How to Match Any Color with Oil Paint 

“Even if you don’t know what you’re doin’, you can still get there” Words to live by.

“If it’s hard to tell, that’s close enough’

And this is the only thing I needed to learn at art school and was never taught. Your free video just surpassed my $30k college tuition. Thanks a million.

Notes I have written down so far... at 14:30 •VALUE should be your first priority! •BLUE and BROWN will DARKEN a color. •YELLOW and WHITE will LIGHTEN a color. • If something looks GREY it really means it looks more BLUE. • If somenthing looks BROWN it really means it looks more REDish or ORANGE.

When you are just so talented that even when you're trying to fail, you match the color of the example...

Notes: - Use blue to darken cool colours and brown to darken warm colours - Focus on value first then the colour - using the opposing colour to neutralize and tone down a colour - use white to lighten cool colours and yellow for warm colours

I watched so many color theories and every time got confused. This gentleman cleared all my hurdles. What a simple and peacful lesson. God bless you sir. With love and regards,

When i read the comments i feel like we all can be friends and talk abt art and wowo sounds exciting lol

I literally was like; absolutely not. Blue, yellow and red make an ugly brown colour. Because that’s what they teach me in school. I never knew how to mix a grey without black and this is literally such an eye opener to what I learned. Thank god you and the internet exist

He intentionally tries to mess up on the first color... deliberately grabs some of everything to try and make a hodgepodge... and almost nails the color right on. Awesome. It's like watching a Wayne Gretzky hockey tutorial "Don't worry about doing too much to begin with. We're just going to skate a round a little bit, have some fun, and then just try to touch the puck with our stick..." *tap* *Scores game winning goal* Humor and awe aside, your color mixing examples and clear approach have been astoundingly helpful to watch and learn from, thank you!

They say that if you don't know how to explain something simply, then you don't understand the subject. You explain this so simply, and you have such a deep knowledge for color. Thank you so much for taking the time to teach people, especially at a beginning level.

I studied art in college. We spent a ton of time mixing colors...like two entire semesters were color mixing projects. We all got really good at it pretty quickly. I paint sets for my local school plays each year. I use interior, flat house paint and only get red, blue, yellow, white, and black. I paint all the sets with only those 4 colors. I can mix any color I need, just like what we see happening in this video. If anyone is painting a set and you want to use house paint from the local hardware store, you have to ask them to "mix" you up a custom gallon of individual pigments...that requires them to override the paint machines. If you just pull a red on the paint chip wall, it already has several colors mixed into it. So if you mix a red and a blue from the paint chip wall, you never know what you will end up with. You have to start with pure colors of paint with only one pigment in each. I really confused the employees at the store the first time I made this request. They are all used to me now and are pros at giving me what I need. This is also helpful info in you want to paint large, interior murals.

I have never been a painter. I'm not currently looking to become a painter. Why did I watch this? It's so fascinating to watch someone who is a great teacher who you can also tell is passionate about what they are teaching. If I ever do want to take up oil panting I know exactly what videos to come back to.

It's like the clouds opened and now I can see. Very clear description. I will make this a habit until it becomes natural. Thank you!

Some things i learned about color theory is if you want to have a cohesive painting and have color harmony, then: 1.never use black or white to change a color's tone,(unless youre going for a certain look) 2. Every premade paint color (thats straight from the tube) has a temperature, ie: warm, cool or neutral. Even black and white. For example Mars black is slightly warm and Zinc white is cool. 3. Objects in the background of a painting look more hazy so adding a bit of a light gray to your colors will help with that. It will dull the saturation. 4. If you want certain colors to pop, paint them next to their opposite on the color wheel. 5.

I've been painting for almost a decade and matching color has always been my biggest issue because I could never find such a clear tutorial of it. Thank you for this.

You are a terrific teacher....thank you so much! I have been taking workshops, attending demos and taking classes for 12 years and believe me when I say, I got more out of this ½ hour tutorial than all the others combined.

This is probably the best color mixing tutorial I've ever seen ... you're a great teacher man

Mark, thank you for this video. It was great! It wasn’t until I had a bunch of tubes of common and obscure colors that I finally decided that I’ve got to develop the skill of mixing my own colors. Your video should be a “must see” for any artist who doesn’t want to end up with tubes of paint that they’ll rarely use. And your mixing cycle is straightforward. Thanks, again, for the lesson!!

this was the only painting tutorial i could sit through and actually learn something! thank you!

