Working with paints, obtaining different color schemes, and thereby conducting experiments is an interesting activity. A simple person can get carried away - an amateur, a professional artist. Experimenting, creating and enjoying the process is great! In this article we will also try to experiment. Let's find out what happens when you mix red and yellow colors.
It must be remembered that there are 3 main paint colors - blue, red and yellow; they cannot be obtained independently.
And the rest obtained by mixing are shades. What happens when you mix red and yellow? What color will it be? By mixing primary colors, secondary shade results are obtained. For example, if you mix:
- blue and red, you get an excellent purple tone;
- yellowish with red – orange;
- blue with yellow - green.
It is impossible to get black and white on your own - these are exceptional tones. If you add white to the paint, the shade will change and will look much lighter, but if you use black, the opposite effect will occur.
Mixing table
| Basic tones | Mixing | Nuances |
| Rich red color and yellowish tonality quite bright | Using one part red and two parts yellow, the result is bright. Orange color |
By adding a large amount of yellow it becomes lighter, and by adding red it becomes darker. |
| White, brown and yellow | Take an equal percentage of paint, you get the perfect beige shade | When using white in greater quantities than indicated, the tone will be lighter, and when using brown, on the contrary, it will be darker |
| Red, yellow, green and black | If you mix these tones, you get an excellent mustard color. | Of course it will be lighter when adding yellow and darker when using a large percentage of black |
| Brown, yellow and red | If you take 2 parts brown and yellow and one part red, you can get a golden hue | It will be brighter and more saturated if you use a slightly higher ratio yellow paint |
| Yellowish and brown | If you take one part brown and two parts yellow, the color you get is ocher. | The tonality changes depending on the amount of adding a particular shade |
| Red and white | If you mix these colors, you get pink color | You can vary it by adding red or white, depending on these conditions and get the saturation of shades |
The required paint tones are not always available retail sales, so the best solution would be to get them yourself.
When deciding to get a color scheme at home, you need to be patient and have the advantage of good location spirit. This manifestation of independence has some advantages:
- You can get positive emotions from experiments.
- It is not forbidden to vary numerous times.
- You will still get the desired color.
On video: how to mix colors.
Any artist knows that a picture painted with his own hand must be alive and the appropriately selected tones must also be natural, which are obtained using trial methods.
The perceived painting should not contain more than three colors of paint, then it will be an artificial masterpiece.
In order to carry out work on mixing tones efficiently and the result exceeds all expectations, you need to know some rules:
- Do not mix paints made on different bases. For example, on oil and water, everything should be uniform. Otherwise nothing will work out.
- It is not recommended to use expired coloring agents, since the pigment in them has settled to the bottom and is unlikely to mix with the base again.
- It is very difficult and almost impossible to choose the same shade that was previously there. In rare cases, this can be done by professionals, but for amateurs it is best to prepare a new color scheme.
- Before directly mixing the paints, it is necessary to thoroughly stir each color separately, so the quality will be clearer.
Based on the resulting shade, if necessary, you can conduct research again any number of times, adding different shades. But you should follow these tips:
- To avoid getting stained with paint, it is recommended to have a solvent.
- Work must be carried out in a specially designated place.
- Sufficient lighting in the room will also contribute to excellent results.
Color combination (2 videos)
Mixing colors is one of the most difficult procedures that a person who decides to make repairs on their own may face the need to perform. The point is that it is very important to know what colors to mix to create certain tone. It should be immediately noted that it is better to purchase white paint and tint it in the store using a special machine, so the tone will be uniform. If you decide to do everything yourself, then you can read more about how to mix colors correctly.
These materials are universal, they are used for many purposes: with their help you can simply paint walls, paint stained glass windows, apply designs on the wall and ceiling. In general, the scope of their use is limited by imagination. The compositions are easy to use and adhere well to the surface. But if you decide to paint a multi-component image on the wall, then buying paint of all the necessary colors will be too expensive, and after completion of the work there will be a large number of unnecessary material. In this case, it is better to buy a basic series, and to create certain shades, mix acrylic paints.
