How to get emerald color. Mixing watercolor paints

Blue is one of the primary colors. Along with red and yellow, it is on the list of tones that cannot be produced at home. But artists know very well how to get blue in its various shades - to do this, you need to mix the classic color with other pigments, which gives amazing results.

Traditional color wheel

Experts call blue, red, and yellow the “three pillars” of color and painting. It is on them that the widest palette of halftones of the second and third orders rests; they are combined with each other, while creation with is excluded.

All the most important colors are included in the so-called color wheel. It represents a conditional model divided into sectors. The latter are placed in an order close to their location in the visible light spectrum. The adjacent shades are called chromatic; they can be mixed together to obtain a new chromatic (color) paint. If, when mixing paints, you take opposite tones, the result will be an achromatic color (grayish). That is, the further the colors are from each other, the more likely it is that their mixture will give an inexpressive, ugly tone.

Classic blue and its shades

You won’t be able to make blue at home, so to create different shades of it you need to purchase ready-made gouache, watercolor, acrylic paint or another type of dye (even plasticine). Then you can use other colors from the set, because when they are combined you can get incredible tones and halftones of blue. Artists have special tables with the names of shades and the required proportions for paints, but in practice they still have to experiment.

In regular gouache sets, blue is represented by the shade ultramarine. It is very bright, moderately dark, and has slightly purple notes. There is an important rule that you need to remember: add white to lighten the tone, black to darken it, and different colors to change the reflection of the paint.

Blue-green

Making shades of blue with green highlights is easy. The effect of a dark green tone is achieved by introducing a small amount of ready-made green paint into the blue. If it is not there, you can do it differently. Since the combination of blue and yellow gives a green color, you can add a little yellow to the blue. Next, the paint is lightened with white, the result is a third-order shade, less saturated.

Prussian blue

The azure color also contains green shades. Artists have a recipe for its preparation - you need to combine 1 part blue and the same amount of light green or bright green (grass) shade. If necessary, the tone is diluted with white.

Blue-violet

This color is considered very rich and powerful in energy; it is prepared by combining blue with red paint in equal proportions. But the finished purple must be made to turn blue, for which blue color is added drop by drop until the desired tone is obtained. Typically the final ratio does not exceed 2:1.

Royal Blue

The royal color is a dark, cool tone, close to classic. Traditional royal blue is part of the HTML color scheme used in computer graphics. It is also the main tone of ink and paint for cartridges. To make this color, a drop of black and even less of green are added to ultramarine.

Blue-gray

This shade is reminiscent of a cloudy sky, as well as the color of water on a non-sunny day. You need to add a little brown to the base blue, the result will be a dark blue-gray tone. It is diluted with white to the desired degree of lightening. There is another option for creating a gray-blue tint - combining blue with orange, the result will be a grayish mass with a slightly blue tint.

Dark blue

The blue paint begins to darken with the addition of a small amount of black color. The ratio should be no more than 4:1. Creating such a shade is required if you need to “calm down” a color when it is initially too bright.

Blue

Blue color is easy to make. To do this, blue of any tone is diluted with white 3:1 or more. Increasing the volume of white paint results in even greater lightening, up to a sky blue or pastel blue. To achieve an original tone, you can dilute turquoise with white.

Other shades

Wedgwood tone is obtained by combining a portion of blue, as well as a drop of white and black paint. For dark turquoise, yellow-green color is added dropwise to blue. Cornflower blue is created by mixing purple, blue, a drop of brown and the same amount of black dye.

Blue in nature

In the real world, blue is perceived by the eye in the range of 440-485 nm. This is a digital value of the electromagnetic wavelength that has a blue tone in the general spectrum of light. In nature, you can see up to 180 shades of blue - its tones are visible in the colors of the seas and oceans, the sky, twilight, moonlight, many plants, and insects.

To obtain the ideal color, you need to ensure that all ingredients are similar in chemical composition. Otherwise, the mass may separate, leaving unmixed veins. It is also important to use high-quality paints, because others begin to darken and turn gray over time. Oil dyes are very susceptible to changes - it is better to first try the work on a small area and evaluate the effect after a couple of days. Artists note: the fewer colors were combined, the better the result will be, and the lower the risk of fading and peeling of the finished decor.

Have you decided to take up painting or are you painting furniture? But 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 shade 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 secondary 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 painting using gradations of 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, or acrylic, a grayer 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.

