CrashOctopus Blog

To continue our discussion of warm and cool colors, I present: Green. For those interested, here are Parts 1 and 2.

This one gave some interesting results. The warm blue and warm yellow provided a nice, clear, warm green. It looks like it’d be good for grass that needs watering (a common sight in Atlanta recently). However, the cool blue and cool yellow gave me a brownish mess. Since the cool blue and warm yellow gave a similar shade of mud, I’m guessing it’s the fault of the common element, ultramarine blue, although I’m not sure why. Any suggestions? I’ve only mixed it with browns (to make dark, blackish colors) and reds to make purples.

The warm blue and cool yellow created a surprisingly pleasant mix. It reminds me of what grass is supposed to look like. I’ll actually get to see some of it during my road trip to Iowa next week. Which, by the way, is the reason I won’t be posting for the next week and a half.

In conclusion, I still have no idea what I’m doing with color mixing, and nothing consistent has come out of my experiments yet. Next installation: purple in all its glorious mystery.

I am a fan. Uplifting but not sappy. Go see it!

First, happy Independence Day! I hope you all have a wonderful holiday. My country isn’t perfect, but I sure am glad to live here and be able to paint cephalopods in my free time. Speaking of which, there’s new content up at MegLyman.com.

Today I’ll explore more warm and cool colors. See this post for the introduction to the experiment. I will attempt to draw conclusions. You are welcome to chime in.

Here’s my first experiment: red and yellow together. Also known as orange: the color of construction, and when put next to navy blue, the colors of the Chicago Bears. GO BEARS! Ahem.

On the left, I mixed oranges with “like” primaries - that is, I mixed warms with warms and cools with cools. On the right, I combined warms and cools.

The orange in the upper left corner is the most vibrant. It’s certainly a warm orange, and has the most life to it. If I wanted to paint a vibrant giant pacific octopus, I’d use that combination.

The orange at the lower left is more muted. It’s definitely more muddy and cool than the warm/warm orange. I think there are two reasons for that: first, orange is generally a warm color, so making a cool orange is a bit difficult. Second, the cool red I used has a lot of blue in it (you know, its being “cadmium red purple” and all) and that means there were really three primaries in the mix, making it more brown and muddy.

The orange on the lower right is an interesting one. It’s fairly vibrant and light; I think it is the most successful cool orange I mixed. Using the warm red instead of the cool one really gets rid of the brown look. It’s sort of pastel orange, almost peachy, and I like it.

The orange in the upper right is the muddiest of all. I think this is because it mixes warm and cool AND it includes all three primaries. But it’s orange mud, for sure. In fact, if it ever rains again in Georgia, this is will be the color of my yard.

In conclusion, the warm/warm mix created the most vibrant orange, and the warm yellow/cool red created the muddiest orange. But the most important conclusion is that you should do your own color tests, because I still have no idea what I’m doing. Check back after a few more posts.

I’ll get back to my color project in a jiffy. But first, a quick convention report. Anthrocon was wonderful, and I sold enough t-shirts, prints, originals, and commissions that I just might break even. The best part was the camaraderie and new beers. And also, coming home to this in my backyard:

EPIC.

Also, note all those “cool” colors.

Since I’m off to a convention and have been so incredibly busy, I decided to take this opportunity to start a blogging project. O_o

I’ve wanted to do this experiment for a while now. I heard theories about warm and cool colors, how they relate, how to mix them, what to use them for, and what to avoid. I figure it’s all good advice, but there’s nothing like finding out for yourself.

I have warmer and cooler versions of the primaries in my gouache palette. I generally choose the tint that suits the painting better. Should it be more scientific than that? I know warm and cool are relative terms; putting a cool red next to a cool purple might make the red look warmer. But in general, I can pick out which tubes are warm and which are cool.

My attempts to color-correct the scan didn’t go so well… but I think you get the idea. The warm colors are Flame Red (PR170), Permanent Yellow (PY1), and Prussian Blue (PB27). The cool colors are Cadmium Red Purple (PR108), Lemon Yellow (PY3), and Ultramarine Blue (PB29).

