Color Mixing for Oil Painting

oil painting color mixing

In today’s world, access to the different colors of oil is mind boggling. Where to begin?

Without further ado, I will give my humble opinion and I think a better understanding of color mixing.

In general, to tint with the color white makes it lighter. Shade with the color of black to darken it. But this does not work all the time. See details below:

Step 1. Simple Start

I begin with an Imprimatura, (a coated pre-colored canvas) of a Yellow Ochre/Olive toned canvas. The first and second underlayers, use Burnt Umber as the only paint. From here we go into the dead or gray layer which uses a prepared black, white, and 3 to 5 midtones.

My prepared black consists of 2 parts Ivory or Mars Black, 1 part Burnt Umber, and 1/8 part Prussian Blue. You can also make a very dark, rich black using just Prussian Blue and Burnt Umber.

For my imprimatura I use prepared black, yellow ochre and a titanium white with a touch of prussian blue to create an olive hue. I have found that permalba is a good blend of titanium and zinc white and covers well in the dead layer.

I also use:

• Cadmium Yellow Light

• Cadmium Yellow Medium (seldom used)

• Cadmium Red Medium (rarely used)

• Alizarin Crimson

• Phthalo Blue (rarely used)

• Prussian Blue

RYB-the red, yellow, and blue mixing color wheel is a guide used to combine colors to make other colors. Manufactures are unable to produce a true red, a true yellow or a true blue so each paint falls within this color chart or guide.

• Cadmium Yellow Light leans to the green/blue.

• Cadmium Yellow Medium leans to the orange/red look.

• Cadmium Red Medium leans to orange/yellow.

• Alizarin Crimson leans toward the purple/blue.

• Prussian Blue bows towards the red.

• Phthalo Blue leans towards green.

So for a very true and living green, you can create it by mixing Phthalo Blue and Cadmium Yellow Light. This Green may prove too strong for you, but may prove to be a very good color! I put this in the color mixing guide for something you may want try. When you make your color swatch, you will see what I am referencing.

Step 2. Color Mixing Guide

To make a color swatch, take the 6 colors listed above. You will want to use an inexpensive piece of canvas or gessoed masonite panel making sure it is at least 7″ on each side. Mark out 7 squares at least 1″ each at the top and going down the left side with a pen or marker. Complete the lines going down and across to make a square grid of 49 boxes. Label each box with the 6 colors skipping the first box going across and down. Follow the color Red down to where it intersects with the color Red and paint the color Red in that box. Do that for each of the six main colors where they intersect with each other. Now you can paint the color from the top column and then combine with the color from the column coming across and see what color they make. This is your color mixing guide.

Mixing complementary colors (colors opposite each other) make a gray. Red + Green, Yellow + Violet, Blue + Orange all make Gray.

The color mixing chart should have a full range of colors on them except Yellow. Yellow is the only color that does not have a full range of dark to light values. This is where the Yellow Ochre and Burnt Umber are used to create the yellows. If you use Black to darken your yellows, it will just come out a darker Green. The same will apply to the Cadmium Reds and Oranges. Burnt Umber should be used to darken these colors.

Step 3. Mixing on Palette and Canvas

Use one brush for the dark color and another brush for the lighter color. Make sure to wipe clean your brush when moving on to another color or you can have multiple brushes going.

And here’s one last set of rules about this color chart. It worked well for me for many years. Below is how you will be able to tint or shade instead of adding just black and white and keep their brilliant color.

• Red Scale – Use White to lighten. Use Alizarin Crimson and then Black to darken.

• Orange Scale – Use Yellow Light then White to lighten. Use Burnt Umber and then Black to darken.

• Yellow Scale – Use Yellow Light then White to lighten. Use Yellow Ochre and then Burnt Umber to darken.

• Green Scale – Use white to lighten. Use Black to darken.

• Blue Scale – Use White to lighten. Use Prussian blue and then Black to darken.

• Violet Scale – Use White to lighten. Use Prussian Blue and then Alizarin Crimson and finally Black to darken.

Thanks for reading my color mixing guide. This is a lot of information but with mixing these colors and creating your own chart, you may find you save yourself some money by not having to buy so many different colors.

Until next time …

Artist Delmus G. Phelps has been painting in oils for over 30 years. His latest website is dedicated to educating hungry artists to find answers to painting problems. Join us at http://easy-oil-painting-techniques.org/free-art-lessons.html for some crazy easy Color Mixing Guide!