The Color Wheel and Color Relationships January 19, 2026

The Color Wheel and Color Relationships

Ended

Required Book:

“The Secret Lives of Color”; Kassia St. Clair; Penguin; ISBN 978-0143131144

(All Books Can be purchased at Brewster Book Store)

Suggested Books:

  1. “Color: A Natural History of the Palette”; Victoria Finlay; Vintage/Random House; ISBN 978-0812971422
  2. “Interaction of Color: 50th Anniversary Edition”; Josef Albers; Yale University Press; ISBN 978-0300179354
  3. “The Secret Language of Color: Science, Nature, History, Culture, Beauty of Red, Orange, Yellow, Green, Blue, & Violet”; Joann Eckstut & Arielle Eckstut; Black Dog & Leventhal; ISBN 978-1579129491
  4. The Original Painters Color Diary: Travel, 6”x8”; HG Art Concepts
  5. Artist’s Color Swatch Book: 7.5”x5”; Tumuarta

Recommended Supplies:

Highly Recommended:

  1. Journal with watercolor paper (cold press)
  2. Soft pencil (HB, H, or #2)
  3. Pencil sharpener
  4. Technical drawing pen
  5. Refillable brush pen
  6. Colored pencils (watercolor pencils work well)
  7. Watercolor set (Art Toolkit)

Optional:

  1. Clipboard or hard surface (if journal is softcover)
  2. Backpack or shoulder bag
  3. Binder clips
  4. Small ruler
  5. Small mixing palette
  6. Small sponge
  7. Small rag
  8. Small water bottle
  9. Small water spray bottle
  10. Small syringe (no needle)
  11. White gel pen
  12. Color wheel

January 19, 2026 – 10:00 - 12:00 am – The Color Wheel and Color Relationships – Brewster Book Store

Description: Color can feel overwhelming until we understand how colors relate to one another. In this workshop session, participants explore the color wheel as a practical, creative tool for building harmony, contrast, and visual interest in watercolor painting and nature journaling. Designed for adult learners, this session focuses on seeing color relationships in the natural world and translating them into confident, expressive color choices.

 

We’ll begin with an introduction to the color wheel, looking at primary, secondary, and tertiary colors and how they interact. Participants will learn how complementary, analogous, and split-complementary color relationships influence mood, depth, and emphasis. Rather than memorizing rules, the emphasis is on using the color wheel as a guide for observation and experimentation.

 

Hands-on practice is central to the session. Participants will create their own watercolor color wheel and a series of color swatches, exploring how pigments mix, neutralize, and shift in value when combined. Using natural objects or outdoor observation, you’ll practice mixing and matching colors from nature—greens in leaves, earth tones in bark and soil, blues in sky and water—discovering how subtle adjustments create harmony or contrast.

 

You’ll explore how complementary colors affect vibrancy, why certain pigments appear more luminous, and how understanding color perception can help you mix more accurate and expressive watercolor palettes. Short nature-based observation prompts will help you translate what you see into intentional color choices in both painting and journaling.

No prior experience is required. This session encourages exploration, play, and close observation rather than “perfect” results. Participants leave with a deeper understanding of color relationships, a set of practical mixing tools, and greater confidence using color to express what they see and feel in the natural world.

 

Topics Covered:

  1. Understand the structure of the color wheel and basic color relationships
  2. Recognize harmony and contrast as they appear in nature
  3. Create personalized watercolor color swatches and mixing charts
  4. Practice mixing and matching natural colors with intention
  5. Apply color relationships to watercolor sketches and journal pages