49 Tips

Color Mixing Tips

Submitted By: david in Arts Tips category

Color Mixing Tips An artist needs to understand colors and mixing of colors in order to be able to paint well, because paintings are about colors and light. Color mixing could be a daunting experience for a novice painting artist. How do you mix colors to get that unique color? What colors to mix to get a certain hue? What is the method of color mixing? These are some questions that come in a mind of a newbie. Here are some color mixing tips that will be helpful for you.

Understanding Colors

Before we move on, let’s first understand colors. Red, Yellow and Blue are the three primary colors which cannot be created by mixing colors but are to be used directly from the tube or bottle. Mixing two primary colors will yield to secondary colors that is, Green, Purple and Orange. The six tertiary colors are achieved by mixing a primary color with an adjacent secondary color.

Color Mixing Tips

Color mixing can be an interesting and enjoyable experience. Here are some color mixing tips that will help you create enhanced color throughout your painting.

Add Dark Color to Light – You require only a little dark color to change a light color but you require lots of light color to lighten a dark color. For example if you need to create light blue then mix little blue with white rather than mixing lots of white to blue.
Add Opaque Colors to Transparent – Similarly, mix a little of opaque color to a transparent one than vice versa.
Don’t Mix Colors Excessively – When you mix two colors on the palette don’t over mix them. Doing so will result in a muddy looking canvas. Mix lightly and stop mixing a little before the colors are totally combined. This will give your painting a good effect.
Use Mixtures – For a more interesting color and effect, try using mixtures rather than colors from the tube. For example, to use the color green, mix yellow and blue rather than green directly from the tube.
Keep Two Separate Jars – Always have two jars, one to clean the brush and the other to use as the thinner to paint. Especially apply this rule for watercolors. This will assure clean water for mixing.
Mix Color on Palette – Use the palette to mix the color rather than directly on canvas. Mix your color with a brush or a palette. But make sure your palette, brush and knife are clean to avoid the blending of any left over color.
Avoid Using Black or Grey – To lower the intensity of any color try mixing it with a brown like burnt sienna or its complement. Using black or grey tend to deaden the mixture.
Create Color Vibrations – By using complements (colors opposite to each other on the color wheel) you create color vibrations and enhance each other when placed side by side. When you mix complements they create a neutralized color like grey.

Following these color mixing tips will surely help you with the basics of color mixing. Don’t get disheartened if you don’t get it right the first time. This is a skill that is acquired gradually with lots of practice.
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