Learning to draw: mixing acrylic, oil, watercolor paints. All kinds of shades from three primary colors.

Without creativity human life empty and uninteresting. Painting, like music, is learned not only in order to be realized in life, but also in order to find an outlet in life, a hobby that will bring joy and peace to life. And where there is drawing, so is mixing colors. This is exactly what is dedicated to this article. In it we will tell you how to mix and obtain new colors and shades of the most common paints in painting.

How to properly mix acrylic, oil and watercolor paints to obtain the desired color: table, proportions

Mixing acrylic paints

We suggest that you familiarize yourself with the lesson famous artist and a called teacher, author of Acrylic Painting with Lee Hammond. Lee Hammond warns that although we supposedly know from childhood that mixing red and blue will get purple, acrylic paints have a different pigmentation and most likely you will find brown on the palette.

Important: read the pigments on the packages. Have you seen on store shelves there are up to 15 types of the same shade? Do you think this is to fill a display case? No, it is the same color with different pigments. Therefore, we write down or photograph on a smartphone the color - the necessary pigment - and with this we go to the store to replenish the paints.

Also note that the pigments are transparent, translucent and dense in consistency. Therefore, you can buy completely different structures from the same paint manufacturer. This is not a defect, but the properties of the pigment.

So, in order to get an almost full range of colors, only 7 colors are enough. For beginners, it is recommended to purchase exactly these colors, and in the future, at your own discretion, purchase additional shades.

Please note that we do not specifically translate the names of the primary colors so that you can name them in the store and purchase the necessary pigments:

• Base: Cadmium Yellow Medium
• Base: Cadmium Red Medium
• Main: Prussian Blue
• Additional: Alizarin Crimson
• Additional: Burnt Umber
• Neutral: Ivory Black
• Neutral: Titanium White

We bought it, prepared the canvas for the experiment, and let’s move on to the magic.

Experiment one - mix each color with white and get new, amazing pastel and delicate shades. We provide a table of strokes with a caption of what we mixed.

Well, now, from left to right, from first to bottom, let’s look at the shades that we managed to get: fawn; peach or as it is also called coral; light pink; beige; sky blue; gray or light asphalt.

Now we try to mix all the colors with black, the result is in the table below.

And we got these colors: khaki or dark green; chestnut; plum; deep brown; Navy blue.

But that's all simple, now let's move on to more difficult option mixing acrylic paints, but interesting! Mix and get all shades of green.

As we already did, we mix the two colors that are under the stroke and get exactly this shade.

Additionally we received: olive green color; a gray-green tint reminiscent of asphalt after rain reflecting the green crowns of trees; bottle green; mint.

The next step is purple and violet tones and midtones. In order to obtain such shades, you will need to have Prussian blue or alizarin pink or cadmium red in the work kit. Two examples for mixing: Prussian Blue + Cadmium red medium or Prussian Blue + Alizarin Crimson.

The colors we got were chestnut, rich warm grey, plum and a hint of lavender.

Now add white pigment and stir, add another drop to each option. Notice what a riot of color appears in your hands!

Sunny shades. This is what artists like to call shades of orange; these are wonderful uplifting tones. They are made by mixing red with complementary colors.

On this table we got: orange as it is, peach, brick, coral.

Earthy tones can be achieved by adding burnt umber (international meaning Burnt Umber). If there is a need to obtain pastel shades of these tones, then just add a drop of white pigment.

In this case, we got earthy shades: umber; brick; dark turquoise; dark sepia; dirty beige; pastel lilac; steel blue; Warm gray.

Mixing oil paints

In oil paints, the situation with the palette is a little simpler and one pigment is used in one color, so we will not give the main colors, but will leave only the name of the color. The rules that we remember from childhood are precisely the rules of oil paints.

Mixing watercolor paints

Watercolor paints are mixed according to the same principle as oil paints, except that watercolors are translucent and the shades are more muted. We recommend working through the table above first, and only then moving on to drawing on canvas.