Mixing base paint colors makes it possible to get many different shades, while you can save a lot on your purchase Main color range
Everyone knows from school: when you combine yellow and red, you get orange, but if you add blue to the same yellow, you get green. It is on this principle that the table for mixing acrylic paints is built. According to it, it is enough to purchase only the primary colors:
- white;
- black;
- red;
- brown;
- blue;
- yellow;
- pink.
You can simply mix acrylic paints of these tones to get most of the existing shades.
Basics of mixing according to the table
To properly mix materials, you cannot do without a table. At first glance, it’s easy to work with: to get the desired result, just find the color and see what components are required. But the color mixing table does not indicate the proportions, so it is necessary to gradually add tinting material to the main paint and apply the mixture to some unnecessary product: a sheet of plywood, drywall, and so on. Then you need to wait until the material dries. If the color matches what is required, you can begin work on the main surface.
Coloring technique
Now about how to get colors. By mixing acrylic materials, you can achieve the formation of two main tones: light and dark. Basic tones: earthy, green, orange, purple. To create color, it is recommended to follow certain rules:
- Light. In this case, the main material is titanium white, to which one or two tinting compounds are added. The less additional paintwork materials are used, the lighter the tone will be. This is how you can make most shades of a light palette.
- Dark. To create shades of this type, do the opposite. Before mixing colors, you need to prepare the base tone; black dye is gradually introduced into the base. When working with black paint, you need to be careful because it can make the color look muddy rather than dark.
- Green. This shade is not in the main palette, so you will need to mix yellow and blue. The exact ratio can only be determined experimentally.
- Violet. This is a cool color that is obtained by mixing blue with pink or red. In some cases, you will also need to add black to darken the material.
- Orange. To create this color you need to mix red and yellow. For a richer orange, it is recommended to add more red and vice versa. If you want to create a soft color, for example, coral, then you need to lighten the material with white. Can I add dark dyes? Yes, you can, but mixing colors may result in a muddy tone.
- Earthy. Here the main color is brown. Adding to it various shades, get a color from beige to dark wood.
Rules for working with the palette
To get started you will need basic set paints, brushes, a container of water and a palette (you can take any surface, including school items for drawing).
It is recommended to place white in the center, since it is used in creating most shades. Dyes of the main color range are placed in the recesses around (if any). You need to mix carefully, gradually adding tinting material and constantly checking the result. After mixing the colors, the brush should be rinsed in a container of water.
On a note! Working with materials based on acrylic resins using a table and palette is quite simple. The main thing is to practice more, the result will get better each time.
Oil paints
If you compare this material with watercolor or acrylic, then oil is more fluid. Because of this, you need to mix the compositions very carefully. different colors. On the one hand, this is a drawback, but on the other hand, this feature allows you to obtain the following effects:
- If thoroughly mixed, a uniform tone will be obtained. This material is perfect for both complete painting of surfaces and partial decoration.
- If you mix partially, then different colored veins will appear on the coating.
Mixing
Now about how to mix oil paints. For mixing paint colors on oil based a table is also used. It indicates the colors obtained by combining various tinting components. In addition, here you can find such an indicator as a combination of shine. If you add a little gloss to a matte base, there will be practically no result, but if you do the opposite, the shine will be slightly muted.
Mixing methods:
- Mechanical. In this case, we are talking about mixing two or more materials of different colors in one container. Color saturation is controlled by the number of compositions of bright shades. The desired color is created even before the wall or ceiling is processed.
- Color overlay. Gradual application of several strokes on top of each other.
- Optic. This is the most complex method, which is available only to specialists. It involves mixing glossy and matte bases while applying paint to the surface. You can mix paint colors only on the surface being treated, otherwise you will get a more even tone.
Peculiarities
The first method fully corresponds to the data in the table. When it comes to color application, the result is unpredictable. One of the most simple options optical illusions is glazing: a dark tone is applied to the surface, after it dries, paint is applied a little lighter, and then completely light. As a result, each color will be visible through the top layers.
So there is no specific pattern. To find out which colors need to be mixed, it is not enough just to take and look at the table; it is important to constantly practice and not be afraid of experiments. This is how you can create new effect, which will make the interior unique. It is also important to remember that a mixed shade is very difficult to replicate, so you should remember the proportions.
Now the question of how to mix paints correctly does not seem so difficult.
