Simplifying Mixing Colors

The very first colors you want to start with are the Primary Colors.

There are three of them: RED, BLUE, and YELLOW

Primary colors cannot be made from any other colors, thus the name "primary."

The Secondary Colors are: GREEN, ORANGE, and PURPLE

These are a result of mixing equal parts of two Primary Colors.

Green is made from Blue and Yellow.

Violet is made from Blue and Red

Orange is made from Red and Yellow

The tertiary colors fall in between a primary and secondary color. They are always named after both colors, with the primary color always being the first part of the name. Equal parts of each color will produce the tertiary color.

As you can see in this picture, Blue and Green make Blue-Green.
Green and Yellow make Yellow-Green.
The other four are Yellow-Orange, Red-Orange, Red-Violet, and Blue-Violet

So now you have 12 different colors or "Hues" which will become the basis for mixing all different colors. There is one other color you need to make it complete, and that is white.

The other thing you will need to understand is what pairs of colors make up a set of complementary colors.

The rule is: Any two colors that are directly across from each other on the color wheel are each others' complement.

Looking at the color wheel, you see that Blue and Orange are complements, Violet and Yellow are complement, and so are Yellow-Orange and Blue-Violet. You can figure out the rest, I'm sure.

They are called complements because when placed together on the same page, they enhance the intensity of each other, especially if they are directly next to each other. When mixed together, however, they tend to darken or gray each other down, and this will be important when you start mixing instead of using black.

There are other terms to understand, such as Analogous and Harmonious colors, but these are not important in actually mixing a color. They are important for the over all appearance of your painting, however. You can find out more about them on my website: www.filarecki.com/mixing-colors.html

Now we are ready to begin mixing a color.

The first thing you need to do is identify the Hue of the color you want to make. You do this by comparing it to the 12 colors on the color wheel. Disregard whether it is darker or lighter or brighter or duller. Say, for example, you decide the hue is a form of yellow.

The second thing you have to do is decide on its color Value. Is it lighter or darker than the yellow on the color wheel. You do this by comparing it to a gray scale chart. Say, for example, you identify it as a #3 on a scale where white is #1. (You can learn more about gray scale from my other Squidoo lens, Grayscale and Tonal Values.

The last thing you must identify is the color Intensity. How bright or dull is is? The brightest level would be pure color while the darkest level would be so gray that you can't even discern what the original color is.

OK! You've done the hard part. Now it is time to mix the color.

Here are the thee simple steps.

1. Select the color yellow from the color wheel.
2. Add white to bring it to the #3 value on the gray scale .
3. Dull it down with its complementary color to bring it to the intensity you are looking for.

For this example, to dull the yellow, add a very small amount of violet to it and mix until blended. Gradually add a little more violet until it has reached the intensity you identified.

In some cases other than in this example, you may not need to add the white, but you may have to dull the color down, or do just the opposite in another case. This is where the complementary colors are important and replace black.

Give it a try. That is the only way you will learn. I use a disposable paper palette to experiment on. It is a lot less expensive than trying it out on canvas.

Here are samples of the mixing of yellow and purple, blue and orange and red and green.

For more information on using complementary colors instead of black, go to

www.filarecki.com/mixing-colors.html

Below are some of the YouTube Videos on mixing colors I have posted. They are meant to give you a feeling for mixing colors. I did it on a disposable pallet which works well for experimenting with colors. It's a lot less threatening than putting the color on a canvas. That can come later.

I personally do not like using black if I don't have too. I feel that it deadens the color. What I prefer to use is a complementary colors. It darkens it while adding a new dimension of color into the painting.

To make shadowed areas more interesting, use the color wheel to identify the color which is immediately adjacent to the complementary color you would normally use. Add that color instead. It definitely brings more life into the shadowed areas. The shadow coloring should be warm or cool colors depending on the light source producing the shadow.

Another consideration is the reflected light that shows up in the shadow. Pick colors that are taken from the colors surrounding the shadow. Dab hints of these colors into the shadow without deteriorating the fact that they are in the shadow.

Except for blue, adding white to lighten a color tends to make it look chalky when using oils or acrylics. Instead, put down a layer of white where you want the color to be lighter. Then paint thin layers of the color you want to lighten until you achieve the color you want. This is essentially the same principle you use with watercolors using the paper white is the white source.

In my DVD, "Painting with Acrylics: Sombrero Peak", you can see how I added permanent rose to permanent sap green to get a darker shade of green for the shadowing and background of the foreground foliage.

This is an example of using complementary colors to darken the value of the color without using black.

The key to using complementary colors is that different ratios have different effects. The best thing for you to do is experiment with the colors you have on your pallet to see what colors you get.

So what do you do if you really need black in your painting, not just a darker version of colors you all ready have?

Mix ultramarine blue and burnt umber and you will get a black that will meet your needs. You can also add this black to other colors to darken them much like you would for regular black, but it will not deaden you color.

If you add white to the mixture, you can have a nice clean gray. Experiment with the mixture and you will be surprised at what rich colors you can achieve with it.

www.judyfilarecki.com
This website has a preview of the DVD, Painting with Acrylics: Sombrero Peak. It includes all the ordering information for the DVD plus a payment link.

It also has links to Free Offerings made by Judy Filarecki.

Or, you can go directly to them using the links below.

Free Help with Your Painting Problems

Free Cloud Photos I have Taken that you can use with my permission as references for you paintings.

Pastel Art usng Watercolor Techniques:View a preview and access the complete Free 10 minute video demonstrating several effects you can accomplish by combining pastels with water.

Once you have an understanding of mixing colors, you might want to know more about analogous colors and how to use them together for special effects. I have written a Squidoo article on this subject at Home Decorating with Analogous Colors. Although it talks about mixing colors in home decorating, the same information applies to painting also, so c hack it out

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It is a work in continuous progress so check back frequently to see what is new. I know you will not be disappointed.

I have also written some Ezine Articles and HubPage Articles that may be of interest to you.