How to make silver paint from gouache. How to get blue? Color mixing

In the interior of the premises, wall decoration of various types of plasters and painting them with paints is becoming fashionable. But not always in hardware stores you can pick up your favorite palette. Do not despair. Modern technologies allow you to get the desired result. Mixing colors of standard shades allows you to get the desired result. The next question arises, how to mix paints to get a beautiful tone? Let's try to get an answer.

There are quite a few tones. But the production of paints is based on the use of standard colors. Non-standard colors are now in vogue, which can be obtained by mixing dyes. How to mix colors correctly, the following recommendations from experts will suggest.

It has been known since childhood that the basis of all tones are three colors: red, blue, yellow.

For other options, you need to know the rules for mixing paints. The combination of basic dyes gives a wide range of different halftones.

The secret of creating a new color by mixing colors is the use of basic dyes in different proportions. For example, when you mix blue with yellow, you get green. If you continue to add yellow to the resulting substance, you can get tones that are increasingly approaching it. It all depends on the volumes that are connected.

On the video: how to get a new color.

The nuances of the connection of dyes

Mixing colors of chromatic shades, which are placed next to each other in the color wheel, give a fairly bright palette. If we mix dyes that are on opposite sides of the circle, we get achromatic tones, that is, with a predominance of gray.

To get the desired result, it is necessary to understand not only the color scheme, but also ensure that the solutions are suitable in terms of chemical composition. Otherwise, you may get unexpected results. If the color, when mixing paints, initially turns out to be bright, then over time it begins to darken and gray. For example, the combination of white lead and cinnabar red color gives an initially bright pink, but after a while it will lose its saturation. This also applies to oil paints. They are very susceptible to solvents.

The best option for achieving a high-quality saturated color scheme is to combine the minimum number of colors. Comparability of materials is required. A color mixing table will help in their selection.

Traditional palette mixing options

When you get a color scheme yourself, you need to know the rules for mixing paints. Consider the common options for obtaining the desired color.

Red

Red is a representative of the main color scheme. To obtain various red shades, you must follow the rules:

• The tone of carmine, which is as close as possible to fuchsia, is combined with yellow 2: 1. The result is red.
• Combining pink with yellow, we get orange.
• To get scarlet, you need to take red and yellow in a ratio of 2: 1.
• To achieve a red palette with a soft effect, red and pink paint are mixed. To achieve a lighter tone, it is better to add white paint.
• If we add a dark dye to the main red paint, we get burgundy.
• Dark red can be achieved by mixing red and purple in a ratio of 3:1.

Blue

There are primary colors, which include blue. To obtain the desired blue tint, you must use this primary color. Blue is obtained by adding white to the blue palette. As the volume increases, the white shade will become lighter. To obtain a moderate tone, turquoise is used instead of white.

To obtain blue colors and shades, you must follow the following scheme. Add to blue:

• yellow and get blue-green;
• red, in the end we get purple;
• orange will provide gray;
• black will make it possible to form dark blue.

Green

How to mix paints to get green and its shades. The basic rule is to mix yellow and blue dyes. A bright palette of green shades is achieved by combining primary colors in different volumes and adding additional dyes. Complementary colors are black and white.

How to get khaki color? To do this, two elements are connected: yellow and blue, with the addition of brown tinting. For the result obtained, the amount of substance is important. Olive color can be obtained by taking green yellow tones. Making a mustard shade is more difficult. Red, black and a little green are added to yellow.

Green is not a primary color. To obtain it, the colors of yellow and blue paints are mixed. But, to obtain a rich green tone, it is necessary to use green paint prepared at the factory. If the green paint was made independently, then the tones will not be bright.

Mixing dyes that have a white and green tint makes it possible to get light green, and if you add a little yellow, you can admire light green.

Other shades

Let's look at other tones. What shade is one of the most sought after? Very often gray tone is used in the interior. It will turn out if black is mixed with white. The more white, the lighter the result will be.

