It’s been several hundred years since people adopted creating new colors from multiple primary colors. This is what we call color mixing. Many painters, artists, authors suggest using versatile color palettes.
These palettes help to gain the color accuracy that meets the ambiance. These facts are also preferable for acrylic paint. So, we search for an acrylic paint color mixing chart.
Mixing colors are not that easy as many experts fail to bring out the color shed and quality. If you are a beginner, then surely paint mixture can confuse you. However, if you follow distinct patterns, you may be successful. In this article, I am sharing reflections on acrylic paint color mixing recipes, their uses, and vice versa.
The acrylic color mixing chart helps to recreate new color that is not available in the existing palette. You can add two or multiple colors to create a new one, with a new color and gradient. As an example: yellow and black colors mixture create the green color.
In fact, color mixing is fun when you do it alone or as a DIY project. For your help, I include the explanation of these topics in this article:
- The printing of color mixing chart pdf
- Precision of color available in the chart
- The uses of acrylic mixing chart
- Using an acrylic paint color wheel
- How to tint acrylic paint colors
- Shading the acrylic paint colors
- Tips of mixing acrylic paints
- Acrylic paint color mixing guide
Table of Contents
The Printing of Color Mixing Chart Pdf
A color mixing chart is like live assistant for the painting project. You don’t have to mix paints again and again for fulfilling the target. You can find the color mixing chart pdf version online. Printing them is the best way to use the chart anytime. Let me describe more about printing this chart.
A usual pdf of color mixing chart fits well on an 8”x10” frame. You should select the “fit to page” option when you are printing the pdf. It helps to fill up the whole paper sheet without letting the printer crop it. I suggest you use this method for printing on US letter or A4 size page.
Even you can print the chart on your personal inkjet or color laser printer. But the color accuracy may vary until you get it done from professional printers. Therefore, many paint websites offer ordering prints of acrylic paint color mixing charts.
The Precision of Color Available in the Chart
In my chart, you can see the photos of real, authentic paint samples. You can try following my ways. Hand-paint every swatch and take photos of them. Remember, you need to maintain the best precision of color as much as you can. While you are careful enough, there may be some minor color variations which is natural. In some cases, the camera may show some acrylic colors with more saturation.
There are certain matters which may impact the color of the acrylic paints. Some matters are paint viscosity, sheen of surface, paint brands, etc. Funny part is different brands name a single, similar color with variable names.
While making the chart, you may mix different paints with variable thicknesses. Here is an example to follow: try a composition of heavy body and fluid acrylic paints. In this article, you may get clear concept of mixing versatile brands of acrylic paints.
The Uses of Acrylic Mixing Chart
Consider that, I have a chart with 27 color mixing formulas. You can create more variations as you wish. Also, you can see the arrangements in three columns. You find the colors to mix in the first two columns for getting the color on the third column. There are also positive (+) and equal (=) signs to easily know which you want to mix and which one to get.
You may double the existing standard colors as different color swatches. It helps to get ideas better when the basic or primary color changes a bit and impact the result. Additionally, you can use the average color instead of creating multiple shades of two colors. For example, there is no need of creating multiple shades of oranges using red and yellow.
Using an Acrylic Paint Color Wheel
There is another option to make the color mixing task easier. You can use a color wheel of acrylic paints to learn about color mixture. It also increases the interest of artwork as well as details of the color.
In the case of color wheel, you should pick blue, red, and yellow as the primary or base colors. Moreover, you cannot create these base colors with any combination of colors. But they can form new, all other colors when you mix them.
In this sense, mixing two primary colors can create secondary colors such as green, orange, violet, etc. There are more forms of colors which we call tertiary colors. You need one base and one secondary color to get these tertiary colors. Some examples of these colors are yellow-orange, orange-red, blue-green, and some others.
When you mix colors in the opposite direction on the wheel, it will produce a gray or black color.
