How To Mix Paint Colors

Learning how to mix paint colors takes practice, but it isn't a terribly difficult thing to learn. Mixing paint colors is needed to get the exact color that will meet your needs. The primary colors red, blue, and yellow are not able to be made by mixing other colors, but they can be combined with other colors to make secondary colors purple, orange and green. Mixing paint colors can expand your expression of color as well as your creativity.

To mix paint colors, you will need:

• palette
• paintbrush
• primary colored paints
• white paint
• black paint
• dark purple paint
• water

1. Start with primary colors on a palette. Squeeze a dab of red, blue, and yellow onto a palette. Spread them out like you are making three points for a triangle. Make sure the colors don't touch, remember to just use a dab.
2. Add additional colors. Around the outside of the palette add the other colors. Add the dark purple, black, and white paint in rounds dabs.
3. Mix the primary colors. With your paintbrush, take some yellow paint and move it towards the red paint, but stop halfway. Next, dip the paint brush in some water to wash it off.  Dip the paintbrush into the red., and then mix it into the yellow paint at the halfway point. Brush the paint back into the dab of red. Repeat this process with the blue paint.
4. Make the secondary colors. Clean your brush and dip it toward the blue paint, and stop halfway. Brush the blue into the red like you did in the above step. Your secondary colors purple, orange, and green are now in an array of shades.
5. Making the colors darker. Mixing black or dark purple to the colors will make them look darker. Mixing in black paint gives the paint a flat look and mixing in purple paint makes the color look darker by making it stand out more.
6. Making the colors lighter. Add white to any color to make it look lighter. You can add red to make the color look either brighter or lighter, depending on the color. To make a color brighter and more vibrant mix some yellow with the red paint.