Basic colors for mixing paints

There are only three primary colors in paint mixing. These are red, blue and yellow. White and black are considered additional. Thanks to these colors you can get absolutely all shades of the rainbow.

This article does not provide ready-made solutions, because it is impossible to squeeze out paint or smear a certain amount of milligrams; this article gives a direction in which you can work and develop. Try, experiment and you will definitely end up with a delicious creation. And painting works much better than any psychologist, relieves stress, distracts from problems and helps you see the beauty in the ordinary!

Video: How to get brown, purple, blue, red, beige, orange, pink, gray, lilac, black, turquoise, mint, green, olive, blue, lilac, pistachio, khaki, yellow, fuchsia, cherry, marsala, white when mixing paints?

Take paints. Any kind of paint will do - even those used on furniture or walls - but it's best (and cleanest) to practice with a few small tubes of oil or acrylic paint. First, let's see what happens if we mix just two colors - red and blue.

• Note: Black can be obtained by mixing existing colors. Black pigment, of course, exists, but its use is too conspicuous. It is better to obtain dark colors by mixing transparent primary colors: shadows also have shades, depending on the time of day and other factors.
• Read the "Other Tips" section below for guidance on choosing the best magenta and cyan.

1. Mix red and blue. Everyone knows that red and blue when mixed give purple, is not it? Indeed, but it's not that bright, vibrant purple. Instead they form something like this:

   • Not very pleasing to the eye? This is because red and blue absorb more and reflect less of the spectrum, producing a dark, dirty purple instead of a vibrant and bright one.

2. Now try this: mix magenta with a little cyan and you will see the difference. This time you will get something like this:

   

   • Magenta is a shade of purple, cyan is a blue-green shade, often called royal blue or turquoise. Along with yellow, they are the primary colors in the CMYK model, which is based on a subtractive color scheme (producing color by subtracting individual components from white). This scheme is used in printing, including color printers.
   • You can see that using true primary colors - magenta and cyan - results in a much brighter, more vibrant hue. If you want a deeper purple, add more blue. For a deep purple, add black.

3. Mix pigments to create primary and secondary colors. There are 3 main color pigments: cyan, magenta and yellow. There are also 3 secondary colors obtained by mixing two primary colors:

   • Cyan + yellow = green
   • Cyan + magenta = blue
   • Magenta + yellow = red
   • Cyan + magenta + yellow = black
   • In subtractive color mixing, the combination of all colors produces black.

4. "Read the information below. The Mixing Paints section provides more detailed advice on how to achieve a wide variety of shades, including light, dark and greyish. The Tips section provides an extensive list of colors and combinations you can use to get those colors on your palette.

   Light mixing: additive colors

   1. Take a look at your monitor. Look at the white areas on this page and get as close as possible. Even better if you have a magnifying glass. When you bring your eyes closer to the screen, you will see not white, but red, green and blue dots. Unlike pigments, which work by absorbing color, light is additive, meaning it works by adding up light streams. Cinema screens and displays, whether it's a 60-inch plasma TV or the 3.5-inch Retina display in your iPhone, use an additive method of mixing colors.

      Mix light to create primary and secondary colors. As with subtractive colors, there are 3 primary and 3 secondary colors obtained by mixing the primary colors. The result may surprise you:

      • Mixing red + blue = magenta
      • Mixing blue + green = cyan
      • Mixing green + red = yellow
      • In additive color mixing, the combination of all colors produces white.
      • Please note that primary additive colors are secondary subtractive colors, and vice versa. How can it be? Know that the effect of subtractive color is a combined process: it absorbs some colors, and we perceive what remains, that is, reflected light. Reflected color is the color of the luminous flux that remains when all other colors have been absorbed.

   Modern color theory

   1. Understand the subjective nature of color perception. Human perception and identification of color depend on both objective and subjective factors. While scientists can detect and measure light down to the nanometer, our eyes perceive a complex combination of not only hue, but also color saturation and brightness. This circumstance is further complicated by the way we see the same color on different backgrounds.