During the next few weeks, I’ll show you my experiments with warm and cool primaries. I hope to learn a lot and share it all with you. I just might end up making lots of different shades of “mud,” but even that can be useful… especially if you’re painting dirt.

Adorable Armadillo by Meg Lyman

Gouache and ink on notecard

Going to Anthrocon

I have been crazy-busy this week, and it’s not going to let up soon. I even got some art done! I’m heading for the beach this weekend and Anthrocon is next weekend. Getting ready for any convention is hard work, but this is my biggest con and I have to cram everything into two suitcases and get on an airplane. CRAZY but fun!

Angularfish by Meg Lyman
Gouache (and glow-in-the-dark acrylic!) on notecard
Going to Anthrocon

At my last convention, I was fishing around for something to doodle. My dear friend asked for an anglerfish. Except she said “angularfish.” It stuck.

It’s Acute Angularfish.

…yes, I’m a nerd.

Music is a big part of life. It is pervasive - almost everywhere we go, we hear it pumping through speakers. Whenever I drive, the music is on. Whenever I’m at home, the music is on. Whenever I’m doing art, the music is on. But unlike other activities, I pay special attention to art music. Do you?

First of all, art is one of the few activities I do that makes me lose track of time. I’ll sit for hours, painting or drawing. I’ll forget to take a drink of my beer, forget that my butt has gone numb, and forget that I was supposed to change the laundry 3 hours ago. But I’ll notice if the music stops. It’ll interrupt even the most intense session. So, I do my best to avoid having to change music during art. Streaming radio, CDs, or hard drives full of MP3s are good for that.

Second, if a song comes on that doesn’t fit my mood, it’ll distract me. That’s the drawback to streaming radio. You can pick a genre, but sometimes you’ll get a song you just don’t like. Then you’re jumping up to change the station every half hour, and that’s not conducive to concentration… plus it’s as annoying as having to flip channels to avoid watching ads. (I’m not the only one who does that… right?)

And finally, music can be so emotionally powerful. A song can fill you with joy, longing, sadness, or despair. You can find a song for any mood, and any painting. Have you ever felt inspired to paint something because of a song? Or have you had ideas rolling around in your head for ages, when all of a sudden, a song comes on… and now you just HAVE to paint that idea?

It’s hard to plan for the moods you’ll be in or moods of the paintings you want to do, but I have a system - I get a good collection of songs for that day set up on my MP3 player, hit “shuffle,” and press play. I make sure the volume knob is handy in case I want to crank something. The emotions associated with music are some of the most powerful feelings I’ve had. They’re up there with beautiful scenery, nature, and being with the people I love. Now if only I could take a vacation with those folks to somewhere isolated with impressive scenery and listen to music while painting… wow.

Post a link to a song that inspires you. Share it with us!

Here’s one of mine. [link]

Also, do fish actually have ears?

The Hairdresser by Meg Lyman

8×10 colored pencil commission - SOLD

Commissions. The double-edged sword. They are often an essential part an artist’s living, but they can be so draining creatively. When someone wants me to do custom artwork for them, I am thrilled and terrified at the same time.

I am beginning to set myself up with a style - the more work I do for myself, the larger my portfolio, and the more likely I am to get commissions that I will like. However, there are always commissions that just suck it out of me. If I accept a commission about which I am less than enthusiastic, can I use it to practice a new technique or style? I’m at risk of providing the customer with a product unlike any of my others… and they hired me after seeing my existing work. If an experiment goes wrong, I’ll have to start over.

Luckily, this hairdressing cephalopod commission was right up my alley.

For the artists out there, where do you draw the line when accepting commissions? Do they have to interest you, or do they simply have to pay the bills? For the potential commissioners out there, how much leeway would you give your artist in terms of style?

We’re about due for a beer-related post. I have a few more ratings up my sleeve… but as for new beers, I’ve exhausted the supply at my local store. They don’t get many new dark beers during the summer. So I’m asking you, my dear beer-drinking readers, to suggest some beers for review. They have to be local or nationwide, since I can’t get anything shipped to me. OR, if you have some favorite local stouts or porters, and want to do a guest review, let me know!!