Colour mixing and theory for watercolour - made simple - mix clear or subdued colours at will 

I have 5 RU-vid “tutors” whose knowledge and teaching skills I respect and trust. Four are Brits, and 3 of those are women. You, dear Liz, have turned on the light bulb for me after the others did the wiring. I heard what the others said, but it didn’t quite sink in until I saw this and heard your explanation. Finally, I’ve got the message! Thank you for all of these videos you have made. I am busily trying to catch up on them.

Just found your lesson. What a revelation! I now understand why so many of my colour mixes hace looked muddy! Thanks!

I'm very new to watercolour, so new that when my colour mixing didn't give me the colours I wanted e.g. your "new" green green, I gave up. Now I have seen the explanation as to why I wasn't getting what I wanted, I'm going back. Thank you, thank you, thank you.

Thank You! Thank You! Thank You! I thought I had a good understanding of colour theory and therefore could not understand why I spent hours mixing to get the colours. I would sometimes just go to the art shop and spend a fortune buying all the tints tones and hues of the watercolour pencils. I have even made a grid to start swatching my watercolours because I couldn't see where I was going wrong. Thank you also for plain straightforward explainations without all the noise and buzzes and whistles. Art for so many is a calming thoughtful process so many videos that may have valuable information I swith off because of the noise. You have a new subscriber in me.

If one is wanting to better understand colour theory and how each pigment interacts with the other, This is a brilliant video to describe just that. Often folks don't visually understand why colours get flat or muted. This is a perfect example of understanding that each color has a warm and a cool value. When you see it presented, it just makes sense, it creates that "A-Ha" moment for the viewer. Thank you for a cogent discussion and a visual on the process of colour mixing. I know the visual impact it can have when you just see what happens in real time, with explanation of the "WHY". Thank you for taking the time to explain.😉✨🧡

Aha! Finally it all makes sense! Thank you so much! I have been baffled for years, never knowing why "primaries" arent doing what i expected. I will be making my own color daisy first thing tomorrow morning!

By George Liz! It’s finally clicking thanks to your video… well done! This 70 year old is finally understanding the color bias! It’s been a trip but I’m getting the gist of it thanks to you! Thankyou!

Thank you! After couple of years of trying to wrap my brains around the cool and warm, this makes so much more sense! I mean people keep taking about muddy colors and then talk about temperature!! When all they really need to say is exactly what you just explained! 👍🏼👏🏼🙌🏼

I feel exactly as Shelley has said. Absolutely love the clarity and simplicity. Now also catching up on all your tips. Thank you!

Thank you for making me understand my bad combinations with colors that I didn't want. Thanks for making it so easy to understand. Now I have to find my colors.😍😍😍😍

Even though I have painted for years and have my favorite mixes , I enjoy learning more . It's really interesting.

OMG - really! The penny has just fallen with an almighty clang!!!! I am new to all this and have been playing with mixing colours & wondered what I was doing wrong??? I am going to go through my palette & look at it with new eyes. Thank you sooo much🙏

This is masterful ! Brilliantly explained and demonstrated ... Thank you !

This is a great explanation, thank you! and funny too ‘bloomin heck it works!’ 😂

i am a senior and new to watercolor. I'm so glad to find your channel and really needing help mixing colors. Your art is beautiful.

I've since found a watercolour chart which lists each colour by group( colour), colour name,temperature,opacoty,staining power ( not sure about that one) and comments. very helpful reference tool. Thanks again for your concise guide

Gosh! This explains sooooo much! I’ve just discovered you tonight and I’m absolutely giddy! Thank you so much for teaching all of this!

Finally I understand. My brain just would not compute before!No confusing warm, cool, leaning more this than that. The way how you describe it is so clear because I can see the tints you are referring to in the colours you are about to mix. Thank you! X

Great video! I've heard other people discussing this topic, but your explanation really made it click for me. Thank you!

Thank you so much for this explanation. It's the first time i have seen this explanation of mixing that made sense to me 😊

This was great. Thank you. I have just started exploring painting in general and water color. This information is so helpful no matter what paint medium I am experimenting with. ❤

Excellent, thank you. Seems so simple but never realised why!!

