January promises new experiences to discover. Start the year by exploring a complementary colored world. Complementary colors are located directly across from each other on the color wheel. Basic complements are: red and green; blue and orange; and yellow and violet. Complementary colors cause us to stop and take notice. They occur frequently in nature—I can still see my grandmother’s beautiful, deep purple African Violets with their eyepopping complementary centers of bright yellow. Complements are used by artists to call attention to an area in a work of art and by designers to make clothing and furniture appealing to the eye.

Materials
• 8” x 9” drawing paper
• Colored pencils
• Pencil
• Ruler

Process
Gain inspiration by looking through magazines and books or use your own ideas to make a simple outline drawing on the paper. An outline drawing resembles a coloring book illustration, so make sure to create something with large areas so you can fill the space of your chosen image. Using a ruler, draw a one-inch grid over the image. Decide on the two complementary colors you will apply to the drawing. Then select six to eight values (lighter tints and darker shades of the color) of the two complementary colors for your drawing. You’ll have a total of 12 to 16 colors and will use that many colored pencils.

Color the image predominantly with one of the complement colors, and its shades, and tints. Use the other complement sparingly. Try blending colors to achieve a greater variety of tones. Color the background grid with the opposite complement, adding small random areas of the opposite complement. A smooth even application of colored pencil will enhance the outcome of your art.

Enjoy the coloring process and do not rush. Then sit back with family and friends to view and enjoy your oneof- a-kind, complementary design. It will welcome in a bright and colorful new year.

Frances A. Williams lives and teaches 6th-8th grade art in Piedmont. She has a BFA from OSU and an MED in Art from UCO. Frances enjoys teaching and getting people excited about art, believing everyone has something they can learn through the art process.