Gray is also very often in demand, which has a silvery metallic tint. When mixed, a silver color will turn out if you use different additives, for example, antimony.

So, in order to have the color that suits a particular interior, you need to mix dyes. What colors to mix in order to get everything right, the recommendations given above will tell you. The resulting paints will delight the owners for a long time.

How to get the right shade (1 video)

When decorating the surfaces of walls, furniture and other objects with paint, the question arises of mixing them to obtain the desired color. It is not always possible to find the desired color or shade in stores, so you can use the mixing table. Creating color by hand from improvised paints is also cost-effective.

Features when working with acrylic paints

Acrylic paints are inexpensive, easy to work with and dry relatively quickly. But the disadvantage is a narrow palette of colors, so you need to create the desired shade manually. You can get burgundy, purple, turquoise, sand, wenge, lilac, and others by mixing colors.

There are some rules when working with acrylic:

1. The surface to be painted must be smooth, clean, free of oil and grease. It must first be cleaned of the previous finish. It is not recommended to apply a new coat of paint on the old one;
2. Before painting, the walls must be leveled with putty, and then apply several layers of primer. The primer is used for better adhesion of paint and for less consumption;
3. Before use, acrylic must be diluted with water or special solvents, but it is better to do this in a separate container, with a portion of paint. This is necessary in order not to spoil the entire volume at once, but to use only as much as necessary.
4. After work, the used rollers and brushes must be rinsed well with water, otherwise they will become unsuitable for further work. You also need to wash other tools that have been used. The top of the paint bucket needs to be wiped down so that the lid can be opened in the future.
5. Most often, painting occurs in 2-3 stages, and for an effective result, you need to do it in one direction. To simplify and speed up the work, you can take a spray gun.

Important! Also, do not forget about the precautions, before work it is better to cover or seal all places and objects that will not be stained. You can work with the material at a temperature not lower than 5 degrees and not higher than 27 degrees.

Another main rule of application is to use paint first on a small area or a completely separate surface. When creating the desired shade, it is better to try it on a draft. You also need to wait until it dries completely, because after the color becomes a little darker or lighter, depending on the type of paint. And if the color matches the expected desired result, then you can start painting the surface or decorating objects.

What colors to buy

Tinting is the name of the science that studies mixing styles and getting the right shade. It is this science that helps to get lilac, as well as fuchsia, ivory, sea waves or seas when mixing colors. In theory, to create many colors, it is enough to have yellow, red and blue. But in this case, you can get a narrow spectrum.

To create a wide palette, it is enough to buy such colors:

• Red;
• Yellow;
• Brown;
• Pink;
• Blue;
• Black;
• White.

These colors are quite enough for applying the main scales. Gold, silver, mother-of-pearl and other additional colors are also used for decoration of drawings.

Mixing Features

You can find out how to mix and get the right shade by consulting with a specialist in the store when buying.

Tip: The main rule of mixing is that dry and liquid colors cannot be combined. They don't match.

There are 4 main colors - white, red, blue and green. With their help, you can get many others. For example, khaki can be obtained by mixing brown and green. And to get brown when mixed, you can from red and green. Beige - take brown and white.

Working with a table

Working with the table is to find the desired color and shade, and next to the line, the desired colors for mixing will be indicated. For example, you can get purple by mixing acrylic paints by mixing red and blue. And to make it light or dark, just add a little white or black color, respectively. The disadvantage of working from the table is that it does not indicate the amount of added pigment - the ratio. Therefore, when mixing, practice and color perception are needed.

Here you can simply take and mix colors first in the same proportion, and then add another for the desired shade. Or use specialized tables that have been developed by specialists for working with the material.

For example, to get an orange color when mixing acrylic paints, it is enough to mix red and yellow.

Acrylic Color Mixing Chart

Working with paints is easy, the only difficulty is creating the right shade, without proportions. But, if you understand the mixing table and practice, as well as know the rules for working with acrylic, you can create a unique and inimitable interior design with your own hands and relatively cheaply.

