Have you ever stood in front of a wall of paint at the art store and wondered why there are so many different reds, blues, and yellows?

Do you really need five reds? Three blues? Seven different greens?

The answer is no.

You can mix an enormous range of colors with a relatively small, thoughtfully chosen palette. In fact, having too many colors can sometimes make color mixing more confusing—especially when you’re still learning how pigments behave.

After years of teaching painting, I’ve found that color mixing is one of the areas where artists get frustrated most quickly. They end up with muddy colors, use huge amounts of paint trying to get the color they want, or buy more tubes of paint hoping the perfect color will solve the problem.

Usually, you don’t need more paint. You need to understand the paint you already have.

Here are some of the most important things to know.

WHY DO YOUR COLORS TURN MUDDY?

“Mud” is really just a color that has become more neutral than you intended.

One of the easiest ways to reduce the intensity of a color is to introduce its complement—the color opposite it on the color wheel. Blue and orange, red and green, and yellow and violet are complementary pairs.

Mixing complementary colors isn’t bad! In fact, I use them all the time to create sophisticated neutrals, earthy colors, shadows, and less-intense versions of bright colors.

The problem comes when you create those neutrals without meaning to.

For example, if you keep adding different colors to a mixture trying to “fix” it, you may eventually introduce enough opposing pigments that the color loses its intensity and becomes brownish or gray.

So rather than thinking, “How do I never make mud?”, a better question is:

“How do I control the intensity of my colors so I get neutrals when I want them—and vibrant colors when I don’t?”

That’s a much more useful color-mixing skill.

7 COLOR MIXING TIPS EVERY PAINTER SHOULD KNOW

Color theory is a huge subject, but you don’t have to understand everything about it to start getting better results. These seven principles will make color mixing much easier.

1. Start with fewer colors.

You don’t need every color available at the art store. A limited palette actually helps you learn color faster because you begin to understand exactly what your pigments can do.

It also tends to create greater color harmony in a painting because the same colors appear throughout your mixtures.

2. Pay attention to warm and cool versions of colors.

Not all reds—or blues or yellows—behave the same way.

A red that leans toward orange will mix differently than a red that leans toward violet. Likewise, a greenish blue behaves differently from a purplish blue.

Understanding these color biases helps you predict whether a mixture will stay bright or become more neutral.

3. Learn what complementary colors do.

Colors opposite one another on the color wheel neutralize each other.

That can create mud when it happens accidentally—but it can also be incredibly useful.

If a color feels too bright or artificial, try adding a tiny amount of its complement rather than reaching immediately for black. This can create much richer, more nuanced color.

4. Add dark colors to light colors gradually.

Some pigments are incredibly strong.

If you’re trying to create a pale blue, for example, start with your white and add a tiny amount of blue—not the other way around.

It’s much easier (and cheaper!) to darken a light mixture gradually than to use half a tube of white trying to rescue a color that became too dark.

5. Don’t automatically use white to lighten every color.

White certainly makes a color lighter, but it can also change its character. Depending on the pigment, adding white may make a color look cooler, chalkier, or less saturated.

Sometimes another lighter color—such as yellow—is a better choice.

Ask yourself whether you want the color to be lighter, less intense, or both. Those aren’t necessarily the same thing.

6. Stop trying to rescue every bad mixture.

We’ve all done this:

Add a little blue.

Oops. Too blue.

Add yellow.

Now it’s too green.

Add red.

Uh-oh.

Add white.

More white.

MORE WHITE. 😂

Eventually you have an enormous pile of gray-brown paint.

Sometimes the best thing you can do is stop. Set the mixture aside—you may actually need that neutral later—and start again with a smaller amount of paint.

You’ll waste less paint in the long run.

7. Get to know the pigments on your palette.

Instead of constantly buying new colors, spend some time mixing the ones you already have.

Try mixing each color with the others. Add white. Add its complement. See which combinations produce vibrant mixtures and which produce beautiful neutrals.

You can learn an incredible amount simply by making color charts and experimenting without the pressure of creating a finished painting.

SO, WHICH PAINT COLORS SHOULD YOU ACTUALLY BUY?

This is where things can get overwhelming.

Walk into an art store and you’ll find dozens—or even hundreds—of colors. But you absolutely do not need all of them to create a versatile painting palette.

What matters more is choosing a small group of colors that work well together and give you a wide mixing range.

I recommend having a carefully chosen selection of warm and cool colors, along with a good white and a few incredibly useful pigments that make mixing easier.

And yes—I have some very definite favorites after nearly 30 years of painting and teaching!

Rather than give you another enormous list of paint colors to buy, I’ve put together a free guide with the colors I recommend most often to my students.

GET MY 8 MUST-HAVE PAINT COLORS

🎨 8 Colors Every Artist Should Have

Get my list of the eight colors I recommend for a versatile painting palette, along with pro tips to help you get better results when mixing them.

→ GET THE FREE 8-COLOR GUIDE

You don’t need a drawer full of paint to create beautiful color. A smaller, intentional palette—and a better understanding of how those colors interact—will take you much further.

And once you begin thinking of color mixing as exploration rather than trying to find the one “correct” mixture, it becomes a whole lot more fun.

Want to go deeper?

→ Explore my Online Painting Classes
→ Read more Painting Tips
→ See my Original Paintings & Art Prints

You can also find me on YouTube, Instagram & Pinterest.

ABOUT ANDREA CERMANSKI

Andrea Cermanski is a Santa Fe–based artist and educator who has been painting and teaching for nearly 30 years. She holds a Master’s in Art Education and a Bachelor’s in Art History, and her work has been exhibited in galleries and juried exhibitions, including a show juried by Judy Chicago. Through her online classes, in-person workshops, and free tutorials, Andrea helps artists loosen up, build confidence, and develop a more personal and expressive approach to painting.