13 Essential Tips for Mixing Watercolours Like a Pro

Introduction

This tutorial provides essential tips for mixing watercolor paints effectively, transforming your approach from basic to professional. Whether you're a beginner or have some experience, these tips will enhance your understanding of color mixing and improve your watercolor paintings.

Chapter 1: Start with a Clean Palette

• Always begin your painting with a clean mixing palette.
• A clean palette helps prevent contamination from previous colors.
• It allows you to accurately gauge the new color and value you want to mix.

Chapter 2: Use Two Water Containers

• Keep one container for cleaning your brush between colors and another for rinsing while painting.
• This method helps maintain the cleanliness of your second container.
• Rinse your brush thoroughly to avoid contaminating new colors.
• Dab your brush on a towel after rinsing to prevent diluting your paint mixture.

Chapter 3: Maintain a Mixing Journal

• Document your color mixing experiments in a journal.
• Include names, pigment codes, and approximate ratios of mixed colors.
• Use this journal as a reference for planning future paintings.

Chapter 4: Mixing Colors Efficiently

• Start with yellow and gradually mix in red rather than the reverse. This minimizes waste.
• Use smaller quantities of the darker color to achieve your desired hue.

Chapter 5: Mix on the Painting

• Embrace watercolor's fluid nature by mixing colors directly on the paper.
• Apply one color and then another beside it, allowing them to blend naturally.

Chapter 6: Test Colors on Scrap Paper

• Before applying colors to your main piece, test them on a scrap of watercolor paper.
• This helps you assess the hue and value without altering your painting.

Chapter 7: Use a Limited Palette

• Limit your color choices to three or four to create a harmonious painting.
• Fewer colors simplify the mixing process and reduce muddy colors.
• Focus on understanding the characteristics of your chosen colors.

Chapter 8: Understand Basic Color Theory

• Familiarize yourself with primary, secondary, and tertiary colors using a color wheel.
• Learn how complementary colors can enhance your compositions.

Chapter 9: Master Color Temperature

• Recognize the impact of cool and warm colors on your mixes.
• A cool and warm version of each primary color (red, yellow, blue) is essential for diverse mixing.

Chapter 10: Use Complementary Colors

• Mix complementary colors to create neutrals, enhancing your artwork's balance.
• Allow one complementary color to dominate for better composition.

Chapter 11: Use Freshly Squeezed Paint

• Refresh dried watercolor paints with a little water before mixing.
• For darker colors, use freshly squeezed pigment to maintain intensity.

Chapter 12: Mix Enough Paint for Consistency

• Prepare a sufficient amount of paint mix for large areas to ensure color consistency.
• Remember that tonal value is often more critical than exact color matching.

Chapter 13: Avoid Over-Mixing

• Mix colors with a quick swoosh of the brush instead of thorough mixing.
• Allow colors to mingle on the paper for more dynamic and interesting results.

Conclusion

By following these tips, you'll enhance your watercolor mixing skills, leading to more vibrant and harmonious paintings. Experiment with various techniques and keep a journal of your progress. As you practice, mixing colors will become more intuitive, and you'll gain confidence in your artistic abilities. Happy painting!