In this article, we will look at what needs to be mixed to get brown in paints.

Such a noble and calm color as brown has always dominated the clothes of rich and noble representatives. By the way, its main characteristic is stability and sustainability. But often there is no such color or its necessary shade in the palette. Yes, and young or even experienced artists should be able to select the right colors in order to independently create the colors of the brown spectrum. And our recommendations will help in this aspect.

How to get brown when mixed: 3 ways

Before rushing to color and brushes, you need to remember what colors are. They are divided into two groups - basic and additional. Two more subgroups are also distinguished - composite and complex. All of them make up the construction of four groups of basic colors.

Remember - primary colors cannot be obtained by combining any palettes. By the way, it is they who become the basis for creating other colors. Moreover, having black and white on hand, you can extract absolutely any color.

IMPORTANT: Brown belongs to the group of complex colors.

We offer three basic ways to get brown.

Green (blue+yellow) with red

• Even schoolchildren know that brown comes out if you mix two colors together - green and red. This is the case if we talk about the primary and secondary color.
• But the task is still to make a green tint. Easy peasy! Take two primary colors - yellow and blue.
• You need to take an equal number of different shades. But take into account your wishes.
  • If you want to get a darker color in the end, then add a little more blue, but already in the finished green color.
  • If, on the contrary, you want to make a more transparent shade, then initially take a little more yellow.
• After obtaining the secondary color, we proceed to the manufacture of the tertiary. In the green color that you have turned out, you need to add a little red tone.
• It is important to introduce red paint, and not vice versa! After all, it is the main tone that regulates the degree of darkness and saturation of the brown tint. If you add too much red coloring, then you get more of a brick shade.
  • But also keep in mind that red makes brown so warm (in large quantities it can even create a rusty effect), but green, on the contrary, will even make it a little grayish and cold.

Orange (yellow + red) with blue

• The first step is to take the red color. And add yellow to it. By the way, it should be introduced gradually and in small amounts.
• On average, yellow should be only 10% of the volume of red. It is important to get a dark orange. But keep in mind that a lot of red color will create a reddish brown color.
• Blue paint will need even less - 5-7% of the total volume. You also need to add it gradually, in small portions and stirring the components well.
• Of course, adjust the hue and saturation of the brown with a blue tint.

Violet (red + blue) with yellow

• Red and blue color should be taken in equal amounts. Then you can get a noble, and even a royal shade of purple, which will have the desired saturation and warmth.
• Then, you need to introduce a little yellow. It will lighten the resulting purple, so keep an eye on the amount. If there is predominantly a yellow color, then the brown color will come out lighter and warmer. Violet tone acts in the opposite way.

IMPORTANT: Too much yellow paint will create an ocher tint.

How to make a light brown color from paints, gouache when mixing?

To get a light brown color, you need to give the predominance of yellow. But! We repeat that too much of it will make the color look like ocher. And, of course, it all depends on the desired lordship.

• To whiten the brown color, you need add white. Yes, it's that simple. The more you add, the lighter the final color will be.
• But do not overdo it, brown is a warm color, and white will neutralize this characteristic. Therefore, enter very carefully, gradually and in small portions (literally, 1% of the total mass of paints).
• Although adding the previous color will help correct the situation.

How to get a dark brown color when mixing paints, gouache?

In terms of previous blending options, more blue or green will make a darker brown. But they will also bring their own shade. There is another, simpler and faster way to get a dark brown color.

• Just add black paint. But you need to work with it extremely carefully, since a small dose of excess paint will simply turn it into black.
• Therefore, introduce paint in tiny portions and take note of one rule - experiment with a small amount of paint.

• By the way, in order not to miscalculate with the right color, mix a little black with white. But leave the predominance of the first shade. Just make it a little softer as it can quickly "eat" the brown.

How to get chocolate when mixing paints, gouache?

