How to Mix Oil Paints: A Beginner-Friendly Guide

Why is Learning to Mix Your Own Colors Important?

While you can buy a vast array of pre-mixed colors, learning to mix your own offers several significant advantages:

• Cost-Effectiveness: You can create a wide spectrum of colors from a limited set of primary and essential tubes, saving you money in the long run.
• Creative Control: Mixing allows you to achieve the precise shade and nuance you envision, giving you complete artistic freedom.
• Deeper Understanding of Color: The process of mixing helps you understand color relationships on a deeper level, enhancing your overall artistic skills.
• Unique and Harmonious Palette: You can create a cohesive and harmonious palette for your paintings that is entirely unique to your style.

Step 1: Gather Your Essential Supplies – Your Oil Painting Starter Kit

Before you dive into the colorful world of mixing, let's make sure you have the right tools:

• Oil Paints:
  • Beginner's Tip: Start with a basic set of high-quality, artist-grade paints. Student grade is ok too and often much cheaper.
  • Essential Colors (The Building Blocks):
    • Titanium White: A must-have for lightening colors and creating tints.
    • Cadmium Yellow Light or Lemon Yellow: A bright, cool yellow.
    • Cadmium Yellow Medium or Deep: A warmer, deeper yellow.
    • Cadmium Red Light or Vermillion: A vibrant, warm red.
    • Alizarin Crimson or Quinacridone Red: A cool, deeper red.
    • Ultramarine Blue: A deep, warm blue.
    • Phthalo Blue (Green Shade): A very strong, cool blue (use sparingly!).
    • Burnt Umber: A warm, earthy brown for shadows and mixing.
    • Optional, but Highly Recommended:
      • Yellow Ochre: A muted, earthy yellow.
      • Viridian or Phthalo Green: Useful for landscapes.
• Palette:
  • Options:
    • Wooden Palette: Classic choice, needs to be "conditioned" with linseed oil.
    • Glass Palette: Easy to clean, use a scraper or razor blade.
    • Disposable Palette Paper: Convenient, no cleanup required.
  • Beginner's Tip: Choose a palette that's large enough to give you ample mixing space.
• Palette Knife:
  • Purpose: Used for mixing paints and applying them to the canvas (impasto technique).
  • Beginner's Tip: A diamond-shaped palette knife with a flexible blade is ideal for beginners.
• Mediums (Optional but Recommended):
  • Linseed Oil: Thins the paint and increases gloss.
  • Turpentine or Odorless Mineral Spirits: Used for thinning paint and cleaning brushes.
  • Liquin: Speeds up drying time.
  • Beginner's tip: Experiment with mediums later as you get more comfortable.
• Brushes:
  • Variety: Get a range of sizes and shapes (round, flat, filbert) for different brushstrokes.
  • Beginner's tip: Natural bristle brushes are ideal for oil painting.
• Brush Cleaner:
  • Options: Odorless mineral spirits, soap and water, or specialized brush cleaner.
• Rags or Paper Towels:
  • Purpose: Cleaning your palette knife and brushes, wiping away excess paint.
• Easel (Optional but Recommended):
  • Purpose: Holds your canvas upright while you paint.
  • Beginner's tip: A tabletop easel is a great starting point.
• Canvas or Canvas Panels:
  • Beginner's tip: Pre-primed canvas panels are affordable and convenient for practice.
• A Well-Ventilated Workspace:
  • Importance: Oil paints and solvents can release fumes, so good ventilation is crucial.

Step 2: Understanding the Color Wheel – Your Roadmap to Mixing

The color wheel is your best friend when it comes to mixing. It visually represents the relationships between colors, making it easier to understand how to create the hues you want.

• Primary Colors (The Foundation): Red, yellow, and blue. These colors cannot be created by mixing other colors. They are the building blocks of all other colors.
• Secondary Colors (Mixing Two Primaries):
  • Green: Blue + Yellow
  • Orange: Red + Yellow
  • Purple (Violet): Red + Blue
• Tertiary Colors (Mixing a Primary and a Secondary): These colors are created by mixing a primary color with an adjacent secondary color on the color wheel. Examples include:
  • Red-Orange
  • Yellow-Orange
  • Yellow-Green
  • Blue-Green
  • Blue-Purple
  • Red-Purple

Beyond the Basics:

• Complementary Colors: Colors that are opposite each other on the color wheel (e.g., red and green, blue and orange, yellow and purple). When placed side-by-side, they create strong contrast. When mixed, they neutralize each other, creating browns and grays.
• Analogous Colors: Colors that are next to each other on the color wheel (e.g., blue, blue-green, and green). They create harmonious and visually pleasing combinations.
• Warm Colors: Reds, oranges, and yellows. They tend to advance visually and evoke feelings of warmth and energy.
• Cool Colors: Blues, greens, and purples. They tend to recede visually and evoke feelings of calmness and serenity.

