How to mix acrylic paint colours: A simple beginner’s guide
You really don't need twenty different tubes of paint to create an interesting colour palette. Give yourself a few good starting colours and suddenly you can make far more than what came in the box.
That's the whole thinking behind our Mix Art Kit. It starts with a simple primary colour palette of red, yellow and blue, alongside black and white, so you can mix, adjust and experiment until you find colours that feel right for you.
If you're new to acrylic painting, here's the easiest place to start.
Start with the three primary colours
In traditional painting colour theory, the three primary colours are red, yellow and blue. They're your foundations.
Mix two primary colours together and you create what are known as secondary colours:
- Red + Yellow = Orange
- Yellow + Blue = Green
- Blue + Red = Purple
But the useful part is that you're not limited to one orange, one green or one purple. Change the amount of each colour and the result changes too.
Add more yellow to your green and it'll become warmer and brighter. Add more blue and it'll move deeper and cooler. That's where colour mixing gets really cool.
The easiest rule: add a little at a time
When you're learning how to mix acrylic paint colours, you don't have to try hitting the perfect shade in one go. Start with your main colour and introduce the second colour gradually.
A small amount can change a mix surprisingly quickly, so it's much easier to add more paint than try to undo a colour you've pushed too far. Mix it properly, look at what you've made and adjust from there.
There isn't really a wrong result. Sometimes the colour you didn't intend to make ends up being the one you use.
Use white to make colours lighter
Once you've mixed a colour you like, white opens up another whole set of possibilities. Add white gradually to create softer, lighter versions of the same shade.
- A deep blue can become a dusty mid-blue and then a very pale blue
- Red can move through pinks
- Green can become anything from a soft sage-like shade to a pale mint depending on the original mix
Rather than thinking of every new shade as another paint you need to own, think of your original colours as starting points.
Use black carefully to go darker
Black can deepen a colour quickly, so you generally don't need much. Add the smallest amount first, mix it fully and then decide whether you want more.
You can use it to turn bright colours into much deeper, moodier shades. Especially useful if you want a more muted or tonal abstract painting.
And remember, darkening doesn't always have to mean adding black. Experimenting with small amounts of the other primary colours can create much more complex neutrals, browns and muted shades too. Mixing all three primaries in different proportions can produce a wide range of earthy colours.
A few easy acrylic colour mixes to try
If you want somewhere to start, try these:
- Red + yellow for oranges
- Yellow + blue for greens
- Blue + red for purples
- Any colour + white for lighter tints
- Any colour + a little black for darker shades
- All three primary colours in different amounts for browns, earthy tones and muted colours
Then start changing the balance. More blue, less red, a touch of white, and see what happens. That experimentation is the best part.
Don't worry about exact colour formulas
We actually think colour mixing becomes much more enjoyable when you stop trying to reproduce an exact recipe. Two people could start with the same five tubes and end up making completely different paintings.
You might be drawn to soft, chalky colours. Someone else might make deep greens, dark reds and muddy neutrals. Somebody else could stay bright and graphic.
Your palette starts becoming part of your artwork rather than something somebody else chose for you. And if a colour isn't quite right? Add something to it. That's all colour mixing really is: mix, look, adjust, repeat, and most of all enjoy the process of finding your perfect shades.
Make a quick colour test first
If you're nervous about putting a new colour straight onto your canvas, test it first.
Use your wooden paint palette and your canvas practice pieces included in the kit. Make a few small swatches, try the colour as it is, then add a little white to one side and another primary colour to the other. You'll very quickly start seeing how much you can create from a small palette.
It's also worth letting a test swatch dry before making your final decision, as acrylic colours can look slightly different once dry.
Why we made the Mix palette
Our Mix palette is there for anyone who wants a little more freedom over the colours they create. Instead of giving you four finished shades and saying these are your colours, it gives you the foundations to make your own.
Start with red, yellow and blue. Use white to soften things. Use black when you want to go deeper. Then mix whatever the artwork needs. It can be as simple or experimental as you want it to be.
Start mixing
If you've been wondering how to mix acrylic paint colours, the best way to learn is genuinely just to start. Put a little paint down, mix two colours, and see what happens. Change it, and keep going until you've made something you like.
Our Mix Art Kit gives you the canvas, primary acrylic paint palette, tools, frame and everything else you need to take those colours from the palette to a finished piece of art for your wall.
Explore the Mix Art Kit here and see where the colours take you.
Emmi
Co-founder of Plan