Introduction to The Portrait Institute Color System

Every artist loves and enjoys color. Artists delight both in observing the myriad, subtle variations of color in nature and in mixing pigments together to reproduce those infinite hues. Painting becomes increasingly delightful as we begin to master the complexities of color mixing. The Portrait Institute Color System was created to add to the pleasure of painting. These colors, and what you can do with them, will simplify your task in color mixing and give you a whole new range of delicate, dependable hues specially formulated for portrait and figure painting.

The Two Keys to Success
There are two keys to the mastery of color mixing in painting. The First Key is to accept the concept that all good painting is based on good observation, not on rules or formulas. Nature herself is the great instructor in color. The Second Key is the willingness of the artist to carry out conscientious color mixing exercises and commit the results to memory as he or she proceeds.

We learn as children that yellow and blue make green. Years later, in painting class, we discover that yellow ochre, cadmium red light and white will yield an exquisite range of flesh tones. Both discoveries must be committed to memory to be valuable.

The Quickest, Best Way to Learn
You can acquire a working knowledge of color mixing as you produce actual paintings, but this is the slow way to learn. The rapid, practical way to learn color mixing is to set for yourself a series of exercises, patiently observing what specific colors do as they interact and committing the results to memory. Thus, Rule One is "Every color mixture should be based on observation." Rule Two is "Patient color mixing exercises produce knowledgeable artists." The two rules work hand in hand. Once you have mastered color mixing, you will know what to mix to reproduce what you see.

I hope that my Portrait Institute Color System will be helpful to you.

John Howard Sanden

INTRODUCTION TO THE PORTRAIT INSTITUTE COLOR SYSTEM
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
THE PORTRAIT INSTITUTE PALETTE
LEARNING ABOUT COLOR QUALITIES
THE FOUR STEPS IN EVERY COLOR MIXTURE
ADJUSTING COLOR TO MATCH OBSERVATION
PAINTING THE NECESSARY COLOR EXERCISES
NOW LET'S PUT THE SYSTEM TO WORK IN A PORTRAIT
..AND IN A FIGURE PAINTING