How to mix colors – A blue room experiment

admin — Tue, 15 Sep 2009 20:24:00 +0000

Do you know who invented the color wheel? It was Isaac Newton in 1704 and a basic understanding of the color wheel is helpful when mixing colors.
The 3 primary colors are red, yellow and blue. In theory, using these colors in their purest form, any color can be produced.

Things You’ll Need:

color wheel
paint
hair dryer
card board

Color Mix
If you need more of one particular color mix more than you need and keep it in a separate container with a lid to prevent drying out. Mixing exactly the same shade is almost impossible. You can mix up a tester shade of the color you need, paint some on a piece of card board and take it to a paint store to get as close a match as possible.

Mixing Dark Colors
When mixing very dark colors, like Paynes Grey or Cobalt Blue, into a lighter color, put some dark color in a separate pot and gradually mix in about 3-4 parts water. Gradually add this to the lighter color in another pot, mixing the paint as you go, until you get the desired color.

Testing colors on the wall
If you do test colors on the he wall keep in mind that the color will alter slightly as the paint dries. and will be slightly darker when wet. Use a hair dryer if you don’t want to wait until the paint is dry.

Matching colors
If you need matching colors on the wall, cut a square hole in the center of a small piece of white card board. Mix the color you think will fit and paint over the card board. When the paint is dry, hold the card up to the wall and look at the 2 shades. This should give you an idea of how close your color match is.

Murals by Los Angeles Muralist Gabrielle » Mixing colors

How to mix colors – A blue room experiment