In short, you can keep this table in mind:
| Color Type | Color Names |
| Primary | Blue, Red, Yellow |
| Secondary | Green, Orange, Violet, Purple |
| Tertiary | Yellow-green, Yellow-orange, Blue-green, Violet-blue, Orange-red, Red-violet |
Read More: How to Make Magenta Acrylic Paint?
How to Tint Acrylic Paint Colors
When you are working with acrylic paint mixing, you may need tinted colors sometimes. Tinting is a method of making the acrylic paint colors lighter with white paint. There is a limit of every color which enables maximum lightening. This limit is known as tinting strength. In the case of dark colors, they have the most tinting strength as they transform from darker to lighter.
Look at the below picture. The colors from the wheel go from pure color to pure white from left to right. You may see the presence of different colors remaining between with the gradation.
Shading the Acrylic Paint Colors
It is almost the opposite of tinting acrylic paint colors. When you add black paint to a lighter paint, it will turn into darker color. This method is called shading. The attached photo shows how light colors turn into darker forms. During the shading of paint, you should keep in mind that a little black paint is enough to darken lighter color.
Tips of mixing acrylic paints
You can follow these color mixing instructions to know how to mix acrylic paint:
- For complexion of colors, you can add white or lighter version of a color.
- Adding some white colors helps to reinforce the colors by adding more opacity.
- Some experts suggest using brown or dark blue to darken the colors while black can work too.
- Primary or base colors can help you painting a basic skin tone.
- Adding little green or blue color to skin tone can improve the depth and complexity of color.
- A simple touch of red paint color can offer you deep blue oceans, luminous skies, bright blue, etc.
- Combine all the primary colors together to make brown color within seconds.
- Try to make primary version of your desirable color and then work on it.
- Try shading or tinting to get the best result matching to your preferences.
- You can save the mixed colors in airtight containers like film canisters after drying them.
Acrylic Color Mixing Guide
Are you tired of looking for acrylic paint color mixing recipes? Here are some ways to recreate desirable colors:
Desirable Color: Clear cool tropical water
Colors needed: Pthalo Blue, Cadmium yellow light, French ultramarine blue, Titanium white
How to: Combine the pthalo blue, cadmium yellow light, and little white to get the desirable color. Adding extra cadmium yellow light, and white may turn the color into shallow water. For a better result, add a mixture of French ultramarine blue and Titanium white.
Desirable Color: Fluffy summer clouds
Colors needed: Titanium white, French ultramarine blue, Burnt umber
How to: Add enough white, a little Burnt umber, and French ultramarine blue first. Then, add some more white to create more shadows. When you add more white color, you will see the highlights of the colors.
Desirable Color: Clear warm summer sky
Colors needed: Titanium white, French ultramarine blue, Pthalo blue
How to: Create a pale mix with white and French ultramarine blue. When you see sky color, add more French ultramarine blue for more vibrant color. Then, you can add a little Pthalo blue with it to get clear summer sky color. Adding some cadmium yellow medium may make a bit dirty sky lower to the horizon.
Desirable Color: Trees and foliage
Colors needed: Forest green, Dioxazine purple, Cadmium yellow medium
How to: Take the Forest green and add some Dioxazine purple and cadmium yellow medium to it. It will produce shadows on the canvas. For highlights, add green and yellow to the shadows. Adding more yellow helps to get more highlights.
Desirable Color: Wet sand
Colors needed: Titanium white, Cadmium yellow medium, Dioxazine purple
How to: The sand color appears darker as it is wet like the water. Several piles of white, little amount of Dioxazine purple and cadmium yellow medium can create the wet sand color. If you want dry sand, add some additional white color. In the areas, of pure white sand, you can add more Titanium white.
Final Verdict
The summary of this whole article in a simple line is to mix two or more colors to get the new color. I have added an acrylic color mixing chart and color mixing guide for better understanding. So, I hope it will be helpful to you, a paint enthusiast or the person seeking new ways of life (I mean colors). Have a good day!
thank you for this handy guide to color charts.
Thank you. I am glad you think so.