Here’s a list of 100 great painters and illustrators whose work would be highly beneficial for color studies, spanning classical masters, impressionists, modern painters, illustrators, and contemporary artists.

I’ve slowly been making my own way through the process of creating studies of their works and in some cases created portraits of the artists too. The names that feature a live link amongst the list provided below will take you to a video showing the process for covering the artist’s work.

Producing color studies of great works from the past offer many interesting benefits to artists. When attempting to recreate beautiful paintings created by masters of the past we learn about every aspect of painting - from design, to color theory, to art history, material selection and many aspects of painting.

Additionally the stakes associated with creating a master copy lowers the stakes for the artist because we never would attempt to sell or show a master copy and we know we can never succeed in the effort to recreate the original. It’s all about learning.

Classical Masters (Renaissance to Baroque) – Mastering Light & Form

1. Leonardo da Vinci – Subtle tonal transitions (“sfumato”)

2. Michelangelo – Monumental form and dramatic color

3. Raphael – Harmonious color palettes

4. Titian – Rich, warm color and layered glazing

5. Caravaggio– Master of chiaroscuro (light and shadow contrast)

6. Peter Paul Rubens – Vibrant, energetic color

7. Diego Velázquez – Subtle realism and muted tones

8. Johannes Vermeer – Cool lighting and rich color balance

9. Rembrandt van Rijn – Golden light and expressive color

   
   

   18th & 19th Century Masters – Refining Color & Atmosphere

   
   

10. J.M.W. Turner – Expressive atmospheric color

11. Francisco Goya – Dramatic, moody palettes

12. Jean-Baptiste-Siméon Chardin – Muted, elegant colors in still life

13. Eugène Delacroix – Vivid, fiery color compositions

14. Jacob Van Ruisdael - luminous, dramatic and moody skies and seascapes

15. John Singer Sargent – Fluid brushwork and luminous skin tones

16. James McNeill Whistler – Subtle harmonies of tone and limited palettes

17. Edgar Degas – Unique pastel color and lighting effects

18. Winslow Homer – Natural light and powerful coastal scenes

19. Gustave Courbet – Earthy, naturalistic colors

20. Frederic Edwin Church – Luminous landscapes and dramatic skies

21. George Inness - luminous landscapes and tonalist paintings

    
    

    Impressionists & Post-Impressionists – Mastering Vibrant & Expressive Color

    
    

22. Claude Monet – Color perception in different lighting

23. Pierre-Auguste Renoir – Warm, glowing flesh tones

24. Camille Pissarro – Natural, atmospheric light

25. Berthe Morisot – Delicate, airy pastel-like colors

26. Edouard Manet – Strong contrasts and bold color

27. Mary Cassatt – Soft, pastel tones in portraits

28. Vincent Van Gogh – Bold, high-intensity color

29. Paul Cézanne – Color as structure

30. Henri Toulouse-Lautrec – Strong graphic colors

31. Paul Gauguin – Symbolic, unnatural colors

    
    

    Golden Age Illustrators – Classic Color Mastery

    
    

32. Howard Pyle – Rich, storytelling colors

33. N.C. Wyeth – Luminous colors and dynamic compositions

34. Jessie Willcox Smith – Soft pastel-like tones

35. Maxfield Parrish – Vibrant, dreamlike blues

36. J.C. Leyendecker – Strong contrasts and art deco aesthetics

37. Norman Rockwell – Naturalism with strong focal points

38. Frank Frazetta – Bold, dramatic fantasy color

39. Dean Cornwell – Masterful composition and warm colors

40. Mead Schaeffer – Strong narrative color

41. Alphonse Mucha – Decorative, harmonious color

    
    

    Early 20th Century Painters – Experimental Color Theory

    
    

42. Gustav Klimt – Decorative golds and complementary colors

43. Henri Matisse – Bold, simplified color

44. Pablo Picasso – Blue period vs. Rose period color contrasts

45. Georges Seurat – Pointillism and optical mixing

46. Edvard Munch – Emotional, expressionistic color

47. Egon Schiele – Strong contrast and earthy tones

48. Franz Marc – Symbolic, vibrant animal colors

49. Wassily Kandinsky – Abstract, rhythmic color compositions

50. Marc Chagall – Dreamlike, surreal color schemes

51. Georgia O’Keeffe – Sensual, organic color

    
    

