How to mix paints

Mixing colors can be easier than you imagine. In this article I will show how to mix paints with the help of a mobile app for mixing colors. You can create any paint using just 5 basic colors.

What do I need

First things first - you need paint. In this article I will show acrylic paints as it’s one of the best options for painting by numbers but you can use gouache or any other paints. You will also need a palette for mixing, brushes and glass with a bit of water to clean brushes. Also prepare a small piece of paper for swatches.

For this article I will also use RealColorMixer app which will help me to select the right colors to mix.

Preparation

Here is a paint by number template I want to color - just some pancakes I had for breakfast with DigitPaints you can convert any photo to beautiful paint by numbers, even your breakfast. You can create your own template in this generator. After generation of template I also received this palette with used colors. Outline template for painting

Now I want to start painting with color №20 - each color in the palette has an RGB number and we will use it. Color patette

Getting ready with color mixing app

I already downloaded the RealColorMixer app, so let’s open it. You will see a palette you have - by default it contains some basic colors but I want to use colors I have.
To remove colors you don’t have from the palette tap on them and hold until you will see a delete icon - now you can delete it.
Let’s add the colors we have now. On your tube with paint or on the box you will probably find the name of the paint, for instance “Azo Yellow Medium”. Now click the + icon on the top right corner and find a color with the same name (or just a similar one) there. You can click on it and then click on the plus icon in the top right corner. The color will appear in your palette. You can repeat this step for every paint you have or just add 5 basic colors - you will need white, black, red, blue and yellow.
RGB code for the color I want to mix is “232, 98, 49”. Click on “Search” button in the “Mixed color” section and then enter this code there. Then click “Search” and the app will show you what colors you need to mix and in which proportion. Don’t try to perfectly follow these instructions as it’s almost impossible to calculate it with real paints but it will help you to understand what colors to use and which one should be more or less.

Let’s mix our paints

Take your palette and put a small amount of paint on it but don’t mix it yet. You can add more paint later if needed.

I see that most of my color is red with a smaller amount of yellow and just a bit of black. Now I take a small amount of yellow paint and mix it with red. The same thing I do with an even smaller amount of black paint. Repeat this step before your color becomes similar to what you want.

Avoid adding too much of any color at once. Start with a small amount, assess the result, and adjust as necessary. This prevents wastage and allows for fine-tuning.

When I feel like my color is similar to the one I am trying to do I make a test swatch on the piece of paper and compare it with my DigitPaints palette. It’s always easier to understand how close you are by checking it on paper so feel free to make as many swatches as you need.

I showed how I mix colors for my paint by numbers project in this video:

While creating swatches, compare not only to your desired color but also to nearby shades. You might discover that your mixture is similar to another color in your palette, allowing you to expand your color options.