Mixing colours — Art, 4–6 years
See how a few paints can make new colours. Art, 4–6 years.
A colour can change
When two wet paints meet, they can make a different colour. Yellow and blue can make green, while red and yellow can make orange. The new colour depends on which paints you use and how much of each you mix.
Why mix colours?
An artist may not have a paint pot in exactly the colour needed. Mixing solves that problem and lets the artist make grass, a sunset or a purple flower. People discovered this by trying colours together and noticing what changed.
Making green
Put one small spoonful of yellow paint on a palette. Add one small spoonful of blue and stir slowly with a brush. The paint should look green. Add more yellow for a lighter, warmer green, or more blue for a darker, cooler green.
Too much paint
A common surprise is that mixing many paints does not make a rainbow colour; it often makes a muddy brown or grey. This mistake is reasonable because each paint looks bright on its own. Start with two colours, use tiny amounts, and test before adding more.
Colours in pictures
Mixing appears in paintings, posters and craft work. An artist can make a leaf greener, a sky paler or a shadow darker instead of using one fixed colour. Designers and decorators also mix or choose colours to make a place feel calm, bright or warm.
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