    Mid-20th Century Illustrators & Painters – Modern Colorists

    
    

52. Andrew Wyeth – Muted, moody palettes

53. Jamie Wyeth – More saturated yet still controlled palettes

54. Edward Hopper – Isolated light and urban atmosphere

55. Charles Demuth – Precisionist color blocks

56. Grant Wood – Midwestern earthy tones

57. Rockwell Kent – Stark, dramatic contrast

58. Aaron Douglas – Art Deco-inspired, limited palettes

59. Tom Lovell – Historical illustration with realistic color

60. Leyendecker School Illustrators– Strong commercial color control

61. Haddon Sundblom – Creator of the Coca-Cola Santa (warm holiday palettes)

    
    

    Modern & Contemporary Artists – Expanding Color Theory

    
    

62. Wayne Thiebaud – Playful, pastel color with thick paint

63. Richard Diebenkorn – Abstract landscapes with controlled palettes

64. David Hockney – Bright, graphic color

65. Lucian Freud – Subtle, expressive skin tones

66. Chuck Close – Large-scale, intricate color palettes

67. Gerhard Richter – Both abstract and realistic color mastery

68. Mark Rothko – Color emotion and layering

69. Helen Frankenthaler – Watercolor-like stain painting

70. Joan Mitchell – Expressive color splashes

71. Clyfford Still – High contrast, jagged color fields

    
    

    Contemporary Illustrators & Digital Artists – New Frontiers

    
    

72. James Gurney – Naturalistic color and fantasy realism

73. Nathan Fowkes – Master of digital and traditional landscapes

74. Lois van Baarle (Loish) – Vibrant digital color palettes

75. Kim Jung Gi – Dynamic sketching with controlled color

76. Craig Mullins – Pioneer of digital painting techniques

77. Iain McCaig – Concept art with storytelling color Serge Birault – Hyper-polished digital color

78. Brom – Dark fantasy color mastery

79. Greg Manchess – Painterly illustration with bold color

80. Marco Bucci – Strong color theory in digital and traditional work

    
    

    Fantasy & Sci-Fi Artists – Learning Expressive & Atmospheric Color

    
    

81. John Harris – Sci-fi atmospheric color

82. Moebius (Jean Giraud) – Pastel, desert-like color schemes

83. Syd Mead – Futuristic, metallic lighting

84. Feng Zhu – Cinematic color design

85. Ashley Wood – Expressive, painterly color

86. Simon Stålenhag – Moody sci-fi realism

87. Peter Mohrbacher – Surreal, high-concept color

88. Karl Kopinski – Painterly figure illustration

89. Thomas Kinkade – Master of light in landscapes

90. Bastien Lecouffe-Deharme – Dark fantasy color

    
    

    Cartoonists & Animation Artists – Studying Stylized Color

    
    

91. Glen Keane – Disney-style color and motion

92. Mary Blair – Mid-century modern, bright colors

93. Eyvind Earle – Stylized backgrounds in animation

94. Bill Watterson – Subtle, watercolor-style comics

95. Mike Mignola – High-contrast, minimal color

96. Hayao Miyazaki – Soft, naturalistic color palettes Tadahiro Uesugi – Elegant, flat color schemes

97. Genndy Tartakovsky – Bold, graphic colors

98. Otomo Katsuhiro – Complex manga color work

99. Rebecca Sugar – Modern animation color styling

100. Tatsuyuki Tanaka – Atmospheric cyberpunk palettes

Conclusion

There’s probably another several hundred additional artists that could easily be included on this list. Each artist on this list offers unique insights into color, whether in traditional painting, illustration, digital art, or animation. Consider creating your own list of your favorite artists and then start studying their work. Studying them will refine your color perception, mixing, and application for any medium!

Studying great art will help enhance your general sense for aesthetics and help improve your art over time. It can also help you dig out of (or even avoid) artists block.

Once you’ve assembled your list you will always have something you can do to make progress in your painting practice.