Mixing colors can be quite confusing for newcomers to painting. In addition to the actual color theory also the different painting media play a role. We bring darkness into the light and give you the most important tips and tricks to mix your colors with on the way.

The three primary colors - colors mix by means of table

Primary colors are the three shades that are immiscible and must be purchased. You can basically mix any desired color from these three colors plus white. The three primary colors are: Red - PurpleYellow - eg cadmium yellowBlue - eg ultramarine blue Important for the mixing are the mixing ratios of the three primary colors, as well as the addition of white for the control of the brightness. Try using cheap colors to make your first color mix yourself. So you get a good feel for the most important colors

From the primary color to the secondary color

You can mix secondary colors yourself by mixing two of the three primary colors together: Violet : red and blueOrange : red and yellowGreen : blue and yellow If you mix all three primary colors together, you get black.

The last step - the tertiary colors

The tertiary colors are mixed from two adjacent colors of the color wheel of the primary and secondary colors. These colors are no longer as bright and clearly assignable as the primary and secondary colors and are therefore also called broken colors. For natural-looking images, these tertiary colors are very important, especially in nature, these shades. Examples of tertiary colors: Blue-PurpleYellow-greenGreen BlueOrange-YellowRed orangeViolet-red There is a great color wheel from Winsor and Newton , which shows you the possible color combinations very nicely. So you can easily check which colors you can mix to get the desired target color.

Mix colors - The best tips and tricks summarized

Primary colors can not be mixed by yourself When combining colors to get new shades, there are three basic shades that can not be made by mixing other shades. These are the primary colors red, blue and yellow. The mixing of primary colors results in secondary colors If two basic colors are combined, so-called secondary colors are created. For example, mixing red and blue gives violet; Yellow and red are orange; Blue and yellow make green; Red and blue make violet. If all three primary colors are mixed, this results in black. Which specific primary colors should I mix? It depends on which secondary color you want and which tint or color of that color you want to create. Mixing a deep cadmium yellow with red ocher results in a slightly different orange than a titan yellow. Basically, each combination of pairs of primary colors creates a different pair of secondary colors. The mixing ratio of primary colors The exact ratio of red and yellow that gives orange determines the exact nature of the orange hue. For example, if you mix more red than yellow, you will get a reddish orange. If you add more yellow than red, you get a yellowish orange. So our tip: play with the shades you have. Try the different combinations and mixing ratios. Do not forget to write down your findings so that the results can be repeated. Are there different reds, blues and yellows to buy? You have a very large selection of different shades in the primary colors. Here some examples: Blue: Cobalt blue, Caribbean blue, Celesan blue, Prussian blueRed: cadmium red, scarlet, crimson and Venetian redYellow: Naples yellow, cadmium yellow, lemon yellow and yellow ocher

Bright colors with individual color pigments For brightest possible colors, make sure that the colors you use consist of only one color pigment and not several. This information you will usually find on the color itself or the manufacturer on the website. How do I get tertiary colors? The mixing of a primary and a secondary color (like red + green) or two secondary colors (like orange + green) results in a so called tertiary color. Especially the latter tends to lead to muddy colors like gray, brown and black. Tertiary colors such as blue-purple, yellow-green, green-blue, orange-yellow, red-orange and purple-red are all created by the combination of a primary and a secondary color. The mixing ratios of light and dark colors When mixing colors, you need only a small amount of dark colors if you want to darken a light color. Conversely, it is dark colors that you want to lighten. So if you want to lighten a dark brown, you need a lot of white color. Be careful with dark colors like black and brown, as the result can only be corrected with a lot of light color. Optimal combination of opaque and opaque colors Similar to blending dark and light shades, it's the opacity of your colors: you only need a small amount of opaque paint to cover an opaque color. Conversely, you need a lot of transparent or opaque paint to translucent to a covering color. How do I mix white or black color? We advise you to buy white and black directly, as you always need some of these two colors. Black is mixed with the combination of primary colors yellow, blue and red. What are complementary colors? Complementary colors describe the color opposite the color wheel, as if it were the opposite color. The use of complementary colors on a picture can be irritating to the eye. When used deliberately, however, exciting effects can also be generated.

Do not mix colors too thoroughly If you mix two colors together, try not to mix them completely for a more natural result. So you have within the color used small color differences, which make a much more harmonious impression, especially for natural images. Mixing warm and cool shades Shades are perceived as either warm or cool. The warm colors include yellow and red, the cool colors blue. These properties can also be mixed, for example, to mix a warm sky blue. Two warm shades mixed together give a warm hue, whereas the blending of a warm and a cold shades gives a more neutral hue. Mix a clean green Our tip for a really nice, clean green: Use Phtalo Blue with lemon yellow. Which shades do you like for mixing clean colors? A good basis are the following shades: cadmiumPhtaloblauUltramarinePhatlogrünlemoncadmium yellow Mixing gray and brown Gray and brown are tertiary colors and are mixed with all three primary colors in different proportions. Which colors mix for brown? There are countless ways to mix beautiful browns. The fastest way, in our experience, is to blend some blue with orange.

How do I mix a nice earthy brown? To create a really nice earthy brown tone, try out the combination of red and green. Which colors mix for gray You mix a nice gray by mixing a larger amount of blue with less orange and then adding white color to the desired brightness. How do I mix a delicate gray? For a delicate shade of gray, mix a lot of white color with something red and green. How do I get a warm gray? For a warm shade of gray, try a good mix of purple and yellow.