Mixing colours — Art, 11–13 years
Learn how a small set of paints can make many colours, and why the result depends on which colours you mix.
A colour can be changed
Paint does not have to stay the colour it was in the pot. Mixing yellow and blue can make green, while adding white makes a colour lighter and adding black usually makes it darker. Artists use these changes to show sunlight, shadows, distance and mood.
Why artists mix
The problem is that the world contains far more colours than a paint box can hold. If an artist used one ready-made colour for every object, the picture could look flat and disconnected from the light around it. Mixing lets the artist match what is seen instead of memorising a name such as “green”.
Making a green apple
Start with two spoonfuls of yellow paint and add one spoonful of blue. Stir: the mixture becomes a strong green. Add a little white for the side facing the lamp, then mix in a tiny amount of blue-green for the shaded edge. The apple now has one colour family, but light makes it look alive.
The muddy mixture
A common mistake is to keep adding every available colour until the paint turns brown or grey. It feels reasonable because more ingredients seem to promise a more exact result, but each extra colour can cancel some of the others. Mix a small test amount first and add only what the colour actually needs.
Colour in real work
Illustrators, interior designers and make-up artists all adjust colour for a particular surface, light or person. A graphic designer may test a blue on a screen and in print because each can display it differently. Colour mixing is useful when the exact shade matters, not just the colour family.
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