There are different numbers of ready-made colors in the kits, 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 picture 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 version 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.

The proportions of mixed paints and the necessary 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.

Everyone knows that by combining 3 primary colors (red, yellow and blue), you can achieve any other color. This theory was developed in ancient times by Leonardo da Vinci. The conclusion from the theory can be drawn that it is impossible to obtain primary colors by mixing others. But what to do and, for example, how to get red? To solve the issue, let's approach it from a practical side and consider how red is made in a printing house, how artists get it and what needs to be done for this.

Red color in printing is made by mixing other basic colors. The CMYK color model is used here. All differences in the colors of the model used are made by mixing the desired base colors:

  • Blue - cyan
  • Magenta (violet) – magenta
  • Yellow
  • Black

As in other color models, you need to take at least 2 colors, and in our case, red on printed products is made by combining 2 process colors: violet (magenta) and yellow. This method is also used to make color engravings. If you acquire these paints, you can make not only red, but also achieve shades of it by adjusting the ratio of yellow and magenta (violet). The range of red colors will be from pale purple to rich orange-red.

Mix yellow and magenta to get red

Information: In addition to printing, the CMYK model underlies the operation of most printers. It is also used for professional painting of cars, decoration of interiors and facades of buildings, and in fabric production.

Natural red

In addition to artificially obtaining color, it can easily be made from natural materials. This is how bedstraw flowers allow you to paint objects bright red. To prepare this paint, flowers are dried and boiled with alum for half an hour. Safflower and St. John's wort flowers are also suitable for making red paint by boiling water until thick. Cherry paint, similar in color, is made from orange lichen. You need to finely chop the lichen and mix it with baking soda (it is better to use a solution), wait 3-4 minutes and you can use it.

In nature, red color can be found quite often. Therefore, its different shades are sometimes named based on their natural hosts: fruits, minerals and berries. Among them you can find such names as: raspberry, pomegranate, cherry, coral, blue, wine, burgundy. All similar colors form the red spectrum.

Red shades in painting are made based on pigments of warm and cold shades. Quinacridone ruby ​​or violet should be considered cold, and light cadmium, orange sienna (natural and burnt) should be considered warm.


RGB and CMYK color models

Interaction with other colors

Many people wonder whether it is possible to make red from other colors, for example, pink. Our answer is no! If you replace purple with pink and mix it with yellow, then you won’t see red, only a semblance of it.

Burgundy is made from red by mixing with black. Depending on the types of paints, the ratio can reach up to 2:1 (you need 2 parts red and 1 black). By changing the concentration you can create different shades of burgundy.

Another question is, what happens if you mix red and yellow? Answer: we get orange.

The most popular question is: “what do we get when mixing red and blue paints?” To clarify, let's look at the RGB color model (red, green, blue), where you can clearly see that using blue in combination with red, we get purple.

Conclusion

The basic colors for red are yellow and magenta (violet). To create the desired color when mixing, you don’t have to use artificial paints; you can use natural ones. Red is the base color in the RGB model and must be mixed with green and blue to make other colors.

We offer you an interesting video to watch

In this article we will look at what needs to be mixed to get brown color in paints.

Such a noble and calm color as brown has always dominated the clothing of rich and noble representatives. By the way, its main characteristic is stability and stability. But often the palette does not have this color or its required shade. And young or even experienced artists should be able to select the right colors in order to independently create a color scheme of the brown spectrum. And our recommendations will help in this aspect.

How to get brown color when mixing: 3 ways

Before rushing to the color scheme and brushes, you need to remember what colors there are. They are divided into two groups – basic and additional. There are also two more subgroups - composite and complex. All of them make up the design of four groups of basic colors.

Remember - primary colors cannot be obtained by combining any palettes. By the way, they are the ones that become the basis for creating other colors. Moreover, having black and white on hand, you can extract absolutely any color.

IMPORTANT: Brown belongs to the group of complex colors.

We offer three basic methods for obtaining brown color.

