How to Mix Acrylic Paints?

All acrylic products are also compatible with one another. Some darken as they dry. If you find the shade too intense, you can dilute the acrylic paint with water or acrylic medium. Using a palette knife is usually the easiest way to mix acrylic paints. If you already know your way around acrylics, it’s time to find out how to mix them and what you can do with them.

Using the Color Wheel to Mix Acrylic Paints

Using a color wheel will help you learn to mix acrylic paints and get the shades you need. Well-mixed paints add depth and the right character to your painting.

Primary colors are yellow, red, and blue. You can’t create primary colors by combining other colors, but primary colors can be mixed in different combinations to create all the others. You can create secondary colors (green, orange, and purple) by mixing two primary colors. To take it further, you can create tertiary colors by mixing one primary color with one secondary color. This gives you yellow-orange, orange-red, red-purple, purple-blue, blue-green, or yellow-green.

Keep this wheel handy to remember which colors combine to create other colors. To create the shade you want, use the two colors on either side of the shade you’re trying to make. Complementary colors (on opposite sides of the wheel) create gray or black when mixed. Placing these complementary colors next to each other creates strong visual contrast.

Natural Black Acrylic Paint

Black can look too bold and dark in a piece. It can make a painting look unnatural and distracting.

A good alternative to using true black paint is to create a color that is almost black by mixing complementary colors (opposites on the color wheel), such as red and green, purple and yellow, or blue and orange. This creates a dark color while adding tone, mood, and consistency to your painting.

Mixing dark colors, such as blue and brown or blue and green, has a similar effect. Creating your own version of “black” adds a more realistic touch to your artwork than using black straight from the tube.

I hope these tips help you mix your own shades. Good luck with your creative projects!

Best,

Majka.