This course will review the mechanics of how color works, and how to work with color, with painters in mind. Through visual demonstrations and creative exercises with paint, students will develop a grasp of the terms and concepts that underlie a modern, science-based approach to color theory. Principles covered will be relevant to both realist and abstract painters.
Zoom links are emailed the night before each live class. Video replays are available the day after class. Homework is due Thursdays at midnight PST.

Week 1 – Color Perception: 3 Sensors, 4 Unique Hues.

Week 2 – Spectral Profiles, Subtraction and Averaging.

Week 3 – Navigating Perceptual Color Intervals.

Week 4 – Push and Pull: Color Contrast and Assimilation.

Week 5 – Mixing Transparent vs. Opaque Pigments.

Week 6 – Navigating the Curvature of Mixing Paths.

Live Class Schedule (Zoom): March 8th, 15th, 22nd, and 29th, April 5th, 12th from 2:00pm – 3:30 pm EST

Peter Donahue is an artist and designer on a mission: to make science-based color theory accessible. His short-form videos on color theory topics have earned him millions of views on social media. Peter’s free color tools and graphics have been adopted by university professors, make-up artists, opticians and other professionals, hobbyists, and students around the world. When he’s not making videos or painting in his studio, Peter teaches art fundamentals and other design classes at Morristown-Beard school in New Jersey. He has delivered keynotes and workshops on color theory for a variety of institutions, including the Inter-Society Color Council, Rhode Island School of Design, NSU Art Museum Fort Lauderdale, and Contemporary Arts Memphis. Peter has also done freelance graphic design work and color theory consulting for universities, tech start-ups, fashion brands, and a major crayon manufacturer.

Color Filter Slide set: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00KVVFUKI
Acrylic medium (I use Liquitex Professional Matte Medium)
Your preferred brushes
Masking tape / low-tack artists tape
Canvas paper: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B000KNNVJY
Artist Grade Acrylic Paints (I use Liquitex Professional Heavy Body, 2oz bottles):
– Quinacridone Magenta
– Titanium White
– Cadmium Red
Additional paint colors/pigments from your own collection to experiment with.