When is mud .. mud?

Recently on AT discussion group one member asked "When is mud .. mud?"

Making ‘mud’ is often one of the first problems that beginners mention especially when mixing browns, greys and greens.

 

I particularly thought NSerie's response to this posting was interesting. Here is an extract from his response. Following this, I'll provide some tips to avoid making mud.

 

What is "mud" - dead, lifeless sullied color.

 

How is it made? - in the palette or overworking on the paper. The formula is simply a combination of the three primaries. Mud is, get this, a neutralization of color temperature. How do we remedy? Re-establish a color temperature dominance, either cool or warm.

 

Sounds complicated? Sorta.

 

Bored? Try this - Get a scrap piece of paper. Draw a 2" x 3" rectangle on it. Paint a blue of your choice in it. Now while still wet with your scrap at an angle, drop in another blue of your choice into the top of the rectangle and watch the two blues blend (granulation) as the new blue drips slowly into the old blue. No problems. Cool color dominance! You can do this all day long with 100's of blues - no mud.

 

Now with the paper still at an angle AND STILL wet, mix up a nice juicy warm red in your palette and now drop that into the rectangle. Uh-oh - mud! The color dominance has gone from cool to NEUTRAL as now we have red yellow and blue now mixed!

 

How to fix? Well keeping that rectangle wet drop more warn red or another red into the rectangle. Slowly you are re-establishing a new color dominance of warm! Blue will "disappear" so to speak. Color dominance has now been re-established.

 

More mud wanted? Well now in your STILL WET (THE RECTANGLE STAYS WET THE ENTIRE TIME) rectangle, drop in some blue and watch it drip into the red an become mud. You get the idea.

 

And if its something you desire - its easy to make! Have fun!

 

Thanks NSerie for allowing me to use the above. He credits Don Andrews for the principles stated above.

 

Here a few guidelines for avoiding mud.

• apply thin layers of glazing on bone dry paper
• use transparent colours for your mixes
• limit use of opaque colours when mixing
• try to avoid mixing two warm. Rarely will you create mud with two cool colours or one warm and one cool
• limit number of colours in your mix
• when mixing 3 primary colors do not use similar quantities
• avoid mixing secondary color with its complementary primary in similar proportions

If you have created mud and decide to lift it” the Mud off, I suggest using a big wide brush to put clean water over the area. Do not stir the mud up with heavy handed strokes.

This week's artist find is Judith Haynes Levins. There is certainly no mud in this painting. I love the fact that she only used a few blues (UMB and Indigo)

Have a great week

Danielle