Looking at a blank canvas can feel both thrilling and scary. Where do you start? Which color goes first? These questions bug every painter, from first-timers to those with some practice under their belt. The answer lies in your base color choice. This key decision shapes everything that follows in your painting journey.
Think of a base color as your painting's foundation. It sets the stage, guides your color choices, and brings your artwork to life. With the right base, your painting gains depth and character that white canvas alone can't provide.
What Is A Base Color?
A base color is the first paint layer you spread across your entire canvas. Unlike jumping straight into painting on white, you start with a wash of a single color that sets the tone for everything that follows.
This first layer does more than just cover the white surface. It actively takes part in your final artwork's look and feel. It peeks through later paint layers, affects how other colors appear, and helps create the overall mood.
Think of your base color as setting the stage before the main performance begins. It quietly influences everything that happens afterward, even if you can't always see it directly.
What A Base Color Does For Your Painting
A base color provides your painting's foundation. It sets the stage and guides your color choices. The right base gives your painting depth that white canvas cannot provide.
This first layer does more than cover white surface. It takes part in your final artwork's appearance. It shows through later paint layers and affects how other colors appear.
Your base color sets the stage before the performance begins. It influences everything that happens after, even when you cannot see it directly.
Understanding Paint Quality And Permanence
Quality matters when you select acrylic paints. Artists' quality paints contain high concentrations of finely ground pigment. Student quality paints cost less but contain lower pigment levels and fillers.
The difference shows in your work. Artists' colors appear more vibrant and blend more smoothly. They layer better too.
Start with student quality paint if your budget requires it. Graduate to artists' colors when you create work you want to preserve. Another option splits the difference: buy student paints for earth colors and spend more on pure intense colors.
How Permanence Affects Your Work
Permanence describes how pigment resists fading when exposed to light. Most acrylic colors have higher permanence ratings than oils or watercolors.
ASTM International classifies artists' colors based on tests. These tests simulate twenty years of gallery exposure. ASTM I means excellent lightfastness. ASTM II means very good lightfastness. ASTM III means not sufficiently lightfast.
Use only paints with excellent or very good ratings. You can find the ASTM rating on the tube or jar.
Understanding Viscosity And Container Types
Viscosity describes paint consistency or thickness. Heavy body acrylics have a thick, buttery consistency similar to oil paints. They retain brushstrokes and facilitate color mixing.
Fluid acrylics are thinner but contain the same pigment concentration. They suit detailed work, staining, and watercolor techniques. Heavy body acrylics come in tubes or jars. Tubes are small and portable. Jars save money by offering more paint at once.
Paint from tubes is paste-like. Paint from jars is thick but flattens on the palette. Start with tubes and buy jars later. Begin with a smaller 2 fl oz. tubes because a little goes far.
Best Acrylic Colors For Beginners
When starting out with acrylics, you don't need every color under the sun. A small set of basic colors works best for learning how paints mix and behave.
Start with these essential colors:
|
Color |
Description |
|
Titanium White |
Lightens colors and creates highlights with its strong opacity. |
|
Mars Black |
Perfect for darkening colors and creating bold shadows. |
|
Cadmium Yellow Medium |
A bright, warm yellow that mixes well with other colors. |
|
Cadmium Red Medium |
A rich, vibrant red that forms the basis for many color mixes. |
|
Ultramarine Blue |
A deep blue ideal for skies, water, and creating rich dark tones. |
|
Burnt Sienna |
A warm brown with red undertones, perfect for earthy elements. |
|
Raw Umber |
A cool brown that works wonders in shadow areas. |
With just these seven colors, you can mix a surprising range of hues. As you grow more comfortable, you can add colors like Alizarin Crimson or Phthalo Blue to expand your mixing options.
What’s The Best Base For Acrylic Painting?
The "best base" refers both to the surface you paint on and the initial color you apply. For painting surfaces, you have several good options:
- Canvas offers a classic textured surface that grabs acrylic paint well. It comes in various weights and weaves to suit different styles.
- Wood panels provide a firm, stable surface that won't warp like canvas might. They work especially well for detailed painting.
- Heavy paper designed for acrylics makes an affordable option for practice or smaller works.
No matter which surface you choose, always prepare it with gesso first. This white primer creates a slightly rough, non-absorbent surface that helps paint stick properly.
As for base colors, there's no single "best" choice. The right base depends on your subject, mood, and artistic goals. We'll explore these factors in the following sections.
How Does Base Color Affect Paintings?
Sets Mood And Tone
Your base color instantly establishes a feeling in your painting. A warm orange base creates a sense of energy and warmth. A cool blue base suggests calm or melancholy.
Think about how a sunset painted over an orange base feels different from one painted over blue. The base color subtly influences how viewers respond emotionally to your work.
Influences Color Relationships
Every color you add interacts with your base. Paint blue over a yellow base, and hints of yellow might show through, creating a more complex blue than on white canvas.
This color play adds richness to your painting. The base quietly affects every color you apply afterward, creating deeper, more interesting hues.
Creates Depth And Dimension
A thoughtful base color helps create the illusion of three dimensions on a flat surface. A slightly darker base in future shadow areas makes those shadows look richer and more natural.
Similarly, a lighter base in areas planned for highlights helps those bright spots pop. This technique, known as underpainting, builds a sense of form and space.
Enhances Contrast
Your base color can make other colors stand out more strongly. Bright reds and yellows pop dramatically against a gray base. Dark blues look richer against a light base.
