Red and Blue Doesn’t Always Make Purple by Jann Pollard

A SIMPLE WAY TO LEARN TO MIX COLORS

Learn to look and analyze a color you see and instantly know how to mix that color.
When looking at a color to mix, ask yourself these two questions:
1. Is there red, yellow or blue in the color?
2. Is it a light, medium or dark pigment?

It is easy to see what pigment might be in the color if it is pure, saturated color. But how do you get a color when it is not a pure color? The answer is you must DE-saturate it by adding it’s opposite.

Remember your color wheel?

First, ask yourself if the color you are trying to mix has any red, yellow or blue in it.

Sample A is a pure saturated purple. You would mix Cobalt Blue and Permanent Rose to get a bright purple since each of those colors are fairly pure and neither have any yellow in them.

What if you mixed Cadmium Red with Cobalt Blue? Because Cadmium Red has a little yellow in it, it is next to impossible to get a good, clear purple because it has been de-saturated with the yellow.

Sample B is a de-saturated mid-value purple. It has red, yellow and blue in it. The opposite of purple is yellow, so to mix the color in Sample B, first mix Cobalt Blue and Permanent Rose together (both pure colors), then slowly add a little Aurelion Yellow to it until you match the color.

Sample C is a bluish purple, slightly de-saturated, mid to dark value. This time I would start with Ultramarine Blue (darker in value), a very little Permanent Rose and a touch of Aurelion Yellow.

Another way to get this color would be to start with Ultramarine Blue and add a touch of Cadmium Red (because it has yellow in it). I prefer the first way, though because you have a little more control over the proportions of yellow and red.

Sample D is a very bright yellow green. It has no red in it – only yellow and blue.To mix this color, start with Aureolin Yellow and add a little Cobalt Teal (both light value pigments). In this case it is better to start with the yellow, not the blue, so the color doesn’t get dominated by the blue.

Sample E is a mid-value, de-saturated sage green. Try starting with Ultramarine Blue and adding a little Aureolin. It is still too saturated at this point so slowly add a little light orange (opposite of blue). Remember don’t use dark value pigments to get this color.

Sample F is a light soft orange color. You might think it is a light Burnt Sienna, but that pigment is too dark. Instead, try Yellow Ochre with a touch of Permanent Rose, softened with a little Naples Yellow.

There is no magic formula but you will find with practice, it will become second nature. You will be constantly adjusting the amount of red, yellow or blue to achieve the color you want. Once you start mixing colors this way, you will find it easy to match what you are trying to mix.
http://www.jannpollard.com/
Jann is a Signature Member of the National Watercolor Society, California Watercolor Society and the Society of Western Artists and has become a popular teacher in her workshops. She was recently awarded the Outstanding Achievement Award from the California Watercolor Association