How To Mix Specific Paint Colours (So You Don't Have To Buy Them!), by Emma Jane Lefebvre (EmJ Watercolour Studio) on YouTube. 19 min 29 s.
- Video length
- 19 min 29 s
- Time to do it
- 20 minutes
- Difficulty
- Easy
- Steps
- 10
What you need
Steps
Lay out the seven tube colours: cadmium yellow, Winsor red, permanent rose, Winsor violet, sap green, Hooker's green and Winsor blue. Keep clean water and a sheet of scrap paper nearby for testing each mix.
For yellow ochre, start with cadmium yellow and add a touch of Winsor violet, then a little Winsor red. Add the darker colours a dot at a time until the hue looks right.
Mix cadmium red with a little Winsor violet, then add a small amount of Hooker's green. Go slowly, because the green darkens the mix quickly.
Combine Winsor violet with cadmium red for perylene violet. Add either Hooker's green or a little cadmium yellow to push it toward the target colour.
Start with sap green and add burnt umber to make olive green. Without burnt umber, use cadmium orange or a tiny bit of cadmium red instead.
Mix Winsor blue with Winsor red to get indigo. Add the red gradually, since a small amount turns the blue deep and purplish fast.
For mauve, blend Winsor violet with permanent rose. Let the rose lead for a soft pinky purple, or add more violet for depth.
Make perylene green from Winsor violet, Hooker's green and Winsor blue. Add the blue last, a little at a time, so the green does not turn grey.
Mix Winsor red, Hooker's green and cadmium yellow to create burnt umber. Paint a swatch and let it dry, because watercolour looks lighter once dry.
Combine cadmium yellow, Winsor red, Hooker's green and permanent rose for brown madder. Balance the rose and yellow until the brown reads warm.
Tips and common mistakes
Mix small amounts at a time so you do not waste paint while testing a recipe.
Always add dark colours a dot at a time, since you cannot take paint back out of a mix.
Rinse your brush between colours so a dirty brush does not muddy a fresh mix.
Write each recipe next to its swatch on a spare sheet so you can repeat a colour later.
Questions
Do I need the exact Winsor & Newton colours?
Similar single-pigment colours from other brands usually work, but the recipes assume these specific hues. A different red or violet will shift the result, so test a small swatch first.
Can I use student-grade paints for these mixes?
Yes, though results may vary. Student paints often already contain mixed pigments, so the final colour can look duller or greyer than with professional tubes.
What if my mixed colour looks too dark?
Add more of the lightest colour in the recipe, or a little water to thin it. Test on paper and let it dry before judging the shade.
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.
