Self made color wheel

[RichardH]

I am thinking about making my own color wheel from the paints I have. I think this would help me establish what I have and what I'll get when mixed with white, black and gray. This will take a while to do since I would have to clean after each color and mix.
I'm sure some have done this and was wondering what problems, if any, anyone ran into doing this. It would also be made on the paper I have been using and what is easily available to me. As far as paper, should I use a very white or off white paper for this???
I also would have to mix a batch of gray to use. I'm sure I'll have to establish a ratio of white to color, black to color and gray to color mix.
Or maybe I just need to take each color and thin it. Then go from dark to light passes.
Any suggestions would be appreciated.
Thanks
Richard

 

[JackEb]

If you're registered on the airbrush tutor website there is a colour wheel template and instructions there (as well as other free tutorials)

But you need to register to access it
http://www.airbrushtutor.com/downloads/colorwheel.zip

 

[Madbrush]

One huge problem with colour wheels is that they are merely a guide, they do not eliminate the need to experiment since as many of us have discovered, in some cases to our horror that not every brand of paint will behave the same when mixing different colours with each other, there is unfortunately no method in existence of ensuring achievement of the exact same colour by mixing any of the primaries or secondary colours with each other and arriving at the same colour with a different brand, there are far to many variables to ever be that precise.

If you made your own wheel, it would unfortunately only be relevant to the specific brand you are used to create your wheel, even then you would have so much data to record while doing so.

Most decent manufacturers make and distribute their own wheels or charts specific to their own brands and/or lines within their brand, a simple Google search would bring you to each of the company's charts as well as other technical data, so a personal wheel would only be helpful for personal use.

There are plenty of free to download wheels and charts available online or even to simply view online but the problem here is that when you have a chart in your hand, it doesn't have back lighting as computers do and even no two computer screens have same exact image.

The three primaries along with black, grey and white make for literally thousands of different permutations and I doubt any of us could use them all in our life times.

I personally wouldn't bother since I would much rather paint than re-invent something that already exists

Mitch's colour wheel tut is actually more of guide to show beginners what happens when mixing and blending the primaries but again he would have had slightly different results if he did the same with other brands of paint, this is also why we would normally recommend one painting, one brand, mixing and matching could have disastrous effects.

 

[RichardH]

If you're registered on the airbrush tutor website there is a colour wheel template and instructions there (as well as other free tutorials)

But you need to register to access it
http://www.airbrushtutor.com/downloads/colorwheel.zip

Thanks JackEb. I tried to register but it never sent me a email to confirm with. Tried again but wouldn't let me use the same info I registered with.
Not sure whats going on with the site.

Richard

 

[RichardH]

Thanks Madbrush, Good advise. Ohh well, scratch that idea. I am using the Createx illustration set and liking it so far. SO MUCH TO LEARN

Richard

 

[musicmacd]

Register on Dru Blairs school of realism. Tonight he is putting out a newsletter explaining his colour theory. Its simple once you grasp it

 

[RichardH]

Register on Dru Blairs school of realism. Tonight he is putting out a newsletter explaining his colour theory. Its simple once you grasp it

DONE!!!!! His school in South Carolina is about a 2 hour drive from me. It would be nice if I could afford to go to one of his classes.
Thanks

 

[JackEb]

Createx illustration is a great paint but as a newbie the reduction ratios can mess with your head for awhile. Etac EFX is a good newbie friendly paint, just water to reduce and clean up, great when you just want to get in and paint something for practice.

 

[musicmacd]

DONE!!!!! His school in South Carolina is about a 2 hour drive from me. It would be nice if I could afford to go to one of his classes.
Thanks

I send you the cash
You video everything
Sends to me first class
Done

 

[RichardH]

Createx illustration is a great paint but as a newbie the reduction ratios can mess with your head for awhile. Etac EFX is a good newbie friendly paint, just water to reduce and clean up, great when you just want to get in and paint something for practice.

Thanks JackEb. It is starting to sink in the mudhole of brain. I've been playing with pressure, dilution and trigger movement and it is starting to show some results. I made a mold for a trigger extension and took my hot glue gun and poured a mold. Trimmed it to fit the trigger and that really helped. Pushing for air isn't a problem. The very small movement for detail was giving me terrible problems. This sure made the trigger movement for paint a little easier to control. I'll make a good one tomorrow and make it look nice. I'll check into the paint you suggested. Buying is no problem. I have a bunch of plastic money.

Thanks
Richard

 

[RichardH]

I send you the cash
You video everything
Sends to me first class
Done

Hey musicmacd. As they say. " The check is in the mail ". That would be a good deal but I don't think he would like me videoing his class. I'm sure it would be worth it but being 71 years old, I don't think I would live long enough to benefit from it. Just send me the money and I will by a micron and I would take a picture of it and send to you.

Richard

 

[RebelAir]

Kinda talking two different things ya need to make, a color wheel and color charts..Keep your colors clean for the color wheel and pending on what range of color you plan to make, write the exact mix of each progression on it..Then with all those colors you make on you wheel creat some charts of about 9 squares, it the center one paint that pure color from your wheel then add varying shades of black to the mix, each progression painting a square to the left of the first middle square, then same with white to the clean mixed paint to the right. This will show you the tone and pastel variation of that initial color, again write down on or below each square the exact rations of color and try not to use any reducers at all, you can save that for another scale if you wish and could ed up with lots of color sample cards...A good day studying this will cement a lot of airbrush color theory but takes awhile to do..

 

[RichardH]

Kinda talking two different things ya need to make, a color wheel and color charts..Keep your colors clean for the color wheel and pending on what range of color you plan to make, write the exact mix of each progression on it..Then with all those colors you make on you wheel creat some charts of about 9 squares, it the center one paint that pure color from your wheel then add varying shades of black to the mix, each progression painting a square to the left of the first middle square, then same with white to the clean mixed paint to the right. This will show you the tone and pastel variation of that initial color, again write down on or below each square the exact rations of color and try not to use any reducers at all, you can save that for another scale if you wish and could ed up with lots of color sample cards...A good day studying this will cement a lot of airbrush color theory but takes awhile to do..

Thanks RebelAir. That was just about what I had in mind to do. Yes it would take a good day but being retired, I have plenty of time. I had thought maybe with the reducer but your idea sounds better with pure paint. I can see in my mind how it would look reduced since I would have to build up to what I want with the thinned paint.

Thanks for the info and help.
Richard