Colour mixing basics - Acrylic painting technique to match a colour 

From my experience working with a lot of students and artists, I have met a FEW that just seem to be able to mix the exact colour right off. It is just an inborn talent. My current art teacher will look at a colour and tell me what to use to mix it. She is dead on every time. When I ask "How do you know this?" She replies "I just know. Always have, since I was a young child. I have no explanation for this talent."

Out of all the videos I watched about this, this one was all I really needed. It shows the process without talking down to me and it is right to the point! Excellent explanation!

Will, thank you so much for the videos. I've been struggling with understanding many of the acrylic concepts, but you've really helped. Please post more videos, ranging from painting with limited palette, wet on wet blending, and dry brushing, etc. Again, thank you.

I always struggle mixing colors accurately to a reference, my dad is a painter too and whenever i watch him paint i always wonder how he mix colors so easily and care free haha :D I am just starting to practice acrylic painting and thanks for this video it's so helpful + straight to the point!! :)

Yes colour mixing can be tricky, glad the video helped! Will

Thanks Will. I teach painting and drawing but love the way you explain things so clearly. Very very helpful.

just the sort of video I need,,, I'd like to see one with lots of colours that are to be matched; that'd be really useful

Will, thank you for the videos! I'm picking up a brush again after 40 years and these videos really help!

we don't need to buy every shade of colour out there we just need the three basic primary colors to work with! thank you for this I learned some things

Very helpful resource! I was a bit confused with how complementary colors were used and needed a rudimentary understanding of it. Thank you!

Hi Nancy, It all depends on the target colour, for example, you won't be able to mix a bright cyan using theses 3 primaries. The colours you mention above are good choices, have a look on my website for an article on 'Basic Beginners Palette'. Cheers, Will

Do you recommend using these three particular colors as primaries for starters? I'm having trouble deciding which red, yellow and blue colors to use. Thanks!

Hi DJSHADDY, thanks for the comment, glad to hear you are enjoying the videos, Will

Thanks! Nice, non-distracting music. Thummuped☺

I found this to be exceptional in learning colour mixing. Many thanks Will. 🎉❤

This is a really helpful video. I'm just beginning acrylics after ten years of watercolours, so I've had to go back to basics!

Just found you, and have learnt so much. Thank you. I will binge watch your videos now.

Awesome Willkempartschool that was amazing tip about when we are using orange for painting.

This is what most people fails to do. they get confused about values and tone. great topic.

Love this video , it shows just what one has to do to get it right .Thank you .

This is super helpful for mixing paint to match fabrics for cosplay!

Nice tutorials, i am starting acrylic painting. I am good at pencil drawings (graphite) but am starting this as part time. most probably i would watch all ur videos but its better if you can classify videos to stage 1 , stage 2 or different levels of drawing skills so that we people like us come to your channel it would be very easy for us to choose the category.Thanks a lot.

why my colours turn out differently once is painted, at first on the preparation bowl is ready to what I want but when is painted after is dried is different ??

I really REALLY wish you still made these videos!

Thank you so much for this vid! It's exactly what I've been looking for ^^

Yes, you can tone down any colour with it's complement, burnt umber is essentially in the orange family of colours so a blue would be it's compliment. In this case this would result in a very dark black. Thanks, Will

I watch your other videos in the past and they are very useful.

Just click the read more under the video to see a full list of colours, Cheers, Will

Will water work with acrylic for blending colors together? I wanna try to blend some colors together but to scared I'm gonna mess up.

You're Welcome, Will

great tutorial, but iwonder wich surface are you mixing on ...

Yes, acrylics blend with water, go for it! Will

Thank you for the lesson!! Do you have some tips about what primary colours should we use (should i take red hue/carmin/, or lemon / yellow medium)?

The thing I really want to know is what are the acrylic colours you suggest for every acrylic painter to have? I know that may be a long list... Anyone know at least for one colour (example all necessary yellows)?

I have a bag that has stains and this is so helpful!

What kind of paper are you using to mix the colours on? I have a plastic palette put my paint dries way too quickly.

Just started painting and this video help so much

To add darkness, how would we know if it's better to use blue than black? (or dark brown)

I like your painting

NIc i live haft way around that world and you skill are true need on this web sit.

Thank you ..I was struggling to make this color. ..well explained. Thanks

good color mixing explanation, but what kind of colors are you using ? what kind of yellow ? what kind of blue ?

