Struggling With Shadows? How To Warm Cool Colors In Painting

One of the most common color mixing questions I get is: How do you cool down warm colors without making them muddy? Specifically, when painting something like an orange, how do you create realistic shadows without dulling the vibrancy?

The short answer: Color temperature is relative. The way we perceive warm and cool colors depends on their surroundings, lighting, and the way they interact with each other. In this video, I break down how to mix colors for warm object shadows—without losing richness or depth.

Recently, one of my students, Maya, asked for a tutorial on this exact topic, so I’m sharing my favorite techniques for keeping shadows vibrant and natural. My go-to method involves pulling toward red and pink, but I’ll also explore how other artists successfully take it in the opposite direction.

▶ Want to go deeper 🎨? A slowed-down, extended version of this lesson is available to my students inside Not Sorry Art School—where you can request lessons, ask questions, and access 16+ full-length courses on painting. Join here → Not Sorry Art Lifetime Access