Zentangle Untangled (12 page)

Color! If I could start all over again, I would go to art school and specialize in the history and theory of color. I’d learn about the origins of color, investigate how colors interact with each other, study how we respond to them and explore every other possible facet of the topic I could muster. To me, color is infinitely fascinating.

I’m aware this makes me a bit of a nerd, but as an artist, I think understanding color is essential to successfully practicing art. And it is not that hard to pick up the basics. A wide range of resources are available (hello, Pantone!), and getting these down will help you add color to your Zentangle, artwork, home and life.

In Zentangle terms, color is a bit of an unknown value, because as CZTs we don’t initially bring color into our teaching. Color is not addressed in the Zentangle® kit or any official materials.

Why is that? Well, it’s simple really. We want to keep your introduction to Zentangle as simple as possible and then give you creative wings to fly off and add whatever you want to your Zentangle-inspired art. In our classes we talk about the simplicity of Zentangle and its achievability to all. Can you imagine if we then said, “And now choose which shade of red you’d like to use?” It would be overwhelming. So we keep it black and white (with shading). Then, when you feel ready to explore adding colors, you’re free to do so. This is where I hope this book will help you.

In color theory, we are guided by the color wheel, an example of which I have created. In simple terms, we have three types of color: primary color, secondary color and tertiary color.

The primary colors (red, blue and yellow) are colors that cannot be created by mixing; these are our foundations. When we mix two of these primary colors, we create secondary colors (green, violet and orange).

Pretty straightforward, right? These two concepts are further explained as you turn the page.

You’ll see how these colors relate to each other by looking at the color wheel. Tertiary colors are those that appear between the primary and secondary colors on the wheel. They are produced when one of the colors makes up a greater part of the mix, usually the primary color.

With color mixing, always start with the lighter color first and progressively add the darker color until you get the mix you want. You can always deepen the color, but lightening it is much harder. Much of this comes down to experimentation and practice, but that’s half the fun of color play. I heartily recommend you create your own color wheel (or purchase one from your local art supplier) as a reference. It will be an invaluable resource as you get more into your art practice.

Ready to dive in a little deeper?

No doubt you learned early in school that the primary colors are red, blue and yellow. They are the basis for mixing the other colors on the wheel and cannot be mixed from other colors. They sit evenly apart on the color wheel and work together beautifully. One of the most famous uses of these primary colors is Piet Mondrian’s
Composition
series. acrylic paint, Sakura Pigma Micron pen

Secondary colors are made from combinations of the three primary colors. When mixing your own secondary colors, you should start with the lighter color and gradually add the darker color until you get the mix you’re happy with.