      Hue, saturation and lightness are the three dimensions of color. We can say that any color has three dimensions: hue, saturation and lightness.

      • Tone characterizes the position of color on color wheel- red, orange, yellow and so on, including all intermediate colors such as red-orange or orange-yellow. Here are some examples: Pink refers to a magenta or red tone (or anything in between). Brown refers to the orange tone because brown is dark orange.
      • Saturation- This is what produces rich, vibrant color, like on a rainbow or color wheel. Pale, dark and muted colors (shades) are less saturated.
      • Lightness shows how close a color is to white or black, regardless of color. If you do black and white photograph colors, it will be possible to tell which of them are lighter and which are darker.
        • For example, bright yellow is relatively light color. You can lighten it up even more by adding white and making it a pale yellow.
        • Bright blue is naturally dark and low on the light scale, while dark blue is even lower.

   Mixing paints

   1. Follow these instructions to get any color you want. Magenta, yellow and cyan are primary subtractive colors, which means that they can be mixed to create any other color, but they themselves cannot be obtained from other colors. Primary subtractive colors are used when mixing pigments such as inks, dyes and paints.

      

      Low saturation colors (soft colors) come in three main types: light, dark and muted.

      Add white to get lighter colors. Any color can be lightened by adding white to it. To achieve a very light color, it is better to add the base color to the white a little at a time so as not to waste excess paint.

      Add black to get dark colors. Any color can be darkened by adding black to it. Some artists prefer to add a complementary color that is opposite a given color on the exact CMY/RGB color wheel. For example, green can be used to darken magenta and magenta can be used to darken green because they are opposite each other on the color wheel. Add black or complementary color a little at a time so as not to overdo it.

      Add white and black (or white and a complementary color to the original) to create muted, grayish colors. By varying the relative amounts of black and white flowers

      • To achieve a desaturated color such as brown (deep orange), you can adjust the hue in the same way as to achieve bright orange - by adding small amounts of colors nearby on the color wheel: magenta, yellow, red or orange. They will make the brown brighter while changing its shade. But since brown is not a bright color, you can also use colors on the other sides of the triangle, such as green or blue, which will darken the brown while changing its hue.

   2. Get black. This can be done by mixing any two colors that are mutually complementary, as well as three or more colors that are equidistant from each other on the color wheel. Just don't add white or any color containing white unless you want a shade of gray. If the resulting black leans too much toward a particular color, neutralize it by adding a little complementary color to that color.

      Don't try to get white. White cannot be obtained by mixing other colors. Like the three primary colors - magenta, yellow and cyan - you will have to buy them, unless, of course, you are working with materials like watercolor, for which paper itself is used instead of white if necessary.

      Develop an action plan. Think about the hue, lightness, and saturation of the color you have and the color you want, and make adjustments accordingly.

      • For example, the shade of green can be brought closer to cyan or yellow - its neighbors on the color wheel. It can be lightened by adding white. Or darken it by adding black or a complementary color, namely purple, magenta or red, depending on the shade of green. You can tone it down by adding black and white, or make the desaturated green a little brighter by adding (bright) green.
      • One more example. You mixed red and white to make pink, but the pink came out too bright and warm (yellowish). To correct the warm shade, you will have to add a little magenta. To tone down hot pink, add white, a complementary color (or black), or both. Decide if you want a darker pink (add only the complementary color), a grayish pink (add white and the complementary color), or just a lighter pink (add only the white). If you plan to adjust the hue with magenta and tone down the pink with green or cyan (complementary to magenta and red), you can try combining the two by using a color between magenta and cyan, such as blue.

   3. Mix paints and start creating a masterpiece! If all of this seems overwhelming, you just need a little practice. Creating a color guide for your own needs - good way Practice using the principles of color theory. Even by printing it from your computer, you will provide yourself useful information for a time when you do not yet have practice and cannot work on an intuitive level.

