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Sometimes it is colour that leaps out at you and makes you want to paint. Colour can also dictate your subject choice. And colour can do so much to convey the mood of your painting. Painting flamingos has just taught me how powerful intentional colour choices can be in watercolour painting.

Let’s talk about analogous colour schemes in watercolour and how a strategic complementary contrast can completely transform your painting.

Understanding Analogous Colour Schemes

Analogous colors sit next to each other on the color wheel, sharing a common base hue that creates an inherent harmony when used together. Think of these as colour "neighbors" – they get along effortlessly because of their close relationship. A typical analogous scheme includes three to five colors positioned side by side on the wheel.

In my flamingo painting, I worked with a warm analogous palette of peaches and pinks. This meant that quite naturally my colours came from the pink-to-orange section of the wheel. This created a natural cohesion across the birds' bodies, from their richest coral pink patches to the softer peachy cream tones.

I happen to know that in my particular palette I have some favourite pairings that work really well together. My Schminke Translucent orange and Schmincke Brilliant Red Violet are simply glorious together. That brilliant red violet is an interesting colour. Concentrated, it packs quite a punch and can offer nice contrast as you might expect from a deep violet. But as it is diluted it gets paler and more pink toned. I love a pigment like this with lots of exciting range in value.

Now of course, any extremely vibrant pink colour like this is likely fugitive (non-lightfast). This quality is one that discourages some painters from using colours like these altogether. I think that is a shame because they are so delightful, but I do feel it is only fair to point out this possible shortcoming of a colour like this.

If you want to know more about fugitive colours I have another blog post all about that here. That post 👈 will help you answer the question of whether fugitive colours are something you should be used for good.

For my flamingo paintings, I also added a Schmincke Rose Madder as a soft pink in between these two colours as the main palette.

What makes analogous colour schemes so appealing in watercolor is their inherent harmony. Because these colours share common undertones, they blend beautifully on wet paper without creating muddy mixtures. They create a sense of unity and completeness that feels natural to the eye – likely because we see these color relationships frequently in nature.

Consider how often analogous colours appear in the natural world:

The subtle shifts between greens in a dense forest
The gradient from yellow to orange to red in autumn leaves
The blending of blues and purples in twilight skies

When working with analogous colours in watercolour, you're essentially mimicking these natural phenomena. The subtlety of watercolour as a medium enhances this effect, allowing colors to flow and blend organically.

One key advantage of analogous schemes is their ability to create depth and dimension without harsh transitions. In my flamingo painting, I could define the birds' forms using only variations within my pink-orange palette – darker, more saturated pinks for shadows and lighter, more diluted washes for highlighted areas. The result maintains visual interest while preserving a sense of cohesion.

For watercolor artists specifically, analogous colors offer forgiveness. Because these colors naturally complement each other, even unintentional bleeding between colors (a common occurrence in watercolor) typically results in pleasing transitions rather than muddy mistakes.

I used these colours not only for the flamingo itself but also for the abstract background that I like to add. This gives these painting something of a dreamy, ethereal feel. It feels magical to paint in these colours - try it and see.

As soothing and magical as this harmonious combination of colours feels I couldn’t help myself trying an alternative colour scheme.

The Power of Complementary Colors: Creating Dynamic Contrast

In my second flamingo painting, I made a bold choice: placing my warm-toned birds against a rich, deep green background. The result was quite different. (It reminded me of ‘dark mode’ on our computers.)

There's solid color theory behind why this combination creates such visual excitement.

Complementary colors sit directly opposite each other on the color wheel. While analogous colors whisper harmony, complementary colors shout for attention. The most classic complementary pairs include:

Red and green
Blue and orange
Yellow and purple

In my case, the pinks and corals of the flamingos fall within the red family, making green their complementary counterpart. This opposition creates what color theorists call "simultaneous contrast" – when placed side by side, complementary colors intensify each other's appearance.

The Science Behind the Drama

Our eyes and brain are naturally drawn to contrast. When complementary colors are placed adjacent to one another, our visual perception enhances the vibrancy of both colors. The flamingos' warm tones appear even rosier and more vibrant against the dark green, while the green background gains richness and depth from the contrast.

This phenomenon happens because our eyes seek visual equilibrium. When we see a strong color, our retinas simultaneously generate its complementary color as an afterimage. When we provide that complementary color directly in the painting, it satisfies this natural response and creates a sensation of visual completeness.

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Strategic Use in Watercolor Paintings

Using complementary colors strategically in watercolor requires thoughtfulness, as their vibrancy can quickly overwhelm a composition. In my flamingo painting, I made some intentional choices:

Value contrast

By using a dark, deep green for the background, I created not just color contrast but value contrast as well. The lighter tones of the flamingos stand out dramatically against the darker background.

Saturation control: I kept the green background relatively subdued and less saturated than it could have been. A highly saturated complementary background might have competed too aggressively with my subjects.

The Emotional Impact

Beyond the visual drama, complementary color schemes create emotional intensity. While the analogous flamingo painting evokes tranquility and harmony, the complementary version creates excitement and energy. The tension between opposites demands attention and creates a more dynamic viewing experience.

This technique has been used by master artists throughout history. Think of Monet's purple shadows on yellow haystacks or Van Gogh's blue and orange contrasts. In watercolor particularly, artists like Joseph Zbukvic and Alvaro Castagnet use complementary touches to create focal points within otherwise harmonious compositions.

By understanding when and how to introduce a complementary color into your analogous scheme, you gain a powerful tool for directing the viewer's eye and controlling the emotional impact of your painting.

Concluding thoughts

It's amazing how the same subject painted in the same colour can look and feel completely different depending on the background colour scheme. It means that you can get so much mileage out of each reference image you like, just by changing the colour scheme.

It feels like a magic trick!

Isn’t painting fun?