Think about how your main colors will interact with your base to create the visual impact you want.
Creates Cohesion
A unified base color ties your whole painting together. Even with many different colors in your scene, that underlying base peeks through in places, connecting all elements.
This creates a visual harmony that makes the painting feel complete rather than like separate parts stuck together.
Facilitates Color Contrast
Your base color can help create pleasing color contrasts throughout your painting. A warm base makes cool colors appear even cooler by comparison.
These contrasts add visual interest and guide the viewer's eye through your composition in a natural way.
Factors to Consider When Choosing A Base Color
Subject Matter
What you're painting should influence your base color choice. For a forest scene, a muted green might work well. For a portrait, a warm brown or neutral gray could serve as a good starting point.
Think about the main colors in your subject and choose a base that either complements or purposely contrasts with them.
Lighting And Atmosphere
Consider the light conditions in your scene. A painting set at sunset might benefit from a warm yellow or orange base. A cool, foggy scene might work better with a pale blue base. Your base color helps establish the temperature and feel of the light in your painting from the very start.
Desired Mood Or Emotion
Colors strongly affect emotions. A red base might convey passion or energy. A soft green could suggest peace or growth. Choose a base that aligns with the feeling you want your painting to evoke in viewers.
Final Color Palette
Having a general idea of your main colors helps you pick a complementary base. If you'll work mostly with cool blues and greens, a warm base might create interesting contrasts. Your base should work in harmony with your planned color scheme, either by similarity or purposeful contrast.
How To Choose Your Base Color
Contrast
Use a base that contrasts with your main subject colors. A blue subject can look striking against an orange base because these colors sit opposite on the color wheel. This contrast makes your subject stand out and creates visual energy in your painting.
Environmental Light
Think about the overall light in your scene. A beach scene in bright sunlight might work well with a pale yellow base. A night scene could benefit from a deep blue or purple. Let the lighting conditions guide your base color choice to create a believable atmosphere.
Complementary Colors
The color wheel offers guidance. Colors opposite each other (like red and green or blue and orange) create vibrant contrast when used together. Try using the complement of your main subject color as your base for a dynamic effect.
Value
Consider how light or dark your base should be. A mid-tone base often works well as it allows you to work both lighter and darker from that starting point. Your base color's value affects how subsequent layers of paint behave and appear.
Masstone And Undertone
Look at both the main color (masstone) and the subtler color that appears when it's thinned (undertone). Some paints change character significantly when diluted. Test your base color both thick and thinned to understand how it will behave in your painting.
Experimentation
Don't be afraid to try different base colors on small test canvases. See how they affect the colors you add on top and how they influence the overall mood. Experience is the best teacher when it comes to understanding base colors.
How To Test Your Base Color
1. Small Test Area
Before committing to your main canvas, try your base color on a small test piece. This gives you a preview of how it will look across a larger surface.
A quick test can save you from disappointment later in your painting process.
2. Multiple Coats
Apply the same number of base coats you plan to use on your final painting. One coat might look different from two or three.
This test shows you the true opacity and intensity of your chosen base color.
3. Testing On Different Surfaces
If you haven't settled on a surface, try your base color on various options. Canvas, wood, and paper each affect how paint looks and feels.
The texture and absorption of your surface influence your base color's appearance.
4. Observe Interactions
Once your test base is dry, apply some of your planned colors over it. Watch how they interact with the base and how the combination feels.
This crucial step shows you whether your base will enhance or fight against your painting plans.
Personal Guidelines For Choosing Colors
Always buy basic white and black. They give contrasts and are great for color mixes.
Never underestimate the number of yellows you need. Yellows work for everything. Use them for the color itself and for color mixes too. Warm and cold tones of each primary color are enough. Do not buy browns and greens unless you find a specific tone you love.
Always include some personal favorites. When you open the box where you store tubes, you want to feel happy. Cerulean blue reminds some artists of painting icons. It makes them feel creative and happy.
Think about creating as an experience. Do not just focus on what is generally recommended.
Working With Drying Time
Many artists prefer acrylics because they dry quickly. This can be a problem if the paint dries on the brush or palette before you finish. If you want to mix paint on canvas and create blending effects, use paint that stays wet longer.
Extending Drying Time
Use a retarding medium to extend drying time. Or buy interactive or open acrylics. These are manufactured to include a retardant. They can slow drying time to as long as a few weeks.
Open acrylics provide a convenient solution for people who want to replicate oil paints with acrylics.
Price Considerations
Some colors cost much more than others. This happens because some pigments are hard to obtain. Manufacturers group their paints according to series. Series 1 is the cheapest. Series 7 is the most expensive.
Earth colors are typically the cheapest. Colors derived from cadmium can cost up to four times as much.
Understanding "Hue" Labels
Some brands offer cheaper options by substituting with synthetic pigments. These have lower permanence ratings and less color intensity.
You can spot this on the product by looking for the word "hue" after the pigment name. Cadmium Yellow Hue contains a different pigment than real Cadmium Yellow.
Many artists use some "hue" colors and are satisfied with the quality. If you paint with children, the hues are safer because they avoid carcinogenic pigments.
Best Easel Stand:
Conclusion
Your base color shapes your entire painting. It affects mood, depth, and harmony in powerful ways. Think about your subject, lighting, and mood before choosing a base. Test it with your other colors first. Over time, you'll develop a natural feel for picking the right base color. Choose wisely and watch your painting transform.