Two color mixing tablesThe color mixing table allows you to learn how to get the right one when mixing two or more colors and shades.
This table is used in various fields art - fine art, modeling, and others. Can also be used in construction when mixing paints and plasters.
Color Mixing Chart 1
| Required Color | Base Color + Mixing Instructions |
| Pink | White + add a little red |
| Chestnut | Red + add black or brown |
| Royal red | Red + add blue |
| Red | Red + White to brighten, yellow to get orange-red |
| Orange | Yellow + add red |
| Gold | Yellow + a drop of red or brown |
| Yellow | Yellow + white for lightening, red or brown for a dark shade |
| Pale green | Yellow + add blue/black for depth |
| Grass green | Yellow + add blue and green |
| Olive | Green + add yellow |
| Light green | Green + add White yellow |
| Turquoise green | Green + add blue |
| Bottle green | Yellow + add blue |
| Coniferous | Green + add yellow and black |
| Turquoise blue | Blue + add a little green |
| White-blue | White + add blue |
| Wedgwood blue | White + add blue and a drop of black |
| Royal blue | |
| Dark blue | Blue + add black and a drop of green |
| Grey | White + Add a little black |
| Pearl gray | White + Add black, a little blue |
| Medium brown | Yellow + Add red and blue, white for lightening, black for dark. |
| Red-brown | Red & yellow + Add blue and white to brighten |
| Golden brown | Yellow + Add red, blue, white. More yellow for contrast |
| Mustard | Yellow + Add red, black and a little green |
| Beige | Take brown and gradually add white until beige colour. Add yellow for brightness. |
| Off white | White + Add brown or black |
| Pink gray | White + Drop of red or black |
| Gray-blue | White + Add light gray plus a drop of blue |
| Green-gray | White + Add light gray plus a drop of green |
| Gray coal | White + add black |
| Lemon yellow | Yellow + add white, a little green |
| Light brown | Yellow + add white, black, brown |
| Fern green color | White + add green, black and white |
| Forest green color | Green + add black |
| Emerald green | Yellow + add green and white |
| Light green | Yellow + add white and green |
| Aquamarine | White + add green and black |
| Avocado | Yellow + add brown and black |
| Royal purple | Red + add blue and yellow |
| Dark purple | Red + add blue and black |
| Tomato red | Red + add yellow and brown |
| Mandarin, orange | Yellow + add red and brown |
| Reddish chestnut | Red + add brown and black |
| Orange | White + add orange and brown |
| Burgundy red color | Red + add brown, black and yellow |
| Crimson | Blue + add white, red and brown |
| Plum | Red + add white, blue and black |
| Chestnut | |
| Honey color | White, yellow and dark brown |
| Dark brown | Yellow + red, black and white |
| Copper gray | Black + add white and red |
| Eggshell color | White + yellow, a little brown |
| Black | Black Use black as coal |
Color mixing chart 2
Mixing paints
black= brown+blue+red in equal proportions
black= brown+blue.
gray and black= blue, green, red and yellow are mixed in equal proportions, and then one or the other is added by eye. it turns out we need more blue and red
black= it turns out if you mix red, blue and brown
black=red, green and blue. You can additionally add brown.
bodily= red and yellow paint... just a little bit. After kneading, if it turns yellow, add a little red, if a little yellow paint turns pink. If the color turns out to be very saturated, add a piece of white mastic and mix again
dark cherry= red + brown + a little blue (cyan)
strawberry= 3 parts pink + 1 part red
Turkiz= 6 parts sky blue + 1 part yellow
silver gray= 1 hour black + 1 hour blue
dark red= 1 part red + a little black
rust color= 8 hours orange + 2 hours red + 1 hour brown
greenish= 9 hours sky blue + a little yellow
dark green= green + a little black
lavender=5 parts pink + 1 part purple
bodily= a little copper color
nautical=5h. blue+1 hour green
peach=2h. orange + 1 tsp. dark yellow
dark pink=2h. red+1 hour brown
Navy blue=1h. blue+1h. Sereneviy
avocado= 4h. yellow + 1 part green + a little black
coral=3 hours pink + 2 hours yellow
gold= 10 hours yellow + 3 hours orange + 1 hour red
plum = 1 part purple + a little red
light green= 2 hours purple + 3 hours yellow
red + yellow = orange
red + ocher + white = apricot
red + green = brown
red + blue = violet
red + blue + green = black
yellow + white + green = citric
yellow + cyan or blue = green
yellow + brown = ocher
yellow + green + white + red = tobacco
blue + green = sea wave
orange + brown = terracotta
red + white = coffee with milk
brown + white + yellow = beige
light green=green+yellow, more yellow,+white= light green
lilac=blue+red+white, more red and white, +white= light lilac
lilac= red and blue, with red predominating
Pistachio paint obtained by mixing yellow paint with a small amount of blue
Blue is one of the primary colors. Along with red and yellow, it is on the list of tones that cannot be produced at home. But artists know perfectly well how to get Blue colour in its various shades - to do this you need to mix the classic color with other pigments, which gives amazing results.