To create a chocolate color, you need to tinker a little. The most unencumbered scheme is to choose the right tones of orange and blue. But there is another possible option.

• Combine yellow and blue paint for a dark green color. In another bowl, combine red and a dash of yellow to create orange.
• Now combine the two received colors. And in the end you get the color of grass green or grass green.
• Now you need to create a blood red color. To do this, combine the same orange and red palette.

• In conclusion, it remains to combine the two complex colors obtained.
• And as a result, we get the color of real chocolate.
  • If you want milk chocolate, then add a drop of white paint
  • A mixture of white and yellow will give an additional golden hue to the color.
  • Dark chocolate is obtained again by adding black paint
  • But the yellow color with chocolate will help to get a beautiful and even brown color.

How to get coffee when mixing paints, gouache?

• Coffee color can be obtained by adding the same black gouache. Also, you need to mix according to technology - orange paint plus blue. In this case, you can achieve the desired tone.

• Alternatively, you can achieve the desired color with a combination of purple and orange paint. If necessary, add a drop of black.

Color mixing: table

For visual perception, we want to provide you with a table that will show all possible versions of the derivation of brown color and its range. To get a brown color, you need to mix the composite colors, adding the main shade to them. True, there are other options where the composition includes not just secondary colors, but even complex palettes.

Burnt sienna, ultramarine, cadmium yellow - these words sound like mysterious spells to the uninitiated ear. In fact, these are just the names of colors, although there is, of course, a certain magic in them. One has only to pick up a brush and put a few drops on the palette, as the imagination immediately comes to life. And all that remains for the artist is to mix the colors correctly in order to create real miracles.

It can sometimes be difficult for novice artists to navigate the choice of colors for their painting, especially if there are a lot of colors in their watercolor set. That is why it is recommended to buy paints with a smaller variety of shades, because it is much more interesting and, most importantly, more useful to mix paints yourself. Finished colors often turn out to be quite harsh, far from natural muted tones. But a custom-made palette will not only help you find what you need for the desired image, but also serve as a source of imagination and useful knowledge.

All shades of colors are divided into warm and cold. These names are completely speaking, warm colors are more sunny, summer: orange, red, yellow. Cold, respectively, winter, refreshing: blue, light blue, purple.

The colors on the palette interact with each other, forming absolutely incredible variations. However, there are general trends that are reflected in the so-called Itten circle. This is a model of combining primary and secondary colors.

The circle not only shows how secondary colors are formed from primary ones, but also visually divides them into warm and cold ones, respectively, one on the right, the other on the left. It is important to understand that we are talking about base colors, not shades. Indeed, in comparison, they alone will be warmer, others colder.

Here is a small table for mixing primary colors.

Rules for mixing paints

To properly mix watercolor paints, you need to know some of their features and be sure to take them into account when applying to paper. It is not only about the division into warm and cold tones, but also about the hiding power of some colors, i.e. ability to overlap previous layers. Different shades are obtained not only by mixing two colors, but also by varying their quantity, as well as the amount of water used. For example, mixing the classic combination of yellow and green, with the addition of more yellow, will gradually change to a lighter light green, and may even return to the original element.

Colors that are close to each other when mixed will not give a pure tone, but with their help you can get a very expressive shade, it will be called chromatic. If you combine colors located on opposite sides of the color wheel, you can get an achromatic, grayish tone. For example, a combination of orange with green and purple will give such an effect.

Some paints, when mixed, give an undesirable reaction. It's not just about dirt in the drawing, it can lead to cracking of the paint layer, as well as darkening when it dries. The combination of zinc white with cinnabar has a beautiful light pink tone, but in the future this combination darkens and becomes inexpressive. Therefore, of course, it is considered optimal to achieve brightness and multicolor by mixing the minimum number of colors. Remember that some combinations give a lasting effect, while some are completely unacceptable.

