Colour theory course

This four-week course in colour theory is designed to teach everything you’ve always wanted to know about colour and mixing colours. It’s ideal for artists of all levels—from beginners to professionals—whether you work with oils, acrylics, watercolours, or coloured pencils, and whether your style is realistic or abstract.

The aim of the course is to help you choose your palettes with confidence, mix colours without creating mud, and enjoy experimenting with colour in your work. By understanding the fundamentals of colour theory, you’ll improve your paintings and gain the freedom to experiment with ease and knowledge.

Why this course?
Colour theory is often overlooked in art schools, academies, and universities unless you study design. Traditional training tends to focus on values, while contemporary art academies prioritise creativity. As a result, many artists struggle with colour, lacking the confidence to mix or combine it effectively. This course addresses those gaps, helping you create work with depth, contrast, and balance.

What will you learn?

The history of colour and the evolution of colour wheels

Pigments: their opacity, hue, saturation, and value

Understanding temperature, relativity, and colour schemes

Techniques for mixing colours effectively without overcomplicating or overspending

About your tutor
Karin Merx, BMus, BA Cultural Philosophy, MA Art History, is a portrait artist with 30 years of experience teaching and mentoring. Her passion for oil painting began with a classical, minimal palette based on 17th-century techniques. However, Karin wanted to explore beyond this and struggled to mix colours effectively when she expanded her palette.

Through studying and applying the fundamentals of colour theory, Karin learned to use colours deliberately in her work, giving her the freedom to paint in classical or bold styles—or even a combination of the two. Now, Karin shares her expertise to help other artists master colour and create work that is vibrant, expressive, and technically skilled.

You can find out more about Karin and her work on her website or through her Art Talk podcast.

Course details
Duration: 4 weeks
Weekly 1-hour Zoom sessions for feedback and Q&A
Dates: 5th, 8th, 15th, and 22nd February
Time: 1 PM GMT (UK Time)
Format: Online with drip content. You’ll gain access to the first lesson as soon as you subscribe, with new lessons released weekly.

Whether you’re looking to improve your paintings or explore colour with confidence and skill, this course is for you.