Traditional color wheel
Experts call blue, red, and yellow the “three pillars” of color and painting. It is on them that the widest palette of halftones of the second and third orders rests; they are combined with each other, while creation with is excluded.
All the most important colors are included in the so-called color wheel. It represents a conditional model divided into sectors. The latter are placed in an order close to their location in the visible light spectrum. The adjacent shades are called chromatic; they can be mixed together to obtain a new chromatic (color) paint. If, when mixing paints, you take opposite tones, the result will be an achromatic color (grayish). That is, the further the colors are from each other, the more likely it is that their mixture will give an inexpressive, ugly tone.
Classic blue and its shades
You won’t be able to make blue at home, so to create different shades of it you need to purchase ready-made gouache, watercolor, acrylic paint or another type of dye (even plasticine). Then you can use other colors from the set, because when they are combined you can get incredible tones and halftones of blue. Artists have special tables with the names of shades and the required proportions for paints, but in practice they still have to experiment.
IN regular sets In gouaches, blue is represented by the shade ultramarine. It is very bright, moderately dark, and has slightly purple notes. Eat important rule, which must be remembered: to lighten the tone add White color, for darkening - black, for changing the reflection of paint - various colors.
Blue-green
Making shades of blue with green highlights is easy. The effect of a dark green tone is achieved by introducing a small amount of ready-made green paint into the blue. If it is not there, you can do it differently. Since the combination of blue and yellow gives a green color, you can add a little yellow to the blue. Next, the paint is lightened with white, the result is a third-order shade, less saturated.
Prussian blue
The azure color also contains green shades. Artists have a recipe for its preparation - you need to combine 1 part blue and the same amount of light green or bright green (grass) shade. If necessary, the tone is diluted with white.
Blue-violet
This color is considered very rich and powerful in energy; it is prepared by combining blue with red paint in equal proportions. But the finished purple must be made to turn blue, for which blue color is added drop by drop until the desired tone is obtained. Typically the final ratio does not exceed 2:1.
Royal Blue
Royal color represents dark, cold tone, close to classical. Traditional royal blue is part of the HTML color scheme used in computer graphics. It is also the main tone of ink and paint for cartridges. To make this color, a drop of black and even less of green are added to ultramarine.
Blue-gray
This shade is reminiscent of a cloudy sky, as well as the color of water on a non-sunny day. You need to add a little brown to the base blue, the result will be a dark blue-gray tone. It is diluted with white to the desired degree of lightening. There is another option for creating a gray-blue tint - combining blue with orange, the result will be a grayish mass with a slightly blue tint.
Dark blue
The blue paint begins to darken with the addition of a small amount of black color. The ratio should be no more than 4:1. Creating such a shade is required if you need to “calm down” a color when it is initially too bright.
Blue
Blue color is easy to make. To do this, blue of any tone is diluted with white 3:1 or more. Increasing the volume of white paint results in even greater lightening, up to a sky blue or pastel blue. To achieve an original tone, you can dilute turquoise with white.
Other shades
Wedgwood tone is obtained by combining a portion of blue, as well as a drop of white and black paint. For dark turquoise, yellow-green color is added dropwise to blue. Cornflower blue is created by mixing purple, blue, a drop of brown and the same amount of black dye.
