Color mixing tips for acrylic painting - Make it easy, by Lachri Fine Art on YouTube. 15 min 31 s.
- Video length
- 15 min 31 s
- Time to do it
- 20 minutes
- Difficulty
- Easy
- Steps
- 8
What you need
Steps
Squeeze out small amounts of each color you plan to use. Keep the blobs apart on the palette so you can add one color at a time.
Start with the lighter or dominant color and add the darker one in tiny amounts. It is much easier to darken a mix than to lighten it.
Mix with a clean palette knife or brush and stir thoroughly. Scrape the edges back in so no unmixed streaks remain.
Rinse your brush in clean water and blot it before dipping into another color. Dirty water and dirty brushes are the main cause of muddy mixes.
To dull a color, add a tiny touch of its complement on the color wheel. Add less than you think and check the result on a scrap of paper.
Test each mix on a spare piece of canvas or paper and let it dry. Acrylic paint dries slightly darker than it looks when wet.
Adjust the mix by adding small amounts of white for tints or a dark color for shades. Note the rough ratio so you can repeat it later.
Store leftover mixed colors in small lidded paint pots. A drop of water on top keeps them workable for the next session.
Tips and common mistakes
Keep a scrap of paper nearby to test mixes before applying them to your painting.
Use separate water pots for warm and cool colors if you mix a lot, to avoid contamination.
Never dip a brush straight from a dark color into white paint without rinsing first.
Acrylics dry fast, so mist the palette lightly with water while you work.
Questions
Why do my acrylic mixes turn muddy?
Usually too many colors are combined or the brush is not rinsed between colors. Stick to two or three pigments per mix and clean your brush often.
Can I use these mixing tips with oil paint?
Yes. The same rules about adding dark to light and rinsing tools apply to oils, though oils give you more time to adjust a mix.
How do I make a color lighter without making it chalky?
Add white gradually and mix fully. For some colors, a light yellow or a touch of the color's own tint works better than pure white.
This guide was drafted from the video's details and general task knowledge. It has not been checked against the full video. Check the video and relevant product instructions before following a procedure. Report a correction.