Great video....helping us to understand mixing better. Thanks!

I love your channel. Such a wonderful teacher!

Thank you. Understand a bit more!❤️🦋

Such a helpful video on colour mixing. Thank you very much! 👍

Click! Did you hear that? It was my brain finally grasping this concept! Thank you for this clear explanation!!

Thank you Liz, a great colour mixing tutorial😊

Finally a clear explanation of color theory! Thank you Liz!💕

Wow! you’re tutorial was so informative. This is most definitely going to help me going forward in my creativity.

This helped me SO very much! Thank you.

What a beautiful eye opening exercise! You showed us the 'true colours' in colour mixing! (Excuse my silly pun) 😅

So, so interesting. Thank you for this lesson. Very helpful x

Very helpful. Thank you for posting this!

Best explanation I have ever heard!! ❤❤❤

thank you! you have made me happy!

Thank you for the clearest explanation of colour mixing . I’ve painted along with you to make my colour Daisy and Bingo! It works! I’ve had so much trouble especially with green and now I know why. I’m a follower and look forward to learning more with you.

Bless your heart , Liz, for helping me to better understand color mixing!!! Such an insightful presentation on the subject - the best yet for me out of the many tutorials I have watched & read!!! THANK YOU🖌️🖌️🖌️

Great video; thank you so much for sharing your experience and knowledge.

This is exactly what I was looking for, and I didn’t even know it. Thank you.

OMG, that sure makes a lot of scenes.😮

I’m just thrilled one of your videos popped up today!! You are absolutely genius and gifted instructor!! while apparently a extremely talented artist!!! Love, I mean LOVE your giraffe painting!!Hazel Soan also uses those 3 colors her elephants “Ellie’s” as well as other animals. You two are the only ones that have mentioned and shown this! Yahoo!! everything you explain (my 3rd video of yours) is crystal clear, Liz. Mind you, I am 63 and need help as fast as possible…lol If I never paint a beautiful picture I can honestly say it is ok because I just LOVE watercolors and have fun!! I taught myself oils several years ago and never had this excitement… I’ve been searching watercolor tutorials for couple of years and am upset that RU-vid doesn’t put everyone or at least different people in my feed. I’m mad at them!!!! Honey, you just keep going and I’m praying more find you!!! Again, you are gifted AND delightful. Respectfully, Nancy Rolfe Texas

🌟🌟THANK YOU I finally “get it!”🌟🌟

Thank you so much I loved it and learned from it .

Thank you. This just answered a question I’ve been asking for 2 days. Perfect!!

Aha! I love the way you explain this. From now on, only color daisies for me! No more wheels, so much more fun! 😂

Liz I cannot thank you enough for this video! I am sending a huge virtual hug! You explained things so brilliantly that I now completely understand what to do and not to do when mixing! Thank you, thank you, thank you!

Woo hoo. !! Another little treasure trove. So look forward to them..Thanks Liz. Another artistic treat. Always full if inspiration .!! 😍x

I just discovered you, Liz. Now I have to scramble to catch up on all of your clear, simple, understandable explanations about the serendipitous nature of watercolor! I love the medium, but struggle to use it well. You now have another devoted fan. Thank you, Shelley

I'm sure it's already been said but wow you teach so succinctly. I get it now.. lol 🤥🤗

Thanks for the clearest explanation of this I've seen yet!

Brilliant!! What a great job you did illustrating the differences, thanks!

Thank you so much. What an eye opening explanation!

I loved this video. I have never swatched all the colors in my limited palette. You motivated me to do so. Now I’m actually looking forward to watching what happens. Thank you for posting. I’m enjoying going through your videos. 🙏💙🌵

Thanks Liz, this has made a lot more sense while you explain in practice 😊.

Thank you! This really makes a lot of sense. So simple but I never even thought of this!

Very helpful Liz. Thank you.

Wow. I needed this lesson!!

