Back Lesson 2: Color Mixing Formulas

Many of you have requested the first 4 lesson be posted on the blog, so here is lesson 2:

Mixing Paint from the Primaries!

Today, you start learning to see color in a different light. Learning to mix color begins to wake up your senses and creates a world of beauty and observation in the simplest things, and soon everything you see is color and wonderment.

First let’s talk about the primary colors, yellow, red, and blue.  You can mix a close proximity to any color using these 3 colors, and then tinting or toning the color with white or black to reach the desired color). Essentially you only need the three primaries plus white, because in this class, we make black from the three primaries.

Basic Color Formulas
These are 4 part formulas. Think of a Candy Bar and divide it in 4 parts.  This will give you a visual idea about a unit of measure. The unit can be any size, miniscule to gargantuan. The size of the measure depends on the size of the whole amount x the number of portions. Our formulas today have 4 portions. In other words one part in our formula is 25% of the whole. So take any size amount divide it in four and you have created a portion or part measure. What is important is that the portions are equal and there are 4 equal portions making one whole amount.  This is called a ratio formula.

Note:  These are very basic formulas made to remember. In actuality, pigment strengths very between manufacturers, therefore, how much you add can vary. Start with your largest contributing color place next largest amount beside that color with palette space in between . Gradually join the color in the center and slightly below the two colors. For instance, with yellow ochre, you would gingerly mix cadmium yellow light and a small dab of alizarin with the palette knife resulting in a yellow - orange color by joining the two amounts of color in part until you get that color. Don’t mix the entire amounts of colors together completely because pigments vary between manufacturers, and alizarin could overpower the orange, resulting in a variety of red. Next add a touch of ultramarine blue to the orange mixture, until you have yellow ochre. This way you can see the proportions of color you need to mix, and proceed to mix more. Always approach color mixing this way, 2 colors at a time, no matter how professional you become and you won’t waste paint. It is too easy to end up with a huge amount of color by color correcting, when you only need a little, so go slow.

Secondary colors are two primary colors mixed together.

Secondary Color Formulas:
 
Orange:              1 part cadmium yellow light
                         1 part Alizarin Crimson

Green:                 1 part cadmium yellow light
                          1 part Ultra Marine Blue

Purple:              1 part Ultra Marine Blue
                        1 part Alizarin Crimson

Tertiary Colors are earth colors (browns).

·         Tertiary colors are made up of red, blue and yellow combined.

·         Today we are using Cadmium Yellow light, Alizarin Crimson, and Ultramarine Blue.

Formulas for Tertiary Colors:

 Yellow ochre:     4 parts Cadmium Yellow light
                           1 part Alizarin Crimson
               1 part Ultra Marine Blue
           
Burnt Sienna:     2 parts Cadmium Yellow light
                         2 parts Alizarin Crimson
             1 part Ultra Marine Blue

              Burnt Umber:      1 part Cadmium Yellow light
                           2 parts Alizarin Crimson
              2 parts Ultra Marine Blue

Warm and cool colors: 
                        Warm:                 Red is hot

                           Yellow is less hot 

Cool:                     Blue is cool

                                                     Yellow is less cool………………….tricky huh?

The temperature of any color is decided by comparing it to another color.

Mix Neutral Colors by Knowing and Understanding Opposite Colors.

Opposite Colors are also called complimentary colors. Every primary color has a secondary as its compliment. Every secondary color has a primary color as its compliment. The compliment of a   secondary color is void of the third primary color. The compliment of a primary color is a secondary that contains the other 2 primary colors and none of the subject third primary color.

 Primary (think tri)                                 Secondary ( think  2 primary colors mixed together)
Yellow                                                  purple
Red                                                      green
Blue                                                     orange

Neutrals:  Take any primary or secondary color and mix it with its compliment.


Black: Mix burnt Umber and Ultramarine blur together for a great black.