This was brilliant! Thank you so much.

What paint did you use? I want to try acrylic paint and read that it dries so quickly that you don't even get enough time to mix colors , does it really dry that quick ? Please reply , I need some tips. I am starting to paint after so many years. )

This was great. I was trying to make a color wheel before this for class, and this showed all my errors. It is a shame my teacher didn't teach us about using the yellow to lighten the others to darken. =/

Hi, I have a problem. So I manage to get the color I want, but one of the following three things happen to ruin it: - I end up with a huuuuge amount of that color because I keep adding and adding - There's barely enough for one or to strokes of paint... - ...or it's actually already dried up. Can't find anything about the AMOUNT of paint I should mix... help :/

3:42 how did you know what color to use to lighten the value? I get that yellow is close to orange and lighter, but would white have been more ideal, since it wouldn't change the hue?

straight to the point! thanks

Saludos,eres un gran maestro, gracias!!😀😀😀😀

Thank you! I enjoy your skills!

Of course you won't be able to mix a bright cyan... because that is a primary colour! Your choice of Ultramarine blue, Will, is very far from being a primary colour. I can be used to mix a lot of nice colours, but not a bright green, since it has red in it. The primary colours are: Yellow, cyan and magenta. Even though you normally won't work with pure magenta and cyan, it's good to know.

Wonderful Tutorial!!

thanks that helped a lot !!

Brilliant, thank you for sharing

Thanks a lot! Interesting video

Actually really helpful. Thank you

Will your method work with any set of primaries? How about cad yellow med, Alizeron Crimson and U/M Blue...how do you know what combinations of primaries to use? Thank you for this video. It was very informative!

Awesome video!!!!!

HI Will: thanks for the videos, they are really useful. If I might make a suggestion, it would be that you should credit the music (performer, composer, CD) you are using with perhaps a link to where the musician's web site is, or to their youtube videos. Cheers.

The problem I'm having is knowing which yellow, red and blue. I can see that the yellow tends towards green, and I'm guessing it's a blue red, so probably a red blue? Maybe this is discussed in another video because I know those things are important in getting the right mix.

Why mix in the complement and not, say, black? Just found you, binging on your videos :) Thanks!

Are so pleased to hear it

Awesome

Where are you mixing the colors on? Do you use to mix colors on a paper?

How do you keep your paint from drying as you mix it?

Can you do a video on how to make a bright orange?

What surface do you mix your paints? I can't find a surface to mix.

When I mix colours they don't look right I'm struggling to get the right colours like a apple /any fruit my greens are terrible can you help I'm a biginers thanks

I'm so clueless when it comes to mixing the right tones TT_TT So you tone down any colour, with it's compliment? I remember seeing you use burnt umber for that. What works best with burnt umber?

What are you mixing the colors on, paper?

I bought the expensive liquitex artist colours. My problem is 3 to 4 minutes later the paints on the palette start forming "skin" and the paint on my brush starts becoming a blob. What do I do? I can't paint in less than 5 minutes!

HOW can I get a list of these primary + secondary and.....colors and their mixtures if they are not a pure color? can i get it in the store? or how can i find it in the internet? ( I mean what should i look for? - since English is not my primary language, I don't know how to look for it. if it exist )

Hello will. Just discovered your channel. What do you suggest to beginners for ideas? And what surface were you mixing the paint in? Thanks.

how to make ginger root colour

Thanks for sharing, can you please share the name of the acrylics u are using ?

That was so helpful♥♥

My color is already dry when I'm done mixing :( how do you keep it workable?

Nice one

@email16v Thanks very much, hope it's helped your colour mixing. Will

Hello Will again 😓. Sorry to bother you again and again but other than mixing the paints , what else does that craft knife thing function for. ( sorry new to all this. And not familiar to anyone one of the tools ) ;)

thanks, tint-ability all of a sudden clicked as not so much the base value but original color ability.

Thank you!

Very helpful!

very nice. i like.

thanks for a very good video.

No matter what I do, I always end up with the same brown :(

so helpful tip thank u

How do I make desert sand color paint

What're you mixing on?

Thankyou

Thank you 😍💓💓💓💓

Excellent ...

thankyou

By using machine

Red+black+trkyamber-

rudra

Who came here because of iris aka literature child?

Nice video Hindi me vejen