(166) Color Charts
In his book "Alla Prima" Richard Schmid explains the importance of taking the time to do these color charts to learn about color harmony. He explains that you will see how"the addition of white creates a new, cooler color" (not just lighter value). "Most colors appear more vivid in the mid-value range" and "extremely dark colors are hard to identify until white is added to them."
"Take your time. Don't be in a rush to do the color charts. Stay alert and see what is happening, not only on your palette, but within yourself ...The charts are intended to be somewhat agonizing so that you will develop the patience and self-control so necessary in painting. It should be like an initiation ritual before what is to come, so you may endure it without giving up. As a dancer learns to tolerate pain and endless falls in order to someday soar with grace, so must you have the stubbornness to mix a color until it is precisely what you require to make your painting sing"...Richard Schmid
(He says it is "painful" because it takes a couple of weeks to do these. Gee, I didn't find it "painful" at all--but quite relaxing. How boring am I???)