Look What Just Three Colors Can Do! ¶ Pa g e - A - Day i d e a The Color Library Building a color library is a great way to explore the color possibilities of the full- spectrum triad. I call this a color library because, like a library, it is full of many selec- tions. I like knowing what color options are possible, so that later on I can choose the ones I want to use in a painting--just like choosing books from a library. I don't want to use all the colors possible from a triad in one painting, just as I wouldn't want to take out all the books in the library at one time. But I love knowing all the choices I have. For that reason it is invaluable to build a color library of each of the four triads. See chapter six for a full explanation of all four triads. Step 1 Mix a large puddle of Winsor Lemon on your palette. Paint a swatch of pure yellow pigment at the top of the triangle. Step 2 To the pure yellow puddle, add a tiny bit of Winsor Blue to create a warm, yellow- The journal artist's best friend is the full-spectrum triad. With just three colors you can mix an infinite and expressive range of hues. Simplify your palette and enhance color harmony all at the same time. There simply are no wrong colors because they all relate to each other. The painting projects in this chapter are a per- fect way to get acquainted with the full-spectrum triad. Four Ways to Mix Triads To fully appreciate the potential of the full-spectrum triad, you need to know the four results you can obtain by mixing with color triads: pure pigments, brights, shades, and grays and darks. This understanding is key to adding virtuosity to your color mixing vocabulary. 1 Pure Pigments for the yellow, red and blue flowers.