How to get yellow when mixing paints

Yellow is one of the three basic colors, so it is impossible to get it by mixing in its pure form! However, you can achieve some result by playing with shades close to it in the palette. For example, to get gold, you need regular yellow and a drop of red or brown. A good option can also be to bring them yellow with red and the addition of white.

How to get orange color when mixing paints

Much more productive is mixing yellow paint to make orange. It is formed from a mixture of yellow and red. By adding a small amount of brown and red, you can make it tangerine or golden, depending on the amount of ingredients. A bright orange color is obtained from classic orange with brown and white.

How to get a mint color when mixing paints

How to get black when mixing paints

Each watercolor set has a black color, but if for some reason you don’t have it, or you need a very dark shade, you can mix it yourself. You will need to combine red, yellow and blue in equal proportions. An excellent color is obtained from blue and brown. Also suitable for mixing red, green, yellow, purple. Cobalt yellow, cobalt blue and pink madder will give a soft black color.

How to get green when mixing paints

Green is obtained from yellow and blue. However, in watercolor in its pure form, it is used infrequently. Much more popular colors are sunny green or olive green, midnight green, their combination and other options. Solar green uses ultramarine and cobalt yellow, olive is made from the same colors with the addition of burnt sienna, and midnight is made from PC blue, yellow and a dash of black.

How to get turquoise color when mixing paints

Turquoise is better known by another name, aquamarine. On the spectrum of colors, its place is between green and blue. So for mixing they will be needed. You will need a little more blue cyan than green. However, this depends on the required color intensity. For a more delicate turquoise, you can add a drop of white or light gray paint. For a rich aquamarine, you will need to take a bright shade of blue, green and a little yellow.

How to get a burgundy color when mixing paints

The burgundy color owes its name to the French wine of the same name. This color is solemn, deep, you can mix it with three parts of red and one blue. For a warmer shade, you can introduce a little yellow, or combine bright scarlet in half with brown. A colder tone will be obtained from red, brown and black, it comes out so saturated that it must be diluted with water.

How to get blue color when mixing paints

Blue color in watercolor is very easy to get, it is enough to dilute ultramarine with water properly, and it's in the bag. However, for those who are not looking for easy ways, there are always a couple of interesting ways. One of them is the use of white paint: 2 parts of ultramarine will require one part of white paint. You need to dilute the blue color gradually to adjust the saturation of the tone. For a bright blue color, you need the same blue, a drop of red and white. Another shade can be obtained by adding one part of not red, but green paint to this mixture.

How to get a crimson color when mixing paints

Bright and energetic crimson color has a whole range of shades. The main can be obtained by combining red, blue and a small amount of white. To muffle too catchy color, add a little black. Instead of black, you can use brown, and instead of blue - turquoise or cyan, or purple, the results will be very extraordinary.

How to get brown when mixing paints

Brown can be obtained in various ways. The simplest is mixing red and green paints. It can also be made from purple and yellow, the more yellow, the lighter the tone will turn out. Another way is to use red, blue and yellow, but you need to mix them gradually, adding new portions of paint to adjust the hue, otherwise black may form, especially if red and blue predominate. A good hue is given by mixing orange and blue.

How to get purple when mixing paints

It is known from the school curriculum that purple is obtained from red and blue colors. However, in reality this is not entirely true. It is quite difficult to get a high-quality bright shade, but what is obtained from these two colors is more like a nondescript burgundy. So, in order for a bright saturated purple color to come out in the company of red and blue, the latter should prevail. At the same time, the shade of red should be taken as cold as possible, otherwise it is likely to mix brown, not purple. Blue also has its own requirements - it should not have any greenish notes, take it only in its pure form, for example, cobalt blue or ultramarine. To lighten the final tone, you can use a small amount of white. An important nuance is that after drying, the color fades a little.

