Learning how to create a watercolor mixing chart is necessary for both beginners and advanced artists. This helps a painter have a better understanding of their watercolor paint set. A watercolor mixing chart is also great for mixing colors during a painting session. Read on to know more about different types of color mixing charts and how to create the grid one.
As the name suggests, a watercolor mixing chart is a chart that shows different colors and what they look like when you mix them together. A watercolor mixing chart is a great reference tool for painters to understand their paint and which colors they should mix while painting.
When you buy a new set of watercolor paint, you should always test your colors to see how they look on paper. Remember, watercolor pigments from different manufacturers will not look exactly the same. For example, the watercolor paint from the Daniel Smith brand seems more vibrant than some other brands I have used, which I love for my paintings.
But, how does a watercolor mixing chart look? In the next section, I will introduce you to the five watercolor mixing charts.
5 Handy Watercolor Mixing Charts
There are five watercolor mixing charts that I have seen other artists create and use in their painting sessions. Each chart reveals different information about the colors when they are mixed together.
- Watercolor wheels – they help you learn primary colors, secondary colors, and tertiary colors, which are the basics of color theory.
- Grid watercolor mixing chart – a grid of colors and their mixed colors. It shows you what you will get when you mix two colors.
- Palette watercolor chart – a basic chart that shows what the colors from tubes or pans look like on paper.
- Dual watercolor mixing charts – they show the results of mixing two colors in different ratios.
- Glazing watercolor mixing chart – this chart shows you what you will get when you glaze different colors on paper.
Today’s article will teach you how to create a grid watercolor mixing chart.
4 Easy Steps to Create a Grid Watercolor Mixing Chart
Step 1. Prepare Your Materials
To create a grid watercolor mixing chart, you will need the following art materials:
- Watercolor paper sheet
- All watercolor paint tubes or pans that you have
- A flat brush
- A ruler
- A pencil
- A pen
- An eraser (optional)
- A jar of clean water
- A color palette
- Tissue paper
Organize your paint and other art supplies in the best order for you. Below is my setup for the color mixing session. I put warm and cool hues next to each other so it will be easier to compare these hues as they work differently when mixed with other hues (color bias).
Step 2. Draw a Grid and Label Your Colors
Next, draw a grid with a pencil and a ruler on watercolor paper. The number of columns and the number of rows are the same and equal to the number of different watercolor paint tubes or pans that you have (plus 1 column and 1 row for labeling the colors).
For example, I have eight different colors so I created nine columns and nine rows.
For color labeling, write the exact name written on the packaging of the tubes or pans. For instance, “Pyrrol Scarlet” is better than “Red”. Label the colors on the rows and columns in the same order with the order of the paint tubes or pans. Please keep some space next to the color names, then paint the pure colors to represent how they look on paper.
Step 3. Mix Colors on Your Palette
Use a clean white palette to mix the colors. I found it very convenient for mixing the colors when I picked the same color and created different spots on the palette before mixing it with other colors.
Your brush needs to have very little water, not too much. Then, rinse the brush thoroughly before you get the same amount of another color and mix them together. Make sure the ratio of the two colors you mix is 1:1. You can also read my tips for mixing colors.
Step 4. Color the Cells on the Chart
Start with the first color row, for example, Pyrrol Scarlet. Use the flat brush to get the new mixed color and paint that on the right column. In my example, I mixed Quinacridone Rose and Pyrrol Scarlet, then painted the new color on the row for Pyrrol Scarlet and the column for Quinacridone Rose.
The upper-right side of the chart will be for saturated mixed colors. The lower-left side of the chart will be for diluted mixed colors. The complete color mixing chart should look similar to the image below.
You can watch my tutorial video for creating a watercolor mixing chart for more details.
How to Use a Grid Watercolor Mixing Chart in Watercolor Painting
A grid watercolor mixing chart is handy when you paint. It helps you foresee what you will get when you mix two colors together. For example, I prefer mixing French Ultramarine Blue with a warm Yellow such as New Gamboge Yellow to create a natural green color for leaves. Mixing a cool blue with a cool yellow results in a green that looks so artificial.
You can also see which colors you should use to mix and create a dark shade such as grey or black shades to increase the contrast in your artwork. In this case, I usually mix Indigo or Prussian Blue with Quinacridone Rose or Burnt Sienna to create my own black color.
Conclusion
Mixing color requires some practice and patience. When you have a new set of watercolor paint, remember to create watercolor mixing charts to get to know your paint first.
I hope this tutorial for creating a grid watercolor mixing chart is helpful. If you want to get more tips for watercolor painting, check out my other blog posts and subscribe for my newsletter via the form below.
