How to Mix Oil Paints for Art Class
- 1). Choose your base oil paint colors using a color wheel as a reference. A color wheel will tell you which colors you should mix to produce other colors. Colors are divided into primary (red, blue and yellow), secondary (purple, green and orange) and tertiary (red-orange, yellow-orange, yellow-green, blue-green, blue-violet and red-violet).
- 2). Place your primary colors on a plastic or wood palette. Mix the appropriate colors with a palette knife, scooping up the paint and spreading it with the back of the palette knife until the color is uniform.
- 3). Lighten or darken the oil paint color with black or white paint. Mix in a small amount of white or black until you produce the correct color.
- 4). Add mineral oil or turpentine to part of the paint to thin it out. These liquids will give the oil paint a watercolor-like consistency, allowing you to apply thin washes to build subtle color in your painting.
- 5). Mix impasto gel in part of your oil paint to thicken it and add texture to your painting. Impasto gels come in matte and gloss finishes, which impart different effects.
- 6). Mix paints directly with a brush to create a varied color effect. Instead of blending the colors smoothly, you can partially blend them to create the appearance of tree bark, grass or water.