Color Palettes of the Masters - Off the Wall Friday

Its been a while since I talked about  color and choosing a palette.  One of my favorite ways to do that is to pick a piece of art I love and use the colors in it to be the starting point of my own palette. That said, I don't think I've ever done it with famous painting.  But really,  what better way to study color than to look at how the masters have put them together.

Here are some examples I thought you'd enjoy. . . . . . I used Color Explorer to break out the colors

Cafe Terrance at Night, Vincent van Gogh, 1888

The Flower Carrier, Diego Rivera, 1935

The Ninth Wave, Ivan Aivazovsky, 1850

The Boat Trip, Mary Cassatt, 1883

Cardsharps, Caravaggio, 16th Century

In the Bazaar, August Mackey, 1914

Ya know this is getting a little addictive... I really could go on and on. Its super easy to do

1. Google a famous Painting or Painting site
2. Save image of the painting                        
3. Go to ColorExplorer.com                          
4. Click on "Image Color Import"                 
5. Upload the Painting Image                        
6. Enjoy the Palette!                                      

You can refine the palette or enlarge it as much as you want.  With Cardsharps I had to enlarge the palette for it to capture the gold and the burgundy which I felt was essential to that painting.  So this is NOT full proof but it will get you in the right direction.

I really am going to have to pick a favorite artists and analyze all the palettes of my favorite paintings!

So What Have You Been Up to Creatively?