I have been drawing for years in black and white. Just started to get into colour with acrylics. I notice that when a painter begins a painting they always paint a background colour. It sets the stage for the rest of the painting.
I don't get it. How do you know what colour will be the right one?

Hello. Painting in a background color is a good way to start. The way it sets the stage for the rest of the painting is in relationships. If you work towards getting the hue, value and intensity of the background color as close to what you actually see, you've established one constant that you can relate the rest of the colors against.As a confidence builder,you might want to loosen up with a number of small scale studies,going for the big shapes first.Indulge yourself. Learning should be fun.