Reading about color theory, attending workshops, observing the work of other artists have helped me understand how to use paint to add more life to my carvings. In spite of steady progress, I have long felt that I have lots of disconnected pieces of knowledge floating in my head with no clue as to how to connect them.
Finally! The pieces are coming together through an online color theory course taught by Lori Corbett, the author of Carving Award-Winning Songbirds: An Encyclopedia of Carving, Sculpting, and Painting Techniques. The course is carefully crafted to build a mental foundation for understanding color theory coupled with lots of guided practice. Lori gives a video critique to each student for each assignment.
I'm only half-way through the course, but I'm already applying new learnings to a tufted titmouse I was carving when the course started! No paint more experiments that are leaps of faith like the common loon in the previous post. Experimenting will continue, but it will be grounded in a systematic way of thinking about colors. Paydirt!