TRIADS Part 2: How to Chart Your Colors

James Gurney tests the properties of three-color palettes

- James Gurney

In my previous article, I shared some on-location paintings created with just three colors plus white. For this second part in the series, I'll show you how to create a Triad Test and an Eight Gray Test and show how they apply to real-world situations. These charts will let you test the range of colors that are possible with each color and encourage you to experiment with different ways of making neutral colors.

THE TRIAD TEST

The triad test is a chart that shows the range of possibilities that each set of colors offers. Each diamond-shaped diagram is composed of two adjacent equilateral triangles. The triangle on the left shows the pure colors straight out of the tube. The one on the right is a pale mirror image, a lighter tint of the same colors.