A quick reference page of different colour wheel combinations organised by shade of yellow, to asses the colours created when choosing a colour triad for your watercolour sketches.

Day 136 of sketching people. Urban sketch of a woman on the phone, using a bright colour triad and an analogous colour combination. Also added some poetic reportage, and sketched oversized hands to help to create a strong focal point in this composition.

We look at creating a colour wheel using a bright colour triad with cool primary colours, and see the impact analogous colours have on the mood of your sketches. Discover the power of a complimentary colour to create a focal point.

A quick people sketch at the cafe, and swatching a muted shade of green, that morphed into a beautiful skin tone shade using natural sienna, cobalt turquoise light, and opera pink. I also ruminate on how I sketch people and how they see themselves, and how those are two very different things when I sketch my version of reality.

Day 51 of sketching people and portraits at a local clinic. Using gesture sketches, and added ink lines and watercolour. Created colour harmony with a vivid colour triad opera pink, hansa yellow light, and phthalo blue. Used the colour to create a visual hierarchy within the page layout.

Continuing with a new week from the 2026 run through of Liz Steel’s watercolour course by doing the swatching exercises for four of our favourite colour mixing combinations.

Here’s how to use a Colour Triad to create colour harmony in a complex beach scene.