How to get blue when mixing paints

Blue is the base color and cannot be mixed with other colors. But with the help of blue paint and auxiliary, you can get many of its shades. For example, sky blue can be obtained from bright ultramarine with white. For a rich blue tone, take ultramarine with dark turquoise. A beautiful blue-green comes from blue with a bit of yellow. This shade will make white color more pale. The famous Prussian blue is obtained by mixing blue and green in equal proportions. If you take 2 parts of blue and 1 of red, you get blue-violet. And if you take not red, but pink, you get royal blue. A complex gray-blue color, great for drawing shadows, can be obtained from blue and brown. A rich dark blue will come out of blue and black, two to one.

How to get pink when mixing paints

Usually pink is obtained from a combination of red and white, its shade will depend on the proportions. But you can also experiment with different types of red. A wonderful effect gives a bright scarlet, pink color is very pure. Brick red gives a peach hue. And the bloody alizarin with white forms the color of fuchsia. By adding drops of purple or yellow to the mix, unexpectedly interesting results can be obtained. Not everyone accepts the use of white in watercolor, then you can get pink simply by diluting any red color with water. In low concentration - this will be what you need.

How to get beige color when mixing paints

Beige or flesh color is necessary for the artist to depict people, faces, portraits, etc. Delicate beige can be obtained from white with the addition of ocher, cadmium yellow and red, sienna and sometimes uber in meager amounts, for easy shading. The ratio of ocher in comparison with the rest of the components will be higher, all ingredients must be introduced little by little, adjusting the required color intensity. Unfortunately, there is no exact recipe, each artist has his own vision of this issue.

How to get lilac color when mixing paints

The lilac color is quite close to purple, they are even called related. They are both cool shades and are quite close on the color wheel. Actually, the main recipe for lilac is the dilution of purple with white or water.

How to get gray color when mixing paints

Black shadows are never found in watercolor paintings, they are usually drawn with the same colors as the rest of the details, but with the addition of a darker element, for example, gray. This color in watercolor can be obtained by combining black with a large amount of water or white. Interesting shades are obtained from cobalt blue with the addition of burnt sienna or burnt umber.

Mixing oil paints, mixing technology

Mixing oil paints has a slightly different specificity, unlike watercolors. Although the basic recipes for obtaining certain colors, of course, are common. Basic acrylic mixing techniques:

• The combination of colors on the palette, i.e. physical, to obtain a new tone or shade in order to apply to the drawing. If one of the paints is lighter, then it is applied in small strokes to the dark one, provided that both paints have the same covering properties. When mixing a transparent paint with an opaque paint, the result is a opaque one. If two transparent paints are taken, then the result will be transparent. With this method, a decrease in the purity and intensity of tones is inevitable.
• The method of imposing paints, otherwise it is called glazing, is the imposition of transparent colors on top of each other directly on the image. Of course, the previous layer must be absolutely dry.
• Color matching method. If you apply brush strokes very tightly with each other, then visually there is a mixing of these colors, like a kind of optical illusion.

Oil paint mixing table

Mixing acrylic paints, technology

Acrylic paints are a great option for beginners and art lovers. They are universally suitable for both paper and fabric, glass, wood, etc. Their only drawback is their rather high cost, and therefore acrylic sets, as a rule, do not have a very rich palette. But nothing prevents us from expanding it with blending technology. You must have 7 colors: red, pink, yellow, blue, brown, white and black. And then with the help of a special table, you can easily mix the acrylic yourself.

Acrylic mixing table

Mixing colors of gouache paints

When choosing gouache, you should not focus on large sets, they look very impressive and presentable. But in fact, you have to overpay for completely unnecessary colors. It is much better to focus not on the number of jars, but on their volume. After all, when the primary colors run out, you still have to buy new paints, and the unused ones will remain dead weight. Moreover, getting new colors and shades of gouache is very easy, just like holding a brush in your hands. There are no special rules here, except that a color matching table is needed.

Gouache paint mixing table

Take paint. Any kind of paint will do - even those used on furniture or walls - but it's best (and cleaner) 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.