   Samples of colors and methods for obtaining them

   • Select the color you want and follow the instructions below. Each sample provides a range of possibilities; you can adjust the amount of paint you use to get exactly the color you want. For example, any light color can be lightened or darkened by adding more or less white. Complementary, or complementary, colors are colors that are opposite each other on the RGB/CMY color wheel.
   • Red: Add a little yellow or orange to the magenta.
     • Light red (salmon pink, coral): Add white to red. Use less white and more red to get coral.
     • Dark red: Add a little black (or cyan) to the red. Cyan is complementary to red.
     • Muted Red: Add white and black (or cyan) to red.
   • Yellow: Yellow cannot be obtained by mixing other colors. You'll have to buy it.
     • Light yellow: Add white to yellow.
     • Dark yellow (olive green): Add a little black (or purple-blue) to the yellow. Violet-blue is complementary to yellow.
     • Muted yellow (light olive): Add white or black (or purple-blue) to yellow.
   • Green: Mix cyan and yellow.
     • Light green: Add white to green.
     • Dark green: Add a little black (or magenta) to the green. Magenta is complementary to green.
     • Grey-green: Add white and black (or magenta) to green.
   • Cyan (turquoise blue): Cyan cannot be obtained by mixing other colors. You'll have to buy it.
     • Light cyan: Add white to cyan.
     • Dark cyan: Add a little black (or red) to the cyan. Red is complementary to cyan.
     • Grey-blue: Add white and black (or red) to the cyan.
   • Purple Blue: Mix magenta with cyan or blue.
     • Light violet blue (lavender): Add white to the purple-blue.
     • Dark violet blue: Add a little black (or yellow) to the purple-blue. Yellow is complementary to violet.
     • Grayish-violet-blue: Add white and black (or yellow) to the purple-blue.
   • Violet: Mix magenta with a little cyan, blue or violet blue.
     • Light purple: Add white to purple.
     • Dark purple: Add some black (or lime green) to the purple. Lime green is complementary to purple.
     • Muted purple: Add white and black (or lime green) to the purple.
   • Black: Black can be created by mixing any two complementary colors or three equidistant colors on the precise CMY/RGB color wheel, such as red, green and blue. If instead of pure black you got dark color, correct it by adding a color that is complementary to it.
   • White: White cannot be obtained by mixing other colors. You'll have to buy it. For a warm white (such as cream), add a little yellow. To get a cool white, add a little cyan.
   • Grey: Gray is a mixture of black and white.
   • When mixing paints, add a little at a time to adjust the color. You can always add more. This is especially true when working with black and blue, which tend to dominate other colors. Add a little at a time until you achieve the desired result.
   • To find out if a color is complementary, use your own eyes. It's an old trick: look closely at a color, then look away at a white surface. Due to “color fatigue” in the eyes, you will see the opposite color.
   • Choosing primary colors when purchasing can be difficult. Look for magenta that does not contain white or blue pigments (PW and PB). The best pigments are violet and red pigments such as PV19 and PR122. Good cyan PB15:3. PB15 and PG7 are also good. If you need art paints or glaze, you can try to match the colors using a printer. Print a sample from your computer to take with you to the store, or look for primary colors on the sides of a cereal or cookie package.
   • You need one color triangle of colors that provide visual balance to the painting, and another color triangle to identify pairs of colors that neutralize each other, since the complementary colors for these tasks are slightly different. So, ultramarine goes well with lemon yellow and other beautiful yellows, but to darken those yellows, use purple. More information on this subject can be found online.
   • How many tubes with different colors actually needed to paint a picture? In Jean-Louis Morell's book about watercolor painting shows how, using the cyan-yellow-magenta color triangle, you can get almost any desired color from just four or five, but this can also be done using the above three plus white (paper is used as white in watercolor painting)!
     • The best range of shades can be achieved by mixing colors close to the CMY primary colors, but to get a darker shade, one - or better yet, two - must be darker than these primary colors, for example, Persian blue or cobalt blue, alizarin crimson.
   • What are you writing? The colors you need depend entirely on what you're writing. For example, ultramarine, Neapolitan yellow, burnt sienna and whitewash are useful for distant landscapes if bright greens and yellows are not needed.

