How to Paint a Purple Pumpkin without Blue, by Pieces Of My Art on YouTube. 8 min 54 s.
- Video length
- 8 min 54 s
- Time to do it
- 45 minutes
- Difficulty
- Easy
- Steps
- 8
What you need
Steps
Set out only red, yellow, black and white paint. Limiting your palette forces you to mix every shade instead of reaching for a blue or violet tube.
Load the #8 flat brush with red and a small touch of black. Mix in white a little at a time until you get a dusty mauve.
Paint the pumpkin body in sections with the mauve mix. Keep the brush strokes following the curve of each segment.
Add highlights by mixing more white into your mauve. Apply them to the raised areas of each pumpkin section.
For the leaves, mix yellow with a tiny amount of black. Add white to soften it into an olive green.
Paint the leaves with the #4 round brush, then use the same green darkened with black for the stem.
Paint thin curly tendrils with the round brush tip. Keep your hand light so the lines stay fine.
Clean up any stray paint along the canvas edges once the paint is dry.
Tips and common mistakes
Add black to red in tiny amounts, since a little goes a long way and can quickly turn the mix muddy.
Test each mix on a scrap of black paper before painting it on the canvas.
Keep the white separate from the black on your palette so your highlights stay clean.
Questions
Can I mix purple without blue paint?
Yes. Red mixed with black and white gives a dusty mauve that reads as purple. Add more red for warmth or more black for depth.
How do I get olive green without blue?
Mix yellow with a small amount of black, then add white to soften it. Adjust with more yellow for brightness.
Do I need a black canvas?
No. You can paint a white canvas black first and let it dry, or work on white and adjust your mixes for contrast.
This guide was drafted from the video's details and general task knowledge. It has not been checked against the full video. Check the video and relevant product instructions before following a procedure. Report a correction.