• Note: Black can be obtained by mixing the available colors. Black pigment, of course, exists, but its use is too conspicuous. It is better to get 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.

1. Mix red and blue. Everyone knows that red and blue, when mixed, make purple, right? Indeed, but this is not that bright, lively purple. Instead, they form something like this:

   • Not very pleasing to the eye, is it? This is because red and blue absorb more and reflect less spectrum, giving a dark, dirty purple instead of a vibrant, vibrant one.

2. 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 hue, often referred to as bright blue or turquoise. Along with yellow, they are the primary colors in the CMYK model, which is based on a subtractive color scheme (obtaining color by subtracting individual components from white). This scheme is used in printing, including color printers.
   • You can see that using the real primary colors - magenta and cyan - results in a much brighter and more vibrant hue. If you want a richer purple, add more blue. Add black for dark purple.

3. Mix pigments to get 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.

4. "See the information below. See the "Mixing Colors" section for more detailed tips 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 that can be used to get those colors on the palette.

   Light Blending: Additive Colors

   1. 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. Bringing 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, that is, it works by adding up light fluxes. Movie screens and displays, whether it's a 60-inch plasma TV or the 3.5-inch Retina display on your iPhone, use additive color mixing.

      Mix light to get primary and secondary colors. As in the case of subtractive colors, there are 3 primary and 3 secondary colors obtained by mixing 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.
      • 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 is left, that is, the reflected light. The reflected color is the color of the light output that remains when all other colors have been absorbed.

   Modern color theory

   1. Understand the subjective nature of color perception. A person's perception and identification of color depend on both objective and subjective factors. While scientists can define and measure light down to the nanometer, our eyes perceive a complex combination of not only hue, but also the saturation and brightness of a color. 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 a color on the color wheel - red, orange, yellow, and so on, including all intermediate colors, such as red-orange or orange-yellow. Here are a few examples: pink refers to a magenta tone or red (or somewhere in between). Brown refers to an orange tone because brown is a dark orange.
      • Saturation- this is what gives a rich, vibrant color, like on a rainbow or color wheel. Pale, dark and muted colors (shades) are less saturated.
      • Lightness indicates how close a color is to white or black, regardless of the 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 a relatively light color. You can lighten it 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

   1. Follow this guide to get any color you want. Magenta, yellow and cyan are the primary subtractive colors, which means that any other color can be obtained by mixing them, but they themselves cannot be obtained from other colors. Primary subtractive colors are used when mixing pigments such as inks, dyes and paints.

      

      Colors with low saturation (dim colors) come in three main types: light, dark and muted.

      Add white for light colors. Any color can be lightened by adding white to it. To get a very light color, it is better to add a little bit of the main color to white so as not to waste excess paint.

      Add black for dark colors. Any color can be darkened by adding black to it. Some artists prefer to add a complementary (complementary) color that is opposite the 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 get muted, grayish colors. By changing the relative amount of added black and white colors, you can get any desired level of lightness and saturation. For example: add white and black to yellow to get a light olive. The black will darken the yellow, making it olive green, and the white will lighten that olive green. Various olive green shades can be obtained by adjusting the amount of paint added.

      • To obtain a desaturated color, such as brown (dark orange), you can adjust the hue in the same way as for a bright orange - by adding a small amount of colors nearby on the color wheel: magenta, yellow, red or orange. They will make the brown more vibrant while changing its hue. 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.

   2. Get black. This can be done by mixing any two mutually complementary, as well as three or more equidistant colors from each other on the color wheel. Just don't add white or any color that contains white unless you want to get a shade of gray. If the resulting black leans too much towards 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 work with materials like watercolor, for which paper itself is used instead of white if necessary.

      Develop an action plan. Think about the tone, lightness, and saturation of the color you have and the color you want to achieve, and make adjustments accordingly.

      • For example, a 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 its 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 a 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 tone, you will have to add a little magenta. To tone down a hot pink, add white, a complementary color (or black), or both. Decide if you want a darker pink (add only the complementary color), taupe pink (add white and complementary color), or just a lighter pink (add only white). If you're planning on adjusting the hue with magenta and muting 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.

