayscale card for you to paint with your own black and white paint. This grayscale card comes pre-masked and primed. It is an essential part of the MPG color/value system.
(5) ~ 1 grey backer sheet for a 8x10 glass palette. This grey backer helps with consistency in mixing your paint. The grey on the backer is the same as the grey on the color charts. A dark or white mixing surface would not be the same value as these primed charts.
(6) ~ 2 color wheel templates you can use to test your own color mixes (1 template for 6 color and 1 template for 8 colors)
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Here is why I love My Palette Graph *clear* color charts.
As master oil painter, Richard Schmid, wrote in his excellent book, Alla Prima II: Everything I Know About Oil Painting, “when I finished [the color charts] I knew more about my paint than I had ever thought possible. It was an astonishing experience” (p 214).
Hillary Scott, an award winning tonalist painter, says, “I have spent substantial time creating color charts to understand how to control the hues, value and chroma” (International Artist Magazine, issue 156, April/May 2024, pp 67-68).
T. Allen Lawson, whose work is unparalleled in its uniqueness and lively vision, says, “I have made an extensive set of color charts. These charts allow me to gauge the spectrum of color and tonality I want each painting to have” (quote from interview with New Wave Products).
Furthermore, Lawson is able to carry his color charts into the field when doing plein air… which leads us to see why tMy Palette Graph has the advantage of portability (more about that below).
No doubt, doing these color exercises as described by these world class artists will benefit any artist immensely. In doing the exercises the artist gets to experience
1) a first hand awareness of tinting strengths for various tube colors
2) ways that a range of values can be achieved in various mixes
3) how to get to a given color mix in more than one way
4) how it is possible to use a limited palette
5) the sheer pleasure of seeing rich colors sustain their vibrancy by avoiding muddy colors.
The added benefits of My Palette Graph
The added benefits of using a MyPaletteGraph *clear* color charts:
1) MPG is lightweight and portable. The 13 *clear* MPG sheets weigh about 1lb. In their binder the 13 *clear* sheets are easy to carry in plein air painting or wherever.
2) MPG has see-through clear sheets for better matching and visualization
3) MPG is pre-masked and primed so you can start mixing color now.
4) MPG is a compact color/value system you can keep building on in years to come
5) MPG has 6 blocks per column vs the typical 5.
6) MPG has 12 columns vs the typical 11 so can have a wider range of color mixes.
7) MPG has a standout color block for each color dominant sheet so you can more easily identify each sheet.
8) MPG includes a Grayscale Card with the 13 MPG sheets for a unified color/value system
Paint Color/Value system
The MyPaletteGraph paint color/value system combines the visualizations in the 13 MPG *clear* sheets (8.5x14) + the Grayscale *clear* card to gauge values on both the 13 MPG sheets. It's as though the MyPaletteGraph color/value system brings together the usefulness of Schmid's color exercises and key concepts from the Munsell's hue/chroma/value schema.
If you have questions about making your own MyPaletteGraph you can go to the
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