Green (blue+yellow) with red

  • Even schoolchildren know that brown comes out when you mix two colors together - green and red. This is the case if we talk about the primary and composite colors.
  • But the challenge is still to create a green tint. As easy as pie! Take two primary colors - yellow and blue.
  • You need to take an equal number of different shades. But take into account your wishes.
    • If you want to end up with a darker color, then add a little more blue, but to the finished green color.
    • If, on the contrary, you want to make a more transparent shade, then initially take a little more yellow.
  • After receiving the secondary color, we begin making the tertiary color. To the green color you got, you need to add a little red tone.
  • It is important to introduce red paint, and not vice versa! After all, it is the basic tone that regulates the degree of darkness and saturation of the brown shade. If you add too much red coloring, then you will get more of a brick tone.
    • But also keep in mind that the red color makes brown so warm (in large quantities it can even create a rust effect), but green, on the contrary, will make it even a little grayish and cold.

Orange (yellow+red) with blue

  • The first thing you need to do is take red. And add yellow to it. By the way, it needs to be introduced gradually and in small quantities.
  • On average, yellow should be only 10% of the volume of red. It's important to get a dark orange. But keep in mind that too much red coloring will create a reddish brown color.
  • Blue paint will need even less - 5-7% of the total volume. You also need to add gradually, in small portions and stirring the ingredients well.
  • Of course, adjust the tone and saturation of the brown color using the blue tint.

Violet (red+blue) with yellow

  • Red and blue colors should be taken in equal quantities. Then you can get a noble, and even royal shade of purple, which will have the desired saturation and warmth.
  • Then, you need to introduce yellow color little by little. It will lighten the resulting purple, so keep an eye on the amount. If the color is predominantly yellow, then the brown color will be lighter and warmer. The violet tone does the opposite.

IMPORTANT: Too much yellow paint will create an ocher tint.

How to make a light brown color from paints, gouache when mixed?

To get a light brown color, you need to give the yellow color a predominance. But! Let us repeat that too much of it will make the color look like ocher. And, of course, it all depends on the desired lordship.

  • To whiten brown color, you need add white. Yes, it's that simple. The more you add, the lighter the final color will be.
  • But don’t overdo it, brown is a warm color and white will neutralize this characteristic. Therefore, introduce very carefully, gradually and in small portions (literally, 1% of the total mass of paints).
  • Although adding the previous color will help correct the situation.

How to get a dark brown color when mixing paints and gouache?

If we talk about previous mixing options, more blue or green will make a darker brown. But they will also add their own nuance. There is another, simpler and faster way to get a dark brown color.

  • Just add black paint. But you need to work with it extremely carefully, since a small dose of excess paint will simply turn it into black.
  • Therefore, add paint in tiny portions and take note of one rule - conduct experiments with a small amount of paint.


  • By the way, in order not to make a mistake with the desired color, mix a little black with white. But leave the dominance of the first shade. Just make it a little softer as it can quickly eat up the brown color.

How to get chocolate when mixing paints or gouache?

To create a chocolate color, you need to tinker a little. The most unencumbered scheme is to choose the right tones of orange and blue. But there is another possible option.

  • Combine yellow and blue paint to create a dark green color. In another bowl, combine red and a drop of yellow to create orange.
  • Now combine the two resulting colors. And in the end you get the color of green grass or grass green.
  • Now you need to create a bloody red color. To do this, combine the same orange and red palette.


  • In conclusion, it remains to combine the two complex colors obtained.
  • And as a result we get the color of real chocolate.
    • If you want milk chocolate then add a drop of white paint
    • A mixture of white and yellow will give an additional golden tint to the color
    • Dark chocolate is again obtained by adding black paint.
    • But yellow with chocolate will help you get a beautiful and even brown color

How to get coffee color when mixing paints or gouache?

  • Coffee color can be obtained by adding the same black gouache. Also, you need to mix according to technology - orange paint plus blue color. In this case, you can achieve the desired tone.


Getting coffee color
  • Alternatively, you can achieve the desired color using a composition of purple and orange paint. If necessary, you need to add a drop of black tint.

Color mixing: table

For clarity, we would like to provide you with a table that will show all possible versions of the development of brown color and its range. To get a brown color, you need to mix the component colors, adding the main shade to them. True, there are other options where the composition includes not just secondary colors, but even complex palettes.

Every person who has ever held a brush and paint in his hand knows that you can get a lot of shades from two or three colors. The rules for mixing and matching colors are determined by the science of coloristics. Its basis is the color wheel known to many. There are only three primary colors: red, blue and yellow. Other shades are obtained by mixing and are called secondary shades.

What colors of paint should be mixed to get brown?

