Color Mixing with Debra Claffey and Susan Stover
Debra Claffey’s Pigment Stick® palette.
We continue our series on color mixing with recommendations from instructors Debra Claffey and Susan Stover. Debra illustrates how she uses three different Pigment Sticks® to create secondary colors, tints, and shades. Susan shares how she makes one of her favorite colors using two encaustic paints she always keeps on hand.
Debra Claffey’s Pigment Stick® color mixing chart.
Debra Claffey’s Pigment Stick® palette in a color study.
Debra Claffey
"An important part of my painting process involves a focus on color combinations. I do this by simplifying the number of colors to two or three in a primary mix — some kind of red, yellow, and blue. For this combination I used R&F’s Alizarin Orange, Indian Yellow, and Indigo.
First, I mix roughly equal parts of each to make a set of secondary colors. Next, I mix those six colors with white to get six tints and then with black to get six shades. My experience has shown that the tints generally take the addition of very little color and the shades require very little black.”
Susan Stover’s color notes posted on her studio wall.
Susan Stover, Shoein, 8” x 8” x 1.5”, encaustic on panel
Susan Stover
“The two colors I use and mix most are R&F’s Cobalt Blue and Titanium White encaustic paint. I can mix my own King’s Blue that way, as well as other beautiful tints and shades of those two colors.
I often layer a couple of shades of the same color or variations of color within the same area to increase depth and interest. I don’t have exact recipes as I adjust according to the piece I’m working on. I recommend adding Cobalt Blue to Titanium White in small amounts to get the color you want.”
Color Lines, Resources, etc.
Remember you can view R&F’s full Pigment Stick color line on our website. Or check out our encaustic color line. You can download a color chart directly from Articles and Links or locate a retailer who carries our products near you on our Store Finder. Be sure to subscribe to our channel on YouTube so you never miss a new video. (And thanks for all those likes and nice comments.)
Enjoy. And keep painting.