Abstract Colors

The following is an adaptation from the book, Using Colors in Your Art, by Sandi Henry, copyright 2005, pg 50-51.

Just for fun:  why not paint the sky a different color than it really is?  Pink, Green, Red? The grass red, purple, yellow, or orange? Abstraction is simply taking something from nature, or from the original object and changing it.  Play around and see what you can do. Art is after all based on what you are feeling, when you create it.

Go ahead and draw your landscape in simple form. Try to do it outside.  Using a photograph is fine, but to really capture the colors and get a feel of the landscape, try outdoors.  Now, if you live where it is cold, try to find your view from looking out the window, so you can stay warm.   Contour drawing will help you capture the perspectives, if you pay close attention to the elements. If you want to do a still life, this exercise will really made you think opposite of what you see!

The author suggests thinking about the realistic colors of the objects/landscape, then using unrealistic or surprising colors instead to paint with, or even create a collage.  This is not new, as Abstract Expressionist have done it for years:  Picasso, Braque, Marc, Chagall, etc.  but it can be new to you.