   3. Mix paints and start creating a masterpiece! If all this seems impossible to you, you just need a little practice. Creating a color guide for your own use is a good way to practice using the principles of color theory. Even by printing it out from a computer, you will provide yourself with useful information while you still have no practice and you cannot work on an intuitive level.

   Color samples and how to get them

   • Choose the color you would like to receive and follow the instructions below. Each pattern provides a range of possibilities; you can adjust the amount of paint used 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 located opposite each other on the RGB/CMY color wheel.
   • Red: Add some 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 some black (or cyan) to 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 will have to buy it.
     • Light yellow: Add white to yellow.
     • Dark yellow (olive green): Add some 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 some 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 will have to buy it.
     • Light cyan: Add white to cyan.
     • Dark cyan: Add some black (or red) to cyan. Red is complementary to cyan.
     • Grey-blue: Add white and black (or red) to cyan.
   • Violet blue: Mix magenta with cyan or blue.
     • Light Violet Blue (Lavender): Add white to purple-blue.
     • Dark purple blue: Add some black (or yellow) to violet-blue. Yellow is complementary to purple.
     • Greyish Violet Blue: Add white and black (or yellow) to violet-blue.
   • Violet: Mix magenta with a little cyan, blue or violet blue.
     • Light purple: Add white to purple.
     • Dark violet: Add some black (or lime green) to purple. Lime green is complementary to purple.
     • Muted purple: Add white and black (or lime green) to purple.
   • Black: Black can be obtained by mixing any two complementary colors or three colors equidistant on the exact CMY/RGB color wheel, such as red, green, and blue. If you get a dark color instead of pure black, correct it by adding its complementary color.
   • White: White cannot be obtained by mixing other colors. You will have to buy it. To get a warm white (such as cream), add some yellow. To get a cool white, add a little cyan.
   • Grey: Gray is a mixture of black and white.
   • When mixing paints, add them little by little to control 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 get the desired result.
   • To find out if a color is complementary, use your own eyes. It's an old trick: look closely at a color, then look away at a white surface. Due to the "color fatigue" of the eyes, you will see the opposite color.
   • Choosing primary colors when shopping can be tricky. Look for a magenta that is free of white and blue pigments (PW and PB). Violet and red pigments such as PV19 and PR122 work best. Good cyan PB15:3. PB15 and PG7 are also good. If you need art paints or glazes, you can try to match the colors with a printer. Print a sample from your computer to a printer to take with you to the store, or look for the primary colors on the sides of a cereal or cookie box.
   • You need one color triangle of colors that provide visual balance to the picture, and another color triangle to determine pairs of colors that cancel each other out, since complementary colors for these tasks are slightly different. So, ultramarine works well with lemon yellow and other beautiful yellows, but to darken these yellows, use purple. More information on this subject can be found online.
   • How many tubes of different paints do you really need to paint a picture? Jean-Louis Morell's book on watercolor painting shows how, using the cyan-yellow-magenta color triangle, to get almost any desired color from just four or five, but this can also be done using these three plus white (as white in watercolor painting protrudes paper)!
     • The best range of shades can be obtained by mixing colors that are close to the CMY primary colors, but to get a darker shade, one - or even better two - should be darker than these primary colors, for example, Persian blue or cobalt blue, crimson alizarin.
   • What you write? The colors you need depend entirely on what you're writing. For example, ultramarine, Neapolitan yellow, burnt sienna and white are useful for distant landscapes if bright greens and yellows are not needed.

   What will you need

   • Palette - disposable paper is well suited.
   • Palette knife (any size)
   • Watercolor paper or primed canvas (available from your local art supply 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 to remove dirt and clean brushes
   • Color circle
   • Paints
   • A bathrobe or an old shirt that you don't mind getting dirty
   • Gloves