Brown is considered complex; when creating it, you can use all the primary colors. There are several ways to get brown:

  • Classic: green + red in proportions 50:50.
  • The main trio: blue + yellow + red in equal quantities.
  • Mixing: blue + orange or gray + orange. You can vary the intensity of the hue by adding less or more gray.
  • Optional: green + purple + orange. This shade has a pleasant red or red tint. You can also mix yellow + purple - the color will have a yellowish tint.

What colors of paint need to be mixed to get purple?

The easiest way to get purple is to mix equal proportions of red and blue. True, the shade will turn out a bit dirty, and it will need to be adjusted.

To make the tone cooler, take 2 parts blue and 1 part red and vice versa.

To achieve lavender and lilac, the resulting dirty purple needs to be diluted with white. The more white, the lighter and softer the shade will be.

Dark purple can be obtained by gradually adding black or green to the original color.

What colors of paint need to be mixed to get red?

Red is considered a base color and is present in any artistic palette. However, you can get red by mixing violet (magenta) and yellow in a 1:1 ratio. You can also mix a carmine shade with yellow to create a more intense red. You can make it lighter by adding more yellow and vice versa. Shades of red can be obtained by adding orange, pink, yellow, and white to the base red.

What colors of paint should be mixed to get beige?

Beige is a neutral and independent color; it has many shades, which can be achieved by varying the amount of white and yellow shades added.

The easiest way to get beige is to mix brown and white.

To make the color more contrasting, you can add a little yellow.

Flesh beige can be obtained by mixing scarlet, blue, yellow and white. The ivory shade is created by mixing golden ocher and white paint.

Green color can be achieved by mixing yellow and blue in equal parts. The result will be a grassy green hue. If you add white color to it, the mixture will lighten. By mixing brown or black pigment, you can achieve emerald, marsh, olive, dark green shades.

What colors of paint need to be mixed to get gray?

The classic tandem for getting gray is black + white. The more white, the lighter the finished shade.

  • You can also mix red, green and white. The color will have a slight yellow tint.
  • A blue-gray shade can be created by mixing orange with blue and white.
  • If you mix yellow with purple and white, you get a gray-beige shade.

What colors of paint need to be mixed to get black?

Black is a basic monochrome color. It can be obtained by mixing magenta with yellow and cyan. Also, artists often mix green and red, but the resulting shade will not be jet black. Rich black color is produced by a mixture of orange and blue and yellow and violet. To get the shade of the night sky, you can add a little blue to the finished color, and a drop of white to lighten it.

What colors of paint need to be mixed to get blue?

Blue is the main color in the palette and it is quite difficult to obtain it by mixing. It is believed that it can be obtained by adding a little yellow to green, but in practice the result is more of a blue-green tint. You can mix purple with blue, the shade will be deep but dark. You can lighten it by adding a drop of white.

What colors of paint need to be mixed to get yellow?

The basic yellow color cannot be achieved by mixing other shades. Something similar happens if you add green to orange. Variations of yellow are obtained by adding other tones to the basic one. For example, lemon is a mixture of yellow, green and white. Sunny yellow is a mixture of basic yellow, a drop of white and red.

What colors of paint need to be mixed to get pink?

The easiest option is to mix red and white. The more white, the lighter the shade. It is important to know that the tone depends on which red you choose:

  • Scarlet + white will give a pure pink color.
  • Brick red + white - peach pink.
  • Blood red + violet give a fuchsia shade.
  • Orange-pink can be obtained by adding yellow paint to scarlet and white.

What colors of paint need to be mixed to get orange?

Orange color can be obtained by mixing red and yellow.

  • A less saturated shade will be obtained if pink pigment is added to yellow paint.
  • Terracotta orange is the result of mixing base orange with blue or purple.
  • Dark shades are achieved by mixing red, yellow and black.
  • If you add brown instead of black, you get red orange.

We vary the intensity of the tone by adding more white or black.

Color mixing table

Primary colors (blue, yellow, red) are almost impossible to obtain by mixing other shades. But with their help you can create the entire color palette!

How to get a?

Proportions

Brown

Green + red

Violet

Red + blue

Magenta (violet) + yellow

Brown + white

Blue + yellow

White + black

Magenta + yellow + cyan

Yellow + green

Green + orange

Scarlet + white

Orange

Red + yellow

Knowing the basic rules of color, it will be easier to understand the decoration and get the desired shade!