If you’re using brushes to mix paint, make sure to clean them in between mixing. You don’t want paint of a previous color mixing with the two you are currently mixing. Use soap and water for acrylic, or odorless mineral spirits or turpentine for oil. [2] X Research source You can mix your paints in a jar instead of a palette if you intend on preparing paint for later work. Color mixing is skill that takes hard work and experience. Practice with different amounts of paint, as well as different kinds of combinations, in order to get more acquainted with how your paints will interact. [3] X Research source
You might consider purchasing larger quantities of the primary colors compared to other types of paint. Larger tubes of paint are often available in 200ml quantities. Paints come in two qualities: student grade and professional. Student grades are cheaper, but inferior than professional paints when it comes to longevity, intensity, and other factors. Student grade paints can also alter the mixing ratios required for certain colors, so be cognizant of your purchases. [5] X Research source Primary colors come in warm and cool tones to help you make even more colors. [6] X Expert Source Kelly MedfordProfessional Artist Expert Interview. 10 March 2021
Blue and yellow both come in warm and cool hues. A cool yellow will look greenish, while a warm yellow will look orange-ish. [7] X Research source To get a brighter shade of green, use a cool yellow and a cool blue, both with a greenish tint to it. If your green turned out murky, you might have used a warm, orangish yellow or a warm, purplish blue.
Like blue and yellow, red comes in both warm and cool hues. A warm red will look orangish, while a cool red will look purplish. [8] X Research source To get a brighter orange, use a warm, orangish yellow and a warm, orangish red.
Like other shades, blue also comes in warm and cool hues. A warm blue will look more purple while a cool blue will look greenish. [9] X Research source To get a bright purple, mix a cool red with purple undertones, and a warm blue with purple undertones. If your purple came out murky, you might have used a warm, orangey red or a cool, greenish blue.
You can also lighten paint colors by adding a little bit of yellow, or darken them by adding a little bit of blue. Whether white and black count as primary colors is debated. For paint-making purposes, it’s important to know that a variety of black shades can be created with existing paints, whereas no paints mix to create white. [12] X Research source
If you don’t have containers to store your paint, cover your palette with a saran wrap and store it in the fridge (or freezer for oil paints). You can also place a wet towel over your paints to help keep them moist until you are ready to use them. [13] X Research source
When buying the colors from a store, make sure that you buy pure “green,” “purple,” or “orange” shades. Don’t buy a mixed shade, like red-orange or blue-green.
Play around with the proportions. Use a little bit more blue than purple, and see what shade you get. Note that tertiary colors are always named so that their primary colors are listed first, as in “yellow-green. "
Yellow-green. Blue-green. Blue-violet. Red-violet. Red-orange. Yellow-orange.
Adding a greater portion of warmer color, such as red, will result in a warmer brown. Using greater quantities of colder colors, such as blue and green, will result in a brown that is very dark, nearing black in color.
A dark blue and brown can also provide a deep black that may be keyed cooler or warmer depending on the ratio of paints. Note that purchasing a pure black paint from the tube will limit your mixing opportunities with that particular black. [14] X Research source
Dark colors mix more easily into light than vice versa. Mix a small amount of the grey mixture into white to start, and add more as necessary.
Use white (or yellow) to lighten a color. Use a complement of a particular color to key the color toward grey. Darkening a color requires an addition of one of its parent colors, depending on which color you wish to lean toward. [16] X Research source