Blue in nature
IN real world Blue is perceived by the eye in the range of 440-485 nm. This is a digital length value electromagnetic wave, which has blue tone in the general spectrum of light. In nature you can see up to 180 shades of blue - its tones are visible in the colors of seas and oceans, sky, twilight, moonlight, many plants, insects.
To obtain the ideal color, you need to ensure that all ingredients are similar in chemical composition. Otherwise, the mass may separate, leaving unmixed veins. It is also important to use high-quality paints, because others begin to darken and turn gray over time. Oil dyes are very susceptible to changes - it is better to first try the work on a small area and evaluate the effect after a couple of days. Artists note: the fewer colors were combined, the better the result will be, less risk fading and peeling of the finished decor.
- Note: Black can be obtained by mixing existing colors. Black pigment, of course, exists, but its use is too conspicuous. It is better to obtain dark colors by mixing transparent primary colors: shadows also have shades, depending on the time of day and other factors.
- Read the "Other Tips" section below for guidance on choosing the best magenta and cyan.
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Mix red and blue. Everyone knows that red and blue when mixed give purple, is not it? Indeed, but it's not that bright, vibrant purple. Instead they form something like this:
- Not very pleasing to the eye? This is because red and blue absorb more and reflect less of the spectrum, producing a dark, dirty purple instead of a vibrant and bright one.
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Now try this: mix magenta with a little cyan and you will see the difference. This time you will get something like this:
- Magenta is a shade of purple, cyan is a blue-green shade, often called royal blue or turquoise. Along with yellow, they are the primary colors in the CMYK model, which is based on a subtractive color scheme (producing color by subtracting individual components from white). This scheme is used in printing, including color printers.
- You can see that using true primary colors - magenta and cyan - results in a much brighter, more vibrant hue. If you want a deeper purple, add more blue. For a deep purple, add black.
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Mix pigments to create primary and secondary colors. There are 3 main color pigments: cyan, magenta and yellow. There are also 3 secondary colors obtained by mixing two primary colors:
- Cyan + yellow = green
- Cyan + magenta = blue
- Magenta + yellow = red
- Cyan + magenta + yellow = black
- In subtractive color mixing, the combination of all colors produces black.
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"Read the information below. The Mixing Paints section provides more detailed advice on how to achieve a wide variety of shades, including light, dark and greyish. The Tips section provides an extensive list of colors and combinations you can use to get those colors on your palette.
Light mixing: additive colors
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Take a look at your monitor. Look at the white areas on this page and get as close as possible. Even better if you have a magnifying glass. When you bring your eyes closer to the screen, you will see not white, but red, green and blue dots. Unlike pigments, which work by absorbing color, light is additive, meaning it works by adding up light streams. Cinema screens and displays, whether it's a 60-inch plasma TV or the 3.5-inch Retina display in your iPhone, use an additive method of mixing colors.
Mix light to create primary and secondary colors. As with subtractive colors, there are 3 primary and 3 secondary colors obtained by mixing the primary colors. The result may surprise you:
- Mixing red + blue = magenta
- Mixing blue + green = cyan
- Mixing green + red = yellow
- In additive color mixing, the combination of all colors produces white.
- Please note that primary additive colors are secondary subtractive colors, and vice versa. How can it be? Know that the effect of subtractive color is a combined process: it absorbs some colors, and we perceive what remains, that is, reflected light. Reflected color is the color of the luminous flux that remains when all other colors have been absorbed.
Modern color theory
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Understand the subjective nature of color perception. Human perception and identification of color depend on both objective and subjective factors. While scientists can detect and measure light down to the nanometer, our eyes perceive a complex combination of not only hue, but also color saturation and brightness. This circumstance is further complicated by the way we see the same color on different backgrounds.
Hue, saturation and lightness are the three dimensions of color. We can say that any color has three dimensions: hue, saturation and lightness.
- Tone characterizes the position of color on color wheel- red, orange, yellow and so on, including all intermediate colors such as red-orange or orange-yellow. Here are some examples: Pink refers to a magenta or red tone (or anything in between). Brown refers to the orange tone because brown is dark orange.
- Saturation- This is what produces rich, vibrant color, like on a rainbow or color wheel. Pale, dark and muted colors (shades) are less saturated.
