How to Mix Paints to Get Unusual Colors

You can find a full range of arts and crafts paints, from acrylics and fabric paint to oils, pastels, watercolors and more at online stores like Jerry’s Artarama and Jo-Ann Fabric and Craft Stores. However, the colors you buy in the store don’t always turn out to be the same shade you expected. In that case, the easiest solution is to blend your own colors using the paint you have on hand or basics you can find at any store.

Easy As 1-2-3

If you only need a little of your new color, the simplest method is to blend available paint colors on a palette board with a brush. For a larger amount of your new color, use a paint stick to mix the base colors together in a pot or bucket until you get the right shade. Acrylic paints may take a different tack. Use a large sheet of glass as a mixing surface to take advantage of its smooth, nonporous surface.

Building on the Color Wheel

Combining basic paints to get other colors is fairly straightforward and is based on the color wheel of primary, secondary and complementary colors. There are three primary colors--red, blue and yellow--that can be combined to get the secondary colors--purple, orange and green. These six colors then can be mixed to get even more colors and shades. Remember, if you combine complementary colors--those that naturally go together, like purple and yellow, and are located across from each other on the color wheel--they can turn dark or off-color. Just add a little neutral gray to brighten the shade again.

Layering colors is another way to create unique shades. Apply the first color, and then follow that with the second color while the first layer is still wet using a rag or brush. Blend the colors until you achieve the desired effect. If you’re using more than two colors, repeat the process for each, working quickly to blend the colors together while they're still wet.

The key to getting just the right shade is patience and gradually adjusting the base colors until the finished product is just right. Be sure to add a little bit of each color each time, rather than dumping large quantities into a bucket and trying to tweak the resulting mess.

Brighter Colors and Whiter Whites

Choosing the type of paint to work with is very important, too. Keep in mind that organic paints are most likely to result in bright, clear colors and offer the most transparency, which is helpful when combining different colors and shades. Inorganic paints, on the other hand, are more opaque because they contain natural minerals and ores, and are not so easily blended.

You also can add white, gray or black paint to any color to give it a darker or lighter quality. Gray is especially useful if you want a more opaque finish, but don’t want to change the brightness or darkness inherent in the new color.

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