   What you will need

   • Palette - a disposable paper palette works well.
   • Palette knife (any size)
   • Watercolor paper or primed canvas (you can buy these from your local art store; ready-made primed canvas works well)
   • Containers with water or solvent for washing brushes
   • Synthetic brush of your choice (#8 round or #6 flat works well)
   • Spray bottle to keep water-based paints from drying out
   • Paper towels for removing dirt and cleaning brushes
   • Color circle
   • Paints
   • A robe or an old shirt that you don’t mind getting dirty
   • Gloves

The color mixing table allows you to learn how to get the right one when mixing two or more colors and shades.

This table is used in various fields art - fine art, modeling, and others. Can also be used in construction when mixing paints and plasters.

Color Mixing Chart 1

Color mixing chart 2

Mixing paints
black= brown+blue+red in equal proportions
black= brown+blue.
gray and black= blue, green, red and yellow are mixed in equal proportions, and then one or the other is added by eye. it turns out we need more blue and red
black= it turns out if you mix red, blue and brown
black=red, green and blue. You can additionally add brown.
bodily= red and yellow paint... just a little bit. After kneading, if it turns yellow, add a little red, if a little yellow paint turns pink. If the color turns out to be very saturated, add a piece of white mastic and mix again
dark cherry= red + brown + a little blue (cyan)
strawberry= 3 parts pink + 1 part red
Turkiz= 6 parts sky blue + 1 part yellow
silver gray= 1 hour black + 1 hour blue
dark red= 1 part red + a little black
rust color= 8 hours orange + 2 hours red + 1 hour brown
greenish= 9 hours sky blue + a little yellow
dark green= green + a little black
lavender=5 parts pink + 1 part purple
bodily= a little copper color
nautical=5h. blue+1 hour green
peach=2h. orange + 1 tsp. dark yellow
dark pink=2h. red+1 hour brown
Navy blue=1h. blue+1h. Sereneviy
avocado= 4h. yellow + 1 part green + a little black
coral=3 hours pink + 2 hours yellow
gold= 10 hours yellow + 3 hours orange + 1 hour red
plum = 1 part purple + a little red
light green= 2 hours purple + 3 hours yellow

red + yellow = orange
red + ocher + white = apricot
red + green = brown
red + blue = violet
red + blue + green = black
yellow + white + green = citric
yellow + cyan or blue = green
yellow + brown = ocher
yellow + green + white + red = tobacco
blue + green = sea ​​wave
orange + brown = terracotta
red + white = coffee with milk
brown + white + yellow = beige
light green=green+yellow, more yellow,+white= light green

lilac=blue+red+white, more red and white, +white= light lilac
lilac= red and blue, with red predominating
Pistachio paint obtained by mixing yellow paint with a small amount of blue

Wall decoration is becoming fashionable in interior design various types plasters and painting them with paints. But it’s not always possible to choose the palette you like in hardware stores. Don't despair. Modern technologies allow you to get the desired result. Mixing colors of standard shades allows you to achieve the desired result. The next question arises, how to mix paints to get a beautiful tone? Let's try to get an answer.

There are quite a lot of tones. But the production of paints is based on the use of standard colors. Nowadays, non-standard colors are in fashion, which can be obtained by mixing dyes. They will tell you how to mix colors correctly the following recommendations specialists.

It has been known since childhood that the basis of all tones are three colors: red, blue, yellow.

To get other options, you need to know the rules for mixing paints. The combination of basic dyes gives a wide range of different undertones.

The secret to creating a new color scheme by mixing colors is to use basic dyes in different proportions. For example, when mixing the colors blue and yellow, we get green. If you continue to add yellow to the resulting substance, you can get tones that are increasingly closer to it. It all depends on the volumes that are connected.

On video: how to get a new color.

The nuances of combining dyes

Mixing colors of chromatic shades, which are placed next to each other on the color wheel, gives a fairly bright palette. If you mix dyes that are on opposite sides of the circle, we get achromatic tones, that is, with a predominance of gray.