- Lightness shows how close a color is to white or black, regardless of color. If you take a black and white photograph of flowers, you can tell which ones are lighter and which ones are darker.
- For example, bright yellow is relatively light color. You can lighten it up even more by adding white and making it a pale yellow.
- Bright blue is naturally dark and low on the light scale, while dark blue is even lower.
Mixing paints
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Follow these instructions to get any color you want. Magenta, yellow and cyan are primary subtractive colors, which means that they can be mixed to create any other color, but they themselves cannot be obtained from other colors. Primary subtractive colors are used when mixing pigments such as inks, dyes and paints.
Low saturation colors (soft colors) come in three main types: light, dark and muted.
Add white to get lighter colors. Any color can be lightened by adding white to it. To get a very light color, it is better to add the base color to the white a little at a time so as not to waste excess paint.
Add black to get dark colors. Any color can be darkened by adding black to it. Some artists prefer to add a complementary color that is opposite a given color on the exact CMY/RGB color wheel. For example, green can be used to darken magenta and magenta can be used to darken green because they are opposite each other on the color wheel. Add black or complementary color a little at a time so as not to overdo it.
Add white and black (or white and a complementary color to the original) to create muted, grayish colors. By varying the relative amounts of black and white flowers, you can get any desired level of lightness and saturation. For example: add white and black to yellow to get light olive. Black will darken yellow, turning it into olive green, and white will lighten that olive green. Different shades of olive green can be achieved by adjusting the amount of color added.
- To achieve a desaturated color such as brown (deep orange), you can adjust the hue in the same way as to achieve bright orange - by adding small amounts of nearby colors on the color wheel: magenta, yellow, red or orange. They will make the brown brighter while changing its shade. But since brown is not a bright color, you can also use colors on the other sides of the triangle, such as green or blue, which will darken the brown while changing its hue.
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Get black. This can be done by mixing any two colors that are mutually complementary, as well as three or more colors that are equidistant from each other on the color wheel. Just don't add white or any color containing white unless you want a shade of gray. If the resulting black leans too much toward a particular color, neutralize it by adding a little complementary color to that color.
Don't try to get white. White cannot be obtained by mixing other colors. Like the three primary colors - magenta, yellow and cyan - you will have to buy them, unless, of course, you are working with materials like watercolor, for which paper itself is used instead of white if necessary.
Develop an action plan. Think about the hue, lightness, and saturation of the color you have and the color you want, and make adjustments accordingly.
- For example, the shade of green can be brought closer to cyan or yellow - its neighbors on the color wheel. It can be lightened by adding white. Or darken it by adding black or a complementary color, namely purple, magenta or red, depending on the shade of green. You can tone it down by adding black and white, or make the desaturated green a little brighter by adding (bright) green.
- One more example. You mixed red and white to make pink, but the pink came out too bright and warm (yellowish). To correct the warm shade, you will have to add a little magenta. To tone down hot pink, add white, a complementary color (or black), or both. Decide if you want a darker pink (add only the complementary color), a grayish pink (add white and the complementary color), or just a lighter pink (add only the white). If you plan to adjust the hue with magenta and tone down the pink with green or cyan (complementary to magenta and red), you can try combining the two by using a color between magenta and cyan, such as blue.
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Mix paints and start creating a masterpiece! If all of this seems overwhelming, you just need a little practice. Creating a color guide for your own needs - good way Practice using the principles of color theory. Even by printing it from your computer, you will provide yourself useful information for a time when you do not yet have practice and cannot work on an intuitive level.
Samples of colors and methods for obtaining them
- Select the color you want and follow the instructions below. Each sample gives whole line opportunities; you can adjust the amount of paint you use to get exactly the color you want. For example, any light color can be lightened or darkened by adding more or less white. Complementary, or complementary, colors are colors that are opposite each other on the RGB/CMY color wheel.
- Red: Add a little yellow or orange to the magenta.
- Light red (salmon pink, coral): Add white to red. Use less white and more red to get coral.
- Dark red: Add a little black (or cyan) to the red. Cyan is complementary to red.
- Muted red: Add white and black (or cyan) to red.