Wow, didn't even notice that this was a half hour until someone mentioned it in the comments! Just goes to show you how well your teaching skills kept my focus. Excellent lesson!

Perhaps the best color tutorial I've found. Thanks much!

Your content is incredible! I read entire books about color theory and your 30 min video taught more than any of them! Thank you Mark :)

I have always been an average painter, I really do enjoy doing it. However I've always had the toughest time in matching colors. I've taken a few lessons over the years but no one ever explained color theory as easily to understand as you have. Thank you so much, I really look forward to incorporating this into my painting.

I would just like to say thank you for what you do, not only have you broken some of the snobbery behind artists societies that want to impress the world but purposely scare monger the rest by painting fear porn propaganda , as a self taught artist i praise you for your achievements and "sticking it to the man". Also you extend your teaching skills to the rest of us that are still a little scared of trying, thank you for your kindness, wishing you much continued success .

This is the best and most comprehensive color mixing tutorial I've seen so far! It explain the theory behind it clearly .

Bless you for taking the fear out of colour mixing. You have a gift and what a privilege to see and follow your advice and techniques. Thank you, thank you.

It’s so tempting to buy all those lovely colours at the art shop - I’ve been there and done that. I’m now mixing my colours with more thought and my paintings seem much more harmonious. It’s frustrating at first not being able to go straight to a colour (which is almost always wrong !) but I’m now determined to get those accurate colours by mixing. As Picasso said “ They can sell you a thousand greens but never quite the right green” - thank you for this wonderful insight into colour mixing 👍

This was the best explanation of color theory I’ve ever seen. I love how you didn’t just describe, but you walked us through as if we were doing it ourselves. Thanks for sharing!!

I started to watch thinking “oh here we go another painting demo...” but was absolutely riveted...and watched 2, back to back..such clear and straightforward teaching, gorgeous to watch the shiny colours transforming under the brush...will definitely be returning to these when I start painting again! Thank you so much for these tutorials- and as someone said, no annoying, distracting background music!!!!

I love this video because I’m about to begin painting with oil, and I’ve never quite understood the color wheel. You’re an excellent teacher, and I genuinely feel like I learned something after I watched this. Phenomenal!

I could actually cry. All the frustrations of mine with painting have just been lifted. Thank you for making this ❤️

i really loved how intelligently and smoothly you teach. makes it seem very simple. thank you very much

Hi, I just wanted to say that this video helped me understand colour mixing so much, I've been really struggling with getting the right colours but today I used this methodology and was able to complete my first portrait, thank you! - Chloe

By far, this has been one of the best videos on color mixing on here. Simple instructions and love that you say don’t worry if you do t get there right away. Keep working and you’ll get there. Definitely saved this video and will watch again. Thank you!!

Thank you so much for this! So many tutorials on color theory and mixing and I’ve never had a good understanding of it all until now. Once an artist reaches the point where it becomes instinctual, they tend not to articulate the process in a way that’s understandable to a beginner

Fantastic. I'm new to painting and love learning, but my biggest frustration so far has been my inability to make the colors that I want. This is the best explanation I've seen yet! Looking forward to practicing this on paint swatches. Thank you!

I am so grateful you share your knowledge in these videos. Thank you!

I watched this the first time about 5 years ago now and think about it every single time I paint. I use it every time and it works every time. The key to painting a fantastic portrait is color matching and proportions. If you have those two, you’re solid and this video made a huge impact on my art. I recommend this to anyone and everyone trying to learn to paint with oils

I'm only halfway through this and it's one of the most concise, helpful lessons I've ever had

This is the most beautiful, informative and helpful video that I have ever seen. Thank you

1: Cadmium Yellow 2: Burnt Umber 3: Alizerin Crimson (The other is hard to get unless you buy geneva color) 4: Titanium White 5: French Ultramarine Blue For Vibrant Colors: 6: Pthalo Blue (toxic color) 7: Cadmium Red Scarlet 8: Manganese Purple Additional Color I like: Love the color Cobalt Teal for an extra color, could mix it, but easier to buy it already mixed. Very useful for adding saturated color quickly to greens, blues, violets etc-

This helped me understand why I need to go by a color wheel for the first time! I even had color theory class for printing degree in college years ago and didn't get it. It now makes more sense!!! THanks!!!

I've just begun my painting lessons. This video was incredibly useful and easy to follow. I can't thank you enough to just taking your time and uploading something that one can just go and use immediately. Thank you kind sir!

