If you’d like to mix a pretty lilac color, we suggest using Cranberry Sauce, Midnight Sky, and Simplicity in a mix of 1 part Cranberry Sauce, 1 part Midnight Sky, and 4 parts Simplicity.
A Comprehensive Guide to Color Mixing
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These resources are sure to lay the framework for a positively eye-catching work of art — full of bold and nuanced color alike.
I still remember first learning about color theory in my fifth-grade art class. The concept of light waves; the spectrum; primary, secondary, and tertiary color — it was all rather enchanting. What once had been a random act of trial and error had now become a whole new world of methodical experimentation. I felt equipped to mix my paints with a sense of purpose — and a lot less of that accidental muddy brown.
The Chiaroscuro of Color
There is the science of color mixing based on a solid understanding of hue, chroma, value, and temperature. And then there is the art of it all — the instinctual and interpretive approach to creating a truly stunning piece of artwork. If you’ll excuse the mixed metaphors (and that unintended pun), color mixing is quite like chiaroscuro in this way; there is a balance between know-how and intuition involved. But like Carol Z. Brody has said about intuitive painting, “truly feeling comfortable working this way requires knowledge of the components of a good painting” — form, balance, contrast, composition, and, of course, color.
Below you’ll find a compilation of our very best articles and videos, all about demystifying color theory and getting this color-mixing thing down pat. From art demos and color palette guides to in-depth videos and more, this color mixing guide is sure to lay the framework for a positively eye-catching work of art. Happy (and colorful) creating, friends!
Color Theory
- How to Speak the Language of Color
- The Importance of Color Mixing for Interesting Paintings
- 7 Secrets of Color Mixing for the Contemporary Painter
- Acrylic Color Essentials from Chris Cozen
Step 1: Mixing Tints
Let’s start with mixing Tints. A tint is basically a lighter version of a color; tints are also called pastels. We can mix a tint by adding Simplicity to the base color. Simplicity is our pure white color. Say, for example, you are looking for a nice light apple green. You’ll start with some Simplicity and add a bit of Luscious Lime. Can you see what a pretty light green color this is?
The best way to create a tint is to start with Simplicity and add a bit of color to it. If you start with the color, you might need to add a lot of the Simplicity to get the tint that you are looking for.
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Step 2: Mixing Shades
Now, let’s say you wanted to create a darker shade of a color, you can achieve that by adding a bit of Liquorice to the color of your choice.
Let’s start with some Cranberry Sauce, and add just a tad of Liquorice to it. As you can see here, we’ve create a beautiful wine red color by mixing Cranberry Sauce and Liquorice together. The color mix we used was 8 parts of Cranberry Sauce with 1 part of Liquorice.
When mixing shades, you’ll want to be careful not to add too much Liquorice, just start with a little at a time.
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Step 3: Mixing Tones
Usually we are attracted to colors that are a bit toned down, as they seem more sophisticated than bright colors. If you have a Country Chic color you’d like to tone down, you can use a bit of Hurricane, or a mixture of Liquorice and Simplicity.
If you take our pretty, bright turquoise, Tropical Cocktail and add a drop of Hurricane you’ll see a big difference! We can achieve a similar tone by adding Liquorice and Simplicity instead of Hurricane.
You can, of course add a bit more of the white Simplicity to lighten it up, if it’s too dark for your liking.
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