Color Temperature for Beginner Artists

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What does the term "Color Temperature" refer to, exactly? How can you tell if colors are warm or cool and why is this important? How can you change a color's temperature? What happens with grays and browns?

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​Color Theory can seem like a daunting art fundamental to start learning about, especially because it encompasses so much.

This said, it is essential for any artist who makes use of color in drawings or paintings to expand their knowledge about color and color mixing as this will greatly increase the quality of their work. 

In the following video, I share must know information for beginners getting started, as well as for more advanced artists who find Color Temperature confusing.  

I also provide a very powerful exercise that I'd highly recommend working on, as it'll help you build a solid foundation so that you can advance your skills faster.

After finishing the exercise, I also explain how to tell if grays and browns are warm or cool, as well as how to create darker or lighter versions of these "neutrals". 
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Step 1. Create two 6-part color wheel templates

Find a circular object to trace around that isn't too big or too small, and fits in your watercolor sheet twice.

Using a pencil, trace around it twice, to create two circles. 

Use a ruler to divide the circle into 6 triangular "pie pieces". 

Use a black pen or marker to trace over your pencil work and label your color wheels as "warm" and "cool".



Step 2. Choose your warm and cool primary paint colors

Swatch out different reds, blues and yellows you have available.

Using the information below, decide which will be your three warm primaries and your three cool primaries. 

*Feel free to combine watercolor brands for this exercise if necessary. 

Blues:

• Warm blues have a purple bias rather than a green bias. They have a hint of red in them.
• Cool blues have a green bias rather than a purple bias. They have a bit of green in them.

Reds:

• Warm reds lean towards the yellow side, rather than the purple side.
• Cool reds lean towards the purple side, rather than the yellow side.

Yellows:

• Warm yellows are those that have a bias towards the orange side.
• Cool yellows are those that have a green bias.

Make sure to write down the names of the colors you'll be using for each wheel. You don't want to start using another blue, red or yellow as you're filling in your wheels. 

Warm and Cool color swatches

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​Step 3. First fill in your primaries and then your secondaries​

Whether you decide to start with your warm or cool wheel, begin by filling in your primaries and then fill in the secondaries in-between. 

Think of your secondary colors as the "babies" that sit in-between the two primary colors that create them. 

• Yellow + Red= Orange
• Red + Blue= Purple
• Blue +Yellow= Green

*Pro Tip: When working on Color Wheel exercises, it is important to keep paint puddles well organized on your palette so that they don't seep into each other. Also, make sure you rinse out your paintbrush bristles in-between each color, so that you don't contaminate the next. 

Final Warm and Cool Color Wheels

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Once you're done, take time to analyze your color wheels. What differences do you notice between them? Are there brighter or more saturated colors in one of them? What primaries and secondaries do you personally prefer?

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Extra practice:

Try mixing browns and grays using your primary colors.
Hint: If you mix enough of two complementary colors (opposites in the color wheel), you'll get a gray or brown.
Also, test the neutrals you have available in your watercolor sets (grays, blacks, browns), and compare them with each other. Which look warmer and which look cooler to you? What primary colors can you add to these ready-made neutrals to shift their temperature?

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