Color Mixing Series: Greens | How to Mix Greens in Watercolor, by Denise Soden on YouTube. 11 min 49 s.
- Video length
- 11 min 49 s
- Time to do it
- 15 minutes
- Difficulty
- Easy
- Steps
- 9
What you need
Steps
Squeeze a small amount of one blue and one yellow onto your palette, keeping them apart so the pans stay clean.
Dampen your brush, pick up a little blue and mix it into a clean well or puddle until it flows smoothly.
Do the same with the yellow in a separate puddle, then pull a small amount of each together with your brush.
Start with roughly equal amounts of blue and yellow to get a balanced middle green, then adjust.
Add more yellow for a lighter, warmer green. Add more blue for a deeper, cooler green.
Try a cool blue such as phthalo blue with a bright yellow for vivid emerald greens, then swap in ultramarine for softer, muted greens.
Paint a small swatch of each mix on watercolor paper and let it dry, because watercolor looks lighter once dry.
Label each swatch with the pigments and rough ratio so you can repeat the green you like.
Compare your mixed green to a tube green such as sap green or phthalo green to see the difference in brightness and temperature.
Tips and common mistakes
Stick to two pigments per mix, since a third color usually turns the green muddy.
Rinse your brush between the blue and the yellow so you do not dirty your pans.
Use less water for a stronger green and more water for a pale wash.
Keep a spare strip of paper nearby to test a mix before you paint.
Questions
What two colors make green?
Blue and yellow. The exact green depends on which blue and yellow you use and how much of each you add.
Why does my mixed green look muddy?
Usually because too many pigments are in the mix or the brush carried dirt from another color. Rinse the brush and mix only two paints.
Can I mix an olive green?
Yes. Use ultramarine blue with a warm yellow such as yellow ochre, and keep the blue portion small.
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.