Wow, Thank you sir :) I've tried alone and searched about how to mix the colors, your video is the best . I do love it thank you again and again

Very detailed and clear explanation of color mixing. Thank you!

Thank you so much for making such an informative video with examples and explaining the thought processes. I started oil painting in school yesterday and was so lost trying to mix colours and got really worried, even doubting if taking art was a mistake. But then I watched your video which was incredibly helpful and today's art lesson went so so so much better! Thank you once again!

Mark, Hands down, the best color mixing demonstration that I have ever seen. Thank you.

Even though I'm into watercolor, this was the most helpful on mixing colors. Color theory makes a lot more sense now!! (Technically though, we can't use white to lighten, otherwise the color becomes too opaque and is also classified as mixed media instead of watercolor.) Thank you!

Thank you for this video, it was extremely helpful. I've watched a few videos on how to mix colours before this but this was the best. You explained everything so well and it was easy to understand. I like that you included the colour wheel because the other videos I watched didn't do that. I actually managed to sit through this whole video lol. You're great at this, keep it up!

I have watched a number of color mixing tutorials. By far this is the best tutorial I've ever watched. Thank you so much. 😊

Thank you so much. I started painting again after 12 years and looked at my old work and got overwhelmed cuz I couldn't remember how I got the colors. This video you made helped a lot.

You, sir, are my hero. Thanks for making this process clear, concise, and eminently followable!

Best color mixing explanation I've ever heard, hands down. Thank you!

This is the best colors mixing tutorial that I have seen. I can do the exercices with confidence now.

Thank you! I’m currently painting & this has been super helpful for me, your way definitely makes colour mixing & matching more doable for me, thanks 😊

You are always so generous, Sir! Thank you very much.

Excellent teacher, excellent explanation, friendly and great tone of voice to listen to. I learn heaps!

This was insanely helpful. Tried it out with multiple colours and it took no more than 10 tries to match the colour each time. Thank you very much for this video and for sharing this method. It's solid and you've got another very grateful viewer.

This video literally took my painting abilities to the next level! It's actually very simple when you think about it!! Thank you a bunch!

This is a supper helpful video clip on basic color matching techniques and using Gray Scales or values. Thank you, Lee

W/O A DOUBT, THE BEST COLOR MIXING VIDEO I'VE EVER HAD THE PRIVILEGE OF LEARNING FROM... THANKS DWP!

Thank you, thank you, thank you for this. As a beginning painter it can be so frustrating trying to mix accurate colour and values. This is the most illuminating and simple to understand systematic approach I have found and it has given me great encouragement that I can master colour mixing without getting overwhelmed by deeply technical information or using a dozen tubes of paint. Great demonstration.

You have made something that seems so hard for instructors to teach, teachable. The very easy way about you really seems to put it in a slow easy way to see and understand finally what I need to learn. I so appreciate you. Thank you. You have a forever student.

I am one of those people who color theory is just a nightmare for. Finally you've explained it in a way I can understand. Thank you so much for this. I'm not even an oil painter and I've watched this video a few times. :)

Incredible video. Really clearly explained, relaxing to watch.

Hi Mark, I wanted to THANK YOU BILLIONS TIME for all of ur tutorials. I have been struggling a lot mixing colors and everytime result was coming frurstrating.But these color mixing tutorials by you gave me 100% confidence today. Extremely happy that i can mix any color i want to. Thank you so much again and again.

Thank you so much for sharing!!! I feel I have grown stagnant in my art and paintings and one of the reasons why is my values are off! It's frustrating to look at my art and know something is wrong but being blind to how to fix it. This video opened up my eyes about things I once knew but slowly moved away from because I also do a lot of bright abstract art for fun but I want to improve my realistic portraits. I know now that I must go back to the basics and make sure to get my values right. I am so glad there are people like you who take the time to teach online. It is very helpful for me, I experience ADHD and tend to hyper focus on the wrong things and use too many colors. Videos like this are helpful for me to learn but also experience the freedom of switching between videos and pictures which helps me learn without becoming bored. I also love your video on over blending. Definitely a problem I have and want to also focus on breaking. I love wet on wrt portraits and know have some knowledge on how to improve mine while also gaining the confidence and trust to try new things. Thank you so much for sharing!

Sigh..........I wish I would have found you a year ago when I started painting..........this is amazing.......thank you so much for sharing your knowledge I have learned so much of off this one video 👍👍

I learned more about painting with this video than in my whole life before it. So... thank you!