To get the desired result, you need to understand not only color scheme, but also ensure that the solutions are suitable in chemical composition. Otherwise, you may get unexpected results. If the color initially turns out bright when mixing paints, then over time it begins to darken and turn gray. For example, a combination of lead white and cinnabar red color initially gives a bright pink, but after a while it will lose its saturation. This also applies to oil paints. They are very susceptible to solvents.

The most the best option To achieve a high-quality rich color scheme is to combine a minimum amount of paints. Comparability of materials is required. A color mixing table will help you select them.

Traditional palette mixing options

When getting a color yourself, you need to know the rules for mixing paints. Let's look at common options for receiving desired color.

Reds

Red is a representative of the main color. To obtain different red shades, you must follow the following rules:

• The tone of carmine, which is as close as possible to fuchsia, is combined with yellow 2:1. The result is red.
• Connecting pink color with yellow, we get orange.
• To get scarlet, you need to take red and yellow in a 2:1 ratio.
• To achieve a red palette with a soft effect, red and pink paint are mixed. To achieve a lighter tone, it is better to add white paint.
• If you add a dark dye to the main red paint, you get burgundy.
• You can achieve dark red by mixing red and purple colors in a 3:1 ratio.

Blue

There are primary colors, which include blue. To obtain the desired blue color, you must use this primary color. We get blue by adding white to the blue palette. With increasing volume white shade will become lighter. To obtain a moderate tone, use turquoise instead of white.

For getting blue flowers and shades, you must follow the following scheme. Add to blue:

• yellow and we get blue-green;
• red, we end up with purple;
• orange will provide gray;
• black will give the opportunity to form dark blue.

Greens

How to properly mix paints to obtain green and its shades. The basic rule is to mix yellow and blue dyes. A bright palette of green shades is achieved by combining primary colors in different volumes and adding additional dyes. Additional colors are black and white.

How to get khaki color? To do this, two elements are combined: yellow and blue, with the addition of brown tinting. The amount of substance is important for the result obtained. Olive color can be obtained by taking green and yellow tones. Making a mustard shade is more difficult. Red, black and a little green are added to yellow.

Green is not a primary color. To obtain it, paint colors of yellow and blue are mixed. But, to obtain a rich green tone, it is necessary to use industrially prepared green paint. If you made the green paint yourself, the tones will not be bright.

Mixing dyes that have white and green tints makes it possible to get light green, and if you add a little yellow, you can admire light green.

Other shades

Let's look at other tones. Which shade is one of the most popular? Gray tone is very often used in the interior. It turns out if black is mixed with white. The more white, the lighter the result will be.

Gray, which has a silvery metallic tint, is also very often in demand. When mixed, a silver color can be obtained if you use different additives, for example, antimony.

So, in order to have the color that suits a particular interior, you need to mix dyes. The recommendations given above will tell you which colors to mix to get everything right. The resulting colors will delight the owners for a long time.

How to get the right shade (1 video)

Have you decided to take up painting or are you painting furniture? But you don't know how to get different shades? Paint mixing charts and tips will help you do this.

Basic Concepts

Before you start studying paint mixing tables, it’s worth familiarizing yourself with some definitions that will make it easy to understand a new material. The words used in the theory and practice of mixing shades are explained below. These are not scientific encyclopedic definitions, but transcripts in a language understandable to the average beginner, without the presence of complex terminology.

Achromatic colors are all intermediate shades between black and white, that is, gray. These paints contain only a tonal component (dark - light), and there is no “color” as such. Those where it is present are called chromatic.

Primary colors are red, blue, yellow. They cannot be obtained by mixing any other colors. Those that can are composite.

Saturation is a characteristic that distinguishes it from an achromatic hue that is identical in lightness. Next, let's look at what a table for mixing paints for painting is.

Range

Paint mixing tables are usually presented as a matrix of rectangles or squares or as schemes of shade combinations with numerical values ​​or percentages of each color component.

