Watercolor for Beginners: Color Mixing

The Split-Primary Palette

There's something amazing about starting with just three colors and unlocking an endless spectrum. The traditional red, yellow, and blue triad underpins color theory. In watercolor, the specific reds, yellows, and blues you choose shape the entire mood of your palette.

Play with Color Temperature

When mixing primaries with secondaries, notice how the warm and cool versions alter the outcome. This simple shift opens up a rainbow of possibilities.

• Warm Yellow (like Cadmium Yellow) + Warm Red (like Cadmium Red) → Vibrant Sunlit Orange

• Cool Red (like Quinacridone Rose) + Cool Blue (like Ultramarine Blue) → Velvety Rich purple

• Cool Yellow (like Lemon Yellow) + Cool Blue (like Phthalo Blue) → Brilliant green

Practice Exercise

Try creating color wheels with different primary sets. Watch how each combination tells a different story. A violet mixed from Ultramarine and Cadmium Red feels earthy and dramatic, while one from Phthalo Blue and Quinacridone Rose sings with vibrancy.

Mixing Clean Secondaries

The secret to bright, lively mixes is choosing primaries that lean toward your goal color. For example, Lemon Yellow (with a hint of blue in its bias) paired with Phthalo Blue (leaning yellow) creates a brilliant, fresh green.

Once you’ve mastered clean secondaries, the real magic begins:

• Add a touch of the complement to create sophisticated neutrals.
• Adjust warm and cool ratios to shift the temperature of your mix.
• Layer multiple variations of the same hue to build depth and dimension.

Every experiment reveals a new personality in your paints—proof that with watercolor, discovery is never-ending.

Once you can mix clean secondaries, the real fun begins – add a touch of the complementary color to create sophisticated neutrals, shift temperature by adjusting warm-to-cool ratios, and create depth with multiple versions of the same secondary color.