Thank you , thank you! I have been struggling with color mixing, no mater how hard I tried I could not grasp it, until now, you have explained in a such simple way an steps for me to finally be able to understand it, I was at the point I was going to give up painting, sell all my expensive art supplies, although my desire to paint was very strong, but I was so discouraged until now! Thank you so very very much! 😁

He explained this well, he calms your fears of you are not messing up. Without me knowing that I will get there, my first time not hitting the value and the color I would have thrown my canvas to the floor. So many times I am frustrated with things looking flat with no dimensions, and not knowing how to mix color, but I am realizing that it is not over night but a process of learning, practicing and learning more. Thank you for this.

Wow, you have a gift for explaining this stuff. Thank you SO much!

The best one explain the color, I completely understand it, thank u so much

Thank you Mark, I've sought many paint questions throughout time, and I always find myself at one of your videos. Thank you for helping to spread knowledge, very noble, very kind.

Had a very frustrating plain air time today, due to cool mixing for nature. This video really strips away the mystery of mixing and pairs it down so your artist head doesn't explode trying to mix color. You very much made my day today, thank you so much! Subscribed.

Thank you for this very informative video!! Exactly what I needed. The principles apply to acrylics too!

I watched a few of your videos and they are very informative and helpful. At first, I was really bored with the content, but I think its like anything you want to master, you have to first learn the fundamentals. Thanks so much for taking the time and offering these to people who are interested in painting! It is so much more useful than just watching someone paint!

Very clever. Amazing tutorial for mixing colours. I've been drawing portraits for years and just recently started painting. This video has helped no end. Thank you

Brilliant video, in all my years of various learning experiences, I've never had colour mixing explained as clearly as this. And no black paint in sight, thank you 🙏🏼

Thanks Mark, what a super chap you are for sharing your knowledge with us.

Amazing Mark....Excellent tutorial. I learned a lot. Thank you!

I love your style of teaching. Very confident in yourself and those who you are teaching. That's a great mix!

As a landscape architect for 48 years, I have never had color balance explained in a simple system as you have plainly delineated in this video. Thanks for the time and effort to teach this color matching system as it applies to many different genera - all anchored by color.

Fantastic tutorial! I learned so much from this. Thank you!!

How nice to see someone who really knows what he's doing...!! and as a bonus ,does not rattle away like a machine gun mis-pronouncing every word-but slowly & with deliberation- He really wants us to understand what he's saying !! &, as another bonus, no loud crazy music with drums-trying to obliterate the narration..Someone give this man a medal *

This is one of the best videos ever uploaded on RU-vid. I come back and watch it every once and a while, even though I already know the technique.

This is the number one video I have ever seen in all the years of watching and learning about art in the teaching about color.

You are a great teacher I'v really never understood color as well as I did in ur video thank you

Great video - I learned so much on mixing colors.

Thank you . I appreciate your instruction. This demonstration is by far the best I have seen without complicating things for a beginner like myself.

You're a brilliant teacher Mark. - No frills, just solid knowledge. I bought your course about 12 years ago and watched it every night in bed, for a year. The way you teach colour matching, is gold. This is essential knowledge and you break it right down to utter simplicity. I find colour matching to be really easy, and can get an exact match. I put this down to what I learnt from you.

I’m so very pleased your colour exercise was sent my way and sincerely thank you for this amazing exercise! Barbara Main, Australia

Amazing thank you. I am getting 'back' into painting and feel inspired. I have always been strong in Art but Colour mixing has always been my downfall. I just get frustrated, use too much paint, get muddy Colours and throw out the window. I will follow this. Thanks.

This is the best explanation video i have ever seen, on the color wheel. Thank you for that. I just started painting photo realism after 10 years with painting and playin around, so this will come very much in handy for me.

This is a gem video! Thank you so much Mark!!! I used to think I can never mix paint and would buy bottles on bottles of different pigments. But this is something, i actually think I understand color theory now. Brilliant video! Highly recommended for any and all artists!

Thank you for this amazing tip, it's easy to remember.

Amazing! This is a before and after to me. Thank you very much!

Thank you...for probably the "Best Lesson" I have ever seen on mixing colors, whether it be online or in person. You are an "OUTSTANDING TEACHER:! I learned a lot tonight and just within 1 hour! Thank you again!

Direct, to the point, concise. This is the kind of tutorial I love, you rock dude. Thank you.