This Online workshop will be given via ZOOM and will be recorded for students to review until the end of April 2027.
Color Theory for Artists — a practical workshop about making color work in paintings.
Instructor: Mike Hernandez
Medium: Gouache, Acrylic or Oil
Dates: February 20–21, 2027 (Sa-Su)
Fee: $325
Skill Level: Appropriate for all levels.
Understanding Light, Color & Atmosphere
A Two-Day Live Zoom Workshop with Mike Hernandez
February 2027 | Presented by Carmel Visual Arts
Learn to See Color Differently—and Paint with Greater Confidence
Color is one of the most powerful tools an artist has, yet it can also be one of the most challenging to understand. Why do certain colors work beautifully together while others seem disconnected? How does light change the colors we see? And how can we move beyond simply copying color to using it creatively and with intention?
Join acclaimed painter and former DreamWorks Animation Production Designer Mike Hernandez for an engaging two-day workshop exploring the principles of color theory and, more importantly, how to put them to work in your paintings.
Mike brings a unique perspective to color, combining years of plein air painting with his extensive experience in visual development for animated films. His approach goes beyond traditional color-wheel exercises to explore how color relationships, light, atmosphere, and design work together to create paintings that are both believable and visually exciting.
The goal is not simply to paint the colors you see, but to understand them well enough to make your own creative choices.
What You’ll Learn
Understanding Color Relationships
Explore the essential building blocks of color—hue, value, saturation, and temperature—and discover how colors influence one another. Learn why a color can appear completely different depending on what surrounds it and how to use those relationships to create harmony.
Warm and Cool Color relationships and transitions
Discover how temperature shifts can create the illusion of sunlight, shadow, atmosphere, and depth. Mike will demonstrate how warm and cool relationships can transform an ordinary scene into a compelling painting.
The Color of Light and Shadow
Light does more than illuminate a subject—it changes everything about the colors we perceive. Learn to recognize how different lighting conditions affect color and how to interpret those effects without becoming overwhelmed by unnecessary detail.
Creating Color Harmony
Explore how to organize your palette and establish color relationships that bring unity to your paintings. Learn to work with limited palettes, control saturation, and avoid the muddy or disconnected colors that can weaken a painting.
Pushing Color Beyond Reality
One of Mike’s greatest strengths is his ability to exaggerate and manipulate color while maintaining a convincing sense of light and atmosphere. Discover how to move beyond literal color matching to create stronger moods, more expressive paintings, and a personal interpretation of your subject.
Using Color to Create Depth and Atmosphere
Learn how changes in value, temperature, and saturation help establish distance and create a believable sense of space. Explore how these principles apply to landscapes, cityscapes, and other subjects.
Color as a Design Tool
Discover how color can guide the viewer’s eye, strengthen a focal point, establish visual hierarchy, and support the overall composition. Learn to make color choices that serve the painting rather than simply describe the objects within it.
Learn by Seeing—and Doing
Throughout this live Zoom workshop, Mike will combine clear explanations with painting demonstrations and practical exercises designed to make color theory understandable and immediately useful.
You’ll have opportunities to ask questions, explore new approaches, and receive feedback as you work through the concepts.
Rather than relying on formulas or rigid rules, Mike encourages artists to develop their observational skills, experiment with color relationships, and build the confidence to make more deliberate artistic decisions.
Who Should Attend?
This workshop is ideal for artists who want to develop a stronger understanding of color, whether you’re relatively new to painting or an experienced artist looking to take your work further.
While Mike’s demonstrations will emphasize gouache, the principles of color theory apply to oil, acrylic, pastel, watercolor, and other painting mediums.
Mike’s approachable teaching style makes these concepts accessible and practical. By the end of the workshop, you’ll have a stronger understanding of how understanding Color Theory will give your work greater clarity, impact, and visual appeal.
NOTES
- Participants may use any preferred painting medium, while Mike will be demonstrating using gouache & Photoshop. Photoshop will only be used as a teaching aid to demonstrate color theory concepts through color charts and the color wheel. This is a traditional painting class, and no Photoshop or digital painting experience is required.
- This 2-day ONLINE workshop will be recorded and available for 30 days after the workshop. 9 am to 4 pm PST with an hour break at noon. (Noon to 7 pm EST) The class will be conducted on Zoom, allowing students to engage with Mike, observe live studio demonstrations, and receive guidance and limited feedback.
- Access information for the class will be provided the week before the workshop.
- A microphone and camera-equipped computer, an iPad/tablet, or a smartphone (Android or iOS) with internet connectivity are required to participate.
A native of Los Angeles, California, Mike Hernandez is a nationally recognized painter and sought-after workshop instructor whose work bridges the worlds of plein air painting, illustration, and visual storytelling. Working primarily in gouache, oil, and acrylic, Mike has developed a distinctive approach to painting that combines strong design, confident brushwork, and a deep understanding of light and color.
Mike’s passion for painting began as a young child, when he spent hours creating still-life paintings. Inspired by artists such as Edgar Payne, Joaquín Sorolla, and Franz Bischoff, he became fascinated with the way great painters could transform ordinary subjects through color, light, and design. Today, he continues that pursuit, finding beauty and inspiration in both the natural and built environments—from the rugged landscapes of the Eastern Sierra to the industrial edges and concrete banks of the Los Angeles River.
Mike earned his B.A. from ArtCenter College of Design in Pasadena, California, in 1998. His professional career has included extensive work in the animation industry, where he served as a Production Designer, Art Director, and Concept Artist at DreamWorks Animation. His credits include major productions such as Shrek, How to Train Your Dragon, Turbo, and Penguins of Madagascar, among many others. His years in animation have had a profound influence on his approach to painting, particularly his ability to simplify complex scenes, create compelling compositions, and communicate an idea quickly through shape, value, color, and light.
Today, Mike devotes much of his time to fine art and teaching. His paintings have been featured in galleries and publications, and his work is widely admired for its strong design, sophisticated use of color, and ability to find extraordinary beauty in everyday subjects.
Mike is also a member of PAPA (Plein Air Painters of America), a select organization representing some of the finest plein air painters in the United States. As a workshop instructor, he is known for his relaxed and approachable teaching style, making complex concepts such as composition, perspective, color, and light accessible to artists of all levels.
Whether painting a sweeping landscape or an overlooked corner of an urban environment, Mike’s goal remains the same: to see beyond the subject and create a painting that captures its light, mood, and essential character.
