{"id":576,"date":"2020-06-23T09:05:42","date_gmt":"2020-06-23T09:05:42","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/urbansketchingworld.com\/?p=576"},"modified":"2023-06-15T17:30:34","modified_gmt":"2023-06-15T17:30:34","slug":"watercolour-mixing-chart","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/urbansketchingworld.com\/watercolour-mixing-chart\/","title":{"rendered":"How to Make a Watercolour Mixing Chart"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

In this post, we are going to take a look at how to make a mixing chart from the colours you have in your watercolour palette. This is an amazing but also vital way to get to understