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B. The three secondary colors, orange, violet, and green, mixed together neutralize each other to make a gray.
C. Two primary colors, in this case yellow and red, mixed together make a secondary color (orange).
D. Two primary colors, in this case blue and yellow, mixed together make a secondary color (green).
E. A primary color (yellow) mixed with a secondary color (green) makes an intermediate hue (yellow-green).
F. Two primary colors, in this case red and blue, mixed
together make a secondary color (violet).G. Two colors opposite each other on the color wheel (complementary colors) mixed together neutralize each other to make a gray. In this case yellow and violet were mixed to produce a gray.
H. When black is mixed with a color, it grays the color to produce a neutralized hue. In this case black was added to red to make a neutralized red.
I. When a neutralized color is mixed with a color; it grays the color to produce a neutralized hue. In this case a deep brown was added to blue to make a neutralized blue.
J. Here is another neutralized color mixed with a color to produce a neutralized hue. In this case a reddish brown was added to violet to make a neutralized violet.
Color mixing is generally the first stumbling block for the novice. His first attempts result in either a pale, thin, washed-out painting or a heavy, muddy effect. In the first instance, too little color is mixed with too much white paint and these mixtures are applied too timidly.
Keep the use of white paint to a minimum. Rather, exaggerate the color you see in the subject when transferring it to the canvas. It is easier to modify it with white paint later, when the canvas is covered and you compare it with the subject. Chances are the color will not be as strong as you had thought and will require little or no changing. White paint is best used sparingly with each color.
For example, to get a secondary color like a light green we know that the primary colors to be used are blue and yellow. Rather than mixing these two colors together and then adding white, cut each color first with white and then mix them. A far more vibrant secondary color results. This is particularly true when mixing violet.
Many students get a muddy-looking violet when mixing red and blue together and then adding white. If the resulting color is too light, they add blue. It then turns out to be too cool so red is put into the mixture. By this time the color has become too dark and more white is needed, and in all probability the mixture then has to be discarded and a fresh start made.
The thinness of the paint layer is frequently caused by the use of too much medium, especially turpentine.
A heavy, muddy-looking canvas is usually the result of mixing too many colors together in striving to capture the desired effect. Learn to know all the possibilities of the colors you are using on your palette. Work first with fewer colors - you will be astounded at the many shades that can be produced with only a few colors.
You will also find it valuable to experiment with making a color darker or grayer by combining it with its opposite instead of the obvious black. Black has a place in the mixing of color, but use it sparingly until you have learned the possibilities of the primary and secondary colors.
It is fumbling in mixing colors and applying them to canvas, then repainting the same area in an attempt to correct the color, that contributes to a heavy, over-painted picture.
Do not become discouraged when your early attempts to mix colors correctly produce any of these unhappy results. The technique of color mixing is always acquired gradually. Later on you will obtain the desired color by using much less paint than you do now. You will mix two colors, possibly modify them with a touch of a third color, or even deepen the hue with a dab of a fourth color.
Avoid stirring paint mixtures too much on the palette. Mixing colors on the canvas will create a more lively and sparkling effect.
Continue to Color Mixing Exercises
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AN INTRODUCTION TO OIL PAINTING
Material & Equipment for Oil Painting
> Introduction & Colors
> Working with Canvases
> More about Using Canvases
> The Paint Box and Palette
> The Palette Knife and Other Tools
> Oil Painting Brushes & the Home Studio
> Care of Equipment & Brush Handling
> More about Brush Handling
> Arranging Colors on the Palette & Color Mixing
> More About Color Mixing
> Color Mixing Exercises