Mixing watercolor the easy way

Are you ready to try mixing watercolor the easy way?

Color mixing paints can seem a cryptic, complicated business.

And if you’re not experienced at painting, it might even seem like one of those mysterious skills that all the ‘better’ painters can just do naturally, but which is going to take you years of practice to even get close to mastering.

The trouble is, thoughts like this can become inflated in our minds, and make us feel not good enough to even try.

Or like we need to wait until one day far into the future when we’ve got all the time in the world so we can study a doctorate in the intricacies of color theory before picking up a paintbrush.

OK, I’m exaggerating.

But is this sounding a little familiar?

If so, feeling you don’t understand color mixing may well be holding you back.

If you really want to grow creatively and become the artist you’re meant to be, then you’re going to need to bust through this block. Yes, color is a vast topic, and yes, observing ALL the colors in your subject is a skill that develops naturally the more you practice.

But no, you DON’T need to learn all about color to be able to paint realistically, and it’s OK (more than OK) if your color observation skills still have a long way to go.

So long as you understand these two fundamental principles of color, you already know enough to get good results in your realistic paintings.

A substitute for experience?

As the saying goes, “there’s no substitute for experience”. For lots of things that’s true, but when it comes to color mixing with watercolor, what I’m about to show you comes a very close second.

Eventually, knowing which paint colours to use becomes second nature.

But whilst you’re reaching that stage, color mixing can be super easy if you’ve made a visual record you can refer to. Then you can have a good idea of which paints to use together, and in what proportions, to create your desired color.

Rather than storing color mixing knowledge in your memory, you can look it up in your sketchbook – until you don’t need to anymore.

Mixing watercolor the easy way – here’s how:

If color mixing has been holding you back, I really hope this mini class has fired you up and given you a way forward while you grow this skill.

To fast track more of your artist skills, check out these mini classes where I show you how you can train your eye to see like an artist and observe more colors.

Have you struggled with color mixing in the past?

After watching this mini class, will you try mixing watercolor the easy way? I’d love to hear from you in the comments below.

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20 Comments

  1. Elizabeth on July 31, 2024 at 5:26 pm

    Hi. Do you have a video related to colour mixing? I’m a bit confused as you have a video showing the little furry creature not colour mixing . Thanks

    • Anna Mason on August 1, 2024 at 6:41 pm

      Hi Elizabeth, sorry, there was a website problem and the right video didn’t publish. If you try again now you’ll find the colour mixing one.

  2. Esther Martinez on July 31, 2024 at 5:41 pm

    I love the quick tutorial on the fury little mouse. I consider myself a beginner and I do paint dark too quickly then I’m having to try to lift color off. I have tried to paint loose, but I always end up painting realistically. I think I will focus on that and play around with the other. Looking forward to your other videos. I do own one of your books. The Modern Flower Painter

  3. Dianna on July 31, 2024 at 5:58 pm

    Love this mini😊

  4. Patricia on July 31, 2024 at 6:23 pm

    Is the correct video linked here? I see one about painting fur.

    • Anna Mason on August 1, 2024 at 6:44 pm

      Hi Patricia, the right video is now up! (A website bug meant it didn’t publish how and when it was supposed to)

  5. Maureen Hallahan on July 31, 2024 at 6:56 pm

    Dear Anna
    I’m a great fan and often join your on line course. But PLEASE don’t use American spellings e.g. COLOUR! Sorry, but since we’re all British it’s just wrong.

    • Anna Mason on August 1, 2024 at 6:49 pm

      Thanks for your feedback Maureen! It’s unfortunate that colour / color is a word I need to use so much and that it’s spelled differently around the world! I know it can be jarring seeing words spelled differently to the way we spell them ourselves. Since I have readers in all continents, I do use the spellings interchangeably. It also helps people to find my free content when they’re searching on the internet 🙂

  6. Sharon on July 31, 2024 at 8:47 pm

    Thanks, this was very helpful!

  7. David on July 31, 2024 at 8:50 pm

    Thank you very much.

  8. Jullane on August 1, 2024 at 2:15 am

    it is amazing how many wonderful colors you can make with just 2 colors. this was a great example to watch.. I have loved being in your online school for years.. I truly hope you make another book. I have both of yours and look forward to a new one..

    • Anna Mason on August 1, 2024 at 6:51 pm

      It really is amazing, isn’t it Jullane. Thank you for your kind words – I do plan to write more books in time!

  9. Raelene on August 1, 2024 at 6:43 am

    I enjoyed the mixing colour mini class. Very helpful. I just need to get a sketched and I’m away . Thank you

  10. Sheena on August 1, 2024 at 9:09 am

    Fabulous demonstration of colour, Thanks Anna

  11. Arnie on August 1, 2024 at 11:59 am

    Thank you for a great mini lesson. I have been recording some of my mixes my “Painter’s Color Diary”, but your process looks better than what I have been doing. Thanks for the info, and I look forward to taking more of your classes soon.

    • Anna Mason on August 1, 2024 at 6:53 pm

      A Painter’s Color Diary sounds like a great idea too Arnie. I can see how doing both can have a value. Keeping any record of colour mixing can be helpful! I’m glad you enjoyed this mini class 🙂

    • Marie on August 2, 2024 at 3:34 pm

      Thank you for the mini lesson, i can’t wait to make a start on mixing my own palette. I would like to know the make of watercolour paint you use as I always have problem when mixing colours for example Jackson’s PG differs from Windsor and Newton’s one.
      Best wishes.

  12. Muhammad arfakhsyad on August 25, 2024 at 3:29 am

    Well i like this blog responsive and fast.

  13. yvette robinson-sarasola on September 3, 2024 at 8:15 am

    love this information on mixing waters colour it very helpful.
    can you send be the free pear tutorial.
    kind regards
    Yvette Robinson -Sarasola
    from Australia

  14. Nicky on September 12, 2024 at 2:23 pm

    Hello Anna.
    I’ve just discovered your tutorials and really enjoying them.
    Do you do a tutorial to explain water ratio to paint? I’m trying to do loose painting but the paint/water ratio bloom.
    Many thanks.
    Nicky.

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