Step 3: Mastering the Art of Mixing – Your Practical Guide

Now for the fun part! Let's put your knowledge into practice.

• Setting Up Your Palette:
  • Organize: Squeeze out small amounts of your primary colors (and any other essential colors) along the edges of your palette, leaving the center open for mixing. It is a good idea to always place your colors in the same spot, so you get used to it quickly.
  • White in the Middle: Place a larger dollop of white in the center or to the side, as you'll be using it frequently.
• The Mixing Process – Start Small and Build:
  • Start with the Dominant Color: When mixing, begin with the color that will be most prominent in your final mixture.
  • Add Gradually: Add tiny amounts of the second color to the first using your palette knife. This is key to controlling the color shift. You can always add more, but it is difficult to take away.
  • Mix Thoroughly: Use the flat side of your palette knife to thoroughly blend the colors together. Scrape the paint from the palette and fold it over itself repeatedly until you achieve a uniform color with no streaks.
  • Clean Your Knife: Wipe your palette knife clean with a rag or paper towel between each color addition to prevent unwanted color contamination.
• Testing Your Colors:
  • Scrap Canvas or Paper: Before applying your mixed color to your painting, test it on a scrap piece of canvas or paper to see how it looks when dry (oil paints can shift slightly in color as they dry).
  • Adjust as Needed: If the color isn't quite right, add more of either the primary or secondary color to adjust it until you achieve the desired hue.

Step 4: Creating a Spectrum of Colors – Essential Mixing Recipes

Let's explore some common color mixing combinations:

Greens:

• Bright, Vibrant Green: Phthalo Blue (Green Shade) + Lemon Yellow
• Olive Green: Ultramarine Blue + Cadmium Yellow Medium + a touch of Burnt Umber
• Deep Forest Green: Ultramarine Blue + Cadmium Yellow Medium + a touch of Alizarin Crimson

Purples (Violets):

• Bright Violet: Ultramarine Blue + Quinacridone Red
• Lavender: Ultramarine Blue + Alizarin Crimson + Titanium White
• Deep Plum: Ultramarine Blue + Alizarin Crimson + a touch of Burnt Umber

Oranges:

• Bright Orange: Cadmium Red Light + Cadmium Yellow Light
• Burnt Orange: Cadmium Red Light + Cadmium Yellow Medium + a touch of Burnt Umber

Browns:

• Rich Brown: Mix complementary colors (red + green, blue + orange, yellow + purple). The specific hues used will determine the type of brown.
• Warm Brown: Burnt Umber + a touch of Cadmium Red Light
• Cool Brown: Burnt Umber + a touch of Ultramarine Blue

Step 5: Keep a Mixing Journal – Your Personal Color Encyclopedia

• Document Your Experiments: As you mix, keep a journal or sketchbook to record your color recipes. Note the colors you used and the approximate ratios. You can even add small swatches of the mixed colors next to your notes.
• Why It's Useful: This journal will become an invaluable resource as you continue to paint, allowing you to easily recreate colors you've mixed in the past and build a library of your favorite combinations.

Step 6: Practice, Experiment, and Have Fun!

The most important thing is to practice regularly and not be afraid to experiment. The more you mix, the better you'll become at understanding color relationships and achieving the precise hues you desire.

• Don't Be Afraid to Make Mistakes: Mixing is a process of trial and error. Embrace the "mistakes" as learning opportunities.
• Study the Masters: Look at paintings by artists you admire and try to analyze their color palettes.
• Enjoy the Process: Mixing oil paints can be a meditative and rewarding experience. Relax, have fun, and let your creativity flow!

Conclusion: Your Journey into a World of Color Begins Now

Mastering the art of mixing oil paints is a journey of continuous learning and discovery. By understanding the fundamentals of color theory, practicing the techniques outlined in this guide, and developing your own unique approach, you'll unlock a world of vibrant possibilities and elevate your oil paintings to new heights. So, gather your supplies, embrace the process, and get ready to create your own masterpieces!