Another excellent video. I've learned so much from your videos. Thank you for sharing!

Thank you very much Liz for this video! Although I am still at the initial stage of knowing English, I understand very well your explanations about mixing colors. I learn a lot from you about watercolor painting.

A very enlightening tutorial. I've created colour charts but when I finish them, I put them away. I'm going to make a small colour wheel like yours as a reminder of the colour biases in the pigments. I'm also going to try the same experiment with oil and acrylic. Thanks so much for these helpful tips.

Such a clear explanation, thank you!

Excellent video - best I've seen discussing bias - thank you so much.

Thanks for colour explanation hope when I practice it I’ll see it & understand it better. Thanks again.

thank you , very clear and seemingly obvious illustration that not many tutorials will show you.

So well explained. Thanks!

Brilliant. Thank you.

Thank you so much Liz. Spreading your knowledge to others. Btw, I just received your book, Painting Animals in Watercolor. Still in the process of reading it cover to cover.

I love your channel and have learned so much from you. I agree that the three pigments in Quinacridone Gold were the problem there. I also think that since Alizarin Crimson is PR 83 which is fugitive that was the problem there. Rather than Permanent Alizarin Crimson I use Daniel Smith Perylene Red PR 149 as a very close substitute. Daniel Smith may be hard to get in the UK but I'm sure there are other PR 149 pigments that would work.

Thank you Liz!❤🤗

Excellent so well explained

Great explanation!

Thank you very much!!!

Greatly explained.... 🙏

So helpful!!

Thank you.

I am so pleased with the one I made following your video...my previous encounters with colour wheels have been quite messy and I could never absorb the warm/cool idea. Thank you so much for the clear instructions! Do you make swatches/wheels before starting a painting? -to identify the colours & mixes you intend to use..

Why you don’t have 12 zillion subscribers is beyond me!

Lizzzzz. !! Why don't they have just a pure yellow. Or pure blue.. or red? 🤯😭 haha, I thought it was just my eyes thinking I saw the cadmium yellow looked a bit green 🤪. I love your videos. They've really helped open my eyes and skill set so much. Thank you sweetie, you're The Angel of Pallets 🥰

so well made eye opener, many thanks for that. As a beginner i ask myself now - do pure primary colors exists at all - can i buy them as watercolors, or are all offered yellows, reds and blues biased in one or two directions to another primary? As an exercise i would like to paint a clear color weel starting with only the primary colors, but which one to choose?

Thankyou for explaining which colours are cool and warm. I am going to do my own colour chart. The problem I always have is mixing enough of a colour and then if I run out I can't mix it again. Do you have any tips.

❤

Is there a video showing what happens when mixing say a yellow with blue undertones to a blue with red undertones, does that make for even muddier colors?

I call this the mind the gap theory. First, arrange six primaries in a ring in this order: warm red, cool red, warm blue, cool blue, cool yellow, warm yellow (you have them in the wrong order in places!). Then, when you come to mix secondaries: - adjacent colours make the most colourful/vivid mixes. Maybe too colourful. - if there are two colours between the two you're using, you're going to get a neutral colour rather than a secondary - if there's one colour between your two primaries, you get something in between and sometimes these are the colours you want. If I'm doing a painting (like your giraffes) with one blue, one yellow and one red, I'll make a choice with all this in mind, then test out how the three mix on a piece of scrap paper, just to be sure I've made the right decision.

Sorry! I meant to say Perylene Scarlet. Perylene Red is brighter PR178.

Im wondering if you could tell me how to mix Aqua like the Jo Sonja acrylic variety please ??.....without adding white. Maybe it isn't possible to mix aqua. ?!?!?! TIA

Does it make even more of a difference if the paints are transparent?

Is there a book regarding watercolour mixing?

I love this video. However there is no way known to man that I would actually know that cerulian had those other colours or that lemon yellow had the blue/green. Where does that leave me ?!?!?!?!?

Take a lesson from the printing industry. The colors they load into their printers are Cyan Magenta Yellow and Black. Those are your primaries.