The fundamental table is the spectrum. It can be depicted as a stripe or a circle. The second option turns out to be more convenient, visual and understandable. In fact, the spectrum is a schematic image of a ray of light decomposed into color components, in other words, a rainbow.

This table contains both primary and composite colors. The more sectors in this circle, the greater the number of intermediate shades. In the picture above there are also gradations of lightness. Each ring corresponds to a specific tone.

The shade of each sector is obtained by mixing neighboring colors along the ring.

How to mix achromatic colors

There is such a painting technique as grisaille. It involves creating a picture using gradations exclusively achromatic colors. Sometimes brown or another shade is added. Below is a table of mixing colors for paints when working using this method.

Please note that when working with gouache, oil, acrylic, more gray shade is created by not only reducing the amount of black, but also adding white. In watercolors, professionals do not use this paint, but dilute it

How to mix with white and black

In order to get a darker or lighter shade of the pigment that you have in your set, you need to mix it with achromatic colors. This is how you work with gouache and mix acrylic paints. The table located further is suitable for working with any material.

Available in sets different quantities ready-made colors, so compare what you have with the desired shade. When you add white, you will get what are called pastel colors.

Below is shown how a gradation of several complex colors is obtained from the lightest, almost white, to very dark.

Mixing watercolor paints

The table below can be used for both painting methods: glaze or single layer. The difference is that in the first version, the final shade is obtained by visually combining different tones superimposed on one another. The second method involves mechanically creating the desired color by combining pigments on a palette.

How this is done is easy to understand using the example of the first line with purple tones from the figure above. Layer-by-layer execution is done like this:

1. Fill all the squares with a light tone, which can be achieved by using a small amount of paint and enough water.
2. After drying, apply the same color to the second and third elements.
3. Repeat the steps as many times as necessary. IN this option There are only three color transition cells, but there may be more.

When working using the glaze painting technique, it is worth remembering that it is better to mix different colors in no more than five layers. The previous one must be well dried.

In the event that you prepare the required color immediately on the palette, the sequence of working with the same purple gradation will be as follows:

1. Apply color by taking a little paint on a wet brush. Apply to the first rectangle.
2. Add pigment, fill the second element.
3. Dip the brush further into the paint and make a third cell.

When working in one layer, you must first mix all the colors on the palette. This means that in the first method the final shade is obtained by optical mixing, and in the second - mechanical.

Gouache and oil

The techniques for working with these materials are similar, since the pigments are always presented in the form of a creamy mass. If the gouache has dried, it is first diluted with water to the desired consistency. Any set always contains white. They are usually used up faster than others, so they are sold in separate jars or tubes.

Mixing (table below), like gouache, is not a difficult task. The advantage of these techniques is that the next layer completely covers the previous one. If you make a mistake and after drying you don’t like the resulting shade, make a new one and apply it on top. The previous one will not show through if you work with thick colors, without diluting them with liquid (water for gouache, solvent for oil).

Paintings using this painting technique can even be textured, when a thick mass is applied impasto, that is, in a thick layer. Often, a special tool is used for this - a palette knife, which is a metal spatula on a handle.

Mixed paint proportions and required colors to obtain the desired shade are shown in the previous table diagram. It is worth saying that it is enough to have only three primary colors in the set (red, yellow and blue), as well as black and white. From them, in different combinations, all other shades are obtained. The main thing is that the paints in the jar should be exactly the main spectral tones, that is, for example, not pink or crimson, but red.

Working with acrylic

Most often, these paints are used on wood, cardboard, glass, stone, making decorative crafts. In this case, the process is the same as when using gouache or oil. If the surface has been previously primed and the paints are suitable for it, obtaining the desired shade will not be difficult. Below are examples of mixing shades with acrylic.

For (batik) they are also used, but they are sold in jars of liquid consistency and are similar to printer ink. In this case, the colors are mixed according to the watercolor principle on a palette with the addition of water rather than white.

Once you understand how to use paint mixing charts, you can easily create an unlimited number of shades using watercolor, oil, or acrylic.