Yessssss, my fellow painters—we have another amazingly awesome free painting class to share with you today! And, actually, this one is a bit more of a “workshop”, if you will, because it’s focused on practicing and learning new painting techniques through a set of specific exercises.

And, not only does this painting workshop come with a full-length, in-depth video guide… it also includes access to a downloadable/printable practice workbook, too. Score!

Watch and join in on the full workshop right here, and scroll down further to read more about what materials you may want to have on-hand to take the workshop class.

The Free Color Theory Workshop

Watch the video and follow along with the printable workbook. Note that the workbook is a two-page PDF document that you can print on any type of paper with any typical home or office printer.

This is an amazing “mini color theory workshop” that’s going to help you understand the basics of color theory when it comes to working with paints (specifically: acrylic paints).

Use the printable workbook linked above to follow along, but, if you don’t have a printer, don’t fret–I, as your teacher, take you through how to make your own makeshift workbook as we go through today’s video, too! The full workshop covers what primary, secondary, and tertiary/intermediate colors are, how we mix them, and how to practice our “theories” on the palette.

Join in and paint with me (and everyone else in our little artistry community)!

Materials Needed for the Workshop

You actually don’t need any materials at all to watch the workshop–you can totally just sit back, take notes, and learn a whole heck of a lot. But, if you’d like to practice all of the painting exercises alongside me, make sure you have some simple painting materials, like…

• Acrylic (or tempera) paints in:
  • Red
  • Blue
  • Yellow
  • White
• One small to medium paintbrush
• A mixing palette (or something like a paper plate to mix paint easily on)
• A paint mixing tool (such as a spatula, craft/popsicle sticks, or even a butter knife)
• A water cup (for brush cleaning)

The type, variation, and brands of paint you use do not matter! You just need to have some shade/variation of each of the colors listed above.

And remember: this is a practice workshop, so you don’t need any “fancy” or “professional” painting materials to get started. Dollar-store materials, actually, work great!

Color Theory Q&A

Now, let’s answer some quick questions about “color theory” that you may have, either before or after taking the workshop above.

What kind of paper should I print my color theory workbook on?

It actually doesn’t matter what type of paper you choose to print your workbook on for this workshop class. Even simple, thin copy/printer paper works because we are just simply practicing color theory—we don’t need to create high-quality works of art in this class.

So, use 20 lb, 24 lb, or any higher or lower weight of paper you have on-hand because it doesn’t matter that much.

That being said, regular printer paper can work, but it can also be flimsy and a little more difficult to work with than some other types of paper. For the workshop, I actually printed my workbook pages on some cheap cardstock paper, which is just slightly thicker than regular copy paper. If you really want to get fancy with it, though, you can also use some canvas paper or watercolor paper, cutting it down to fit through your printer.

How can I get the free workbook if I don’t have a printer?

If you don’t have the ability to print your workbook, don’t worry!

You can still follow along with the full workshop—just sketch out the “practice areas” that we have on the workbook pages. For this workshop specifically, the practice areas are just a couple of circles on the pages to paint in, so you may always trace/sketch your own practice circles on any spare sheet of paper you have laying around.

There are also a lot of blank spaces in the workbook for you to take notes, and you can always take notes on a separate piece of notebook paper if you can’t print the workbook.

What is color theory and why should I learn about it?

Color theory is all of the flexible rules we use as artists to mix colors of paint. By using the principles of color theory, we can create nearly any and every color we see in real life to use in our own paintings.

You can read and learn more about color theory in this blog post here!

What other painting basics should I learn about?

Color theory is actually just one of many painting basics that we need to understand as artists to make our paintings the best that they can be. Other basics include principles of blending, brushstroke techniques, and values of colors, among so many other things.

To learn even more about painting basics, check out this complete “Basics Painting Course”!

Even More Free Painting Classes

After you complete this free painting workshop… well, take it again, just to test your knowledge of color theory! You can print out the workbook attached as many times as you’d like, and you can watch and pause the video time and time again to quiz yourself on the color theory basics.

If you’d like to continue learning about painting basic or even learn how to make a variety of different paintings, check out all of the free classes offered now by Canvas Academy!

Canvas Academy is your guide to becoming the best artist you can be, giving you free resources, access to premium painting courses, and more—with new content added every month.

Check it out, fellow artists, and get painting!

–Kari