Tuesday Art Chat with Kerri
Are Muddy Colours a Bad Thing
In this episode, Kerri Dixon breaks down muddy colours, why they happen, and why they are not always a problem. She uses practical examples from wildlife and nature art to show how complementary colours, value, and careful observation can make colour mixing feel much simpler. Kerri also gives a clear method for choosing colours without memorizing the whole colour wheel - start with the right colour family, then ask what is wrong with the colour you have and make one small adjustment at a time. Key topics Carrie introduces the episode as a response to a student question from Aster about muddy colours and colour mixing What muddy colour actually means - usually a loss of brightness or intensity, not automatically a bad colour The difference between a colour becoming muted on purpose and becoming muddy by accident Why overworking pastels and adding too many colours can fill the tooth of the paper and make colour harder to control A simple colour wheel refresher covering primary colours, secondary colours, and complementary pairs Why complementary colours work like a volume control for intensity How orange and blue, green and red, and purple and yellow can neutralize each other into more natural-looking tones Why realistic painting depends on observing what is actually there, not what the brain thinks should be there The importance of value - lightness and darkness - when a colour looks wrong even if the hue seems right How muted colours help bright focal points stand out in wildlife and nature paintings Why leaving some colours unblended can create richer texture, especially in fur and feathers A practical exercise for making deliberate muddy colours and finding those same hues in nature references Two simple questions to use while painting: what colour family am I in, and what is wrong with the colour I have?