- Yellow: Yellow cannot be obtained by mixing other colors. You'll have to buy it.
- Light yellow: Add white to yellow.
- Dark yellow (olive green): Add a little black (or purple-blue) to the yellow. Violet-blue is complementary to yellow.
- Muted yellow (light olive): Add white or black (or violet-blue) to yellow.
- Green: Mix cyan and yellow.
- Light green: Add white to green.
- Dark green: Add a little black (or magenta) to the green. Magenta is complementary to green.
- Grey-green: Add white and black (or magenta) to green.
- Cyan (turquoise blue): Cyan cannot be obtained by mixing other colors. You'll have to buy it.
- Light cyan: Add white to cyan.
- Dark cyan: Add a little black (or red) to the cyan. Red is complementary to cyan.
- Grey-blue: Add white and black (or red) to the cyan.
- Purple Blue: Mix magenta with cyan or blue.
- Light violet blue (lavender): Add white to the purple-blue.
- Dark violet blue: Add a little black (or yellow) to the purple-blue. Yellow is complementary to violet.
- Grayish-violet-blue: Add white and black (or yellow) to the purple-blue.
- Violet: Mix magenta with a little cyan, blue or violet blue.
- Light purple: Add white to purple.
- Dark purple: Add some black (or lime green) to the purple. Lime green is complementary to purple.
- Muted purple: Add white and black (or lime green) to the purple.
- Black: Black can be created by mixing any two complementary colors or three equidistant colors on the precise CMY/RGB color wheel, such as red, green and blue. If instead of pure black you got dark color, correct it by adding a color that is complementary to it.
- White: White cannot be obtained by mixing other colors. You'll have to buy it. For a warm white (such as cream), add a little yellow. To get a cool white, add a little cyan.
- Grey: Gray is a mixture of black and white.
- When mixing paints, add a little at a time to adjust the color. You can always add more. This is especially true when working with black and blue, which tend to dominate other colors. Add a little at a time until you achieve the desired result.
- To find out if a color is complementary, use your own eyes. It's an old trick: look closely at the color, then look away at the white surface. Due to “color fatigue” in the eyes, you will see the opposite color.
- Choosing primary colors when purchasing can be difficult. Look for magenta that does not contain white or blue pigments (PW and PB). The best pigments are violet and red pigments such as PV19 and PR122. Good cyan PB15:3. PB15 and PG7 are also good. If you need art paints or glaze, you can try to match the colors using a printer. Print a sample from your computer to take with you to the store, or look for primary colors on the sides of a cereal or cookie package.
- You need one color triangle of colors that provide visual balance to the painting, and another color triangle to identify pairs of colors that neutralize each other, since the complementary colors for these tasks are slightly different. So, ultramarine goes well with lemon yellow and other beautiful yellows, but to darken those yellows, use purple. Additional information information on this issue can be found on the net.
- How many tubes of different paints do you actually need to paint a picture? In Jean-Louis Morell's book about watercolor painting shows how, using the cyan-yellow-magenta color triangle, you can get almost any desired color from just four or five, but this can also be done using the above three plus white (paper is used as white in watercolor painting)!
- The best range of shades can be achieved by mixing colors close to the CMY primary colors, but to get a darker shade, one - or better yet, two - must be darker than these primary colors, for example, Persian blue or cobalt blue, alizarin crimson.
- What are you writing? The colors you need depend entirely on what you're writing. For example, ultramarine, Neapolitan yellow, burnt sienna and whitewash are useful for distant landscapes if bright greens and yellows are not needed.
What you will need
- Palette - a disposable paper palette works well.
- Palette knife (any size)
- Watercolor paper or primed canvas (you can buy these from your local art store; ready-made primed canvas works well)
- Containers with water or solvent for washing brushes
- Synthetic brush of your choice (#8 round or #6 flat works well)
- Spray bottle to keep water-based paints from drying out
- Paper towels for removing dirt and cleaning brushes
- Color circle
- Paints
- A robe or an old shirt that you don’t mind getting dirty
- Gloves
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Take paints. Any type of paint will do - even those used on furniture or walls - but it is best (and cleanest) to practice with a few small tubes of oil or acrylic paint. First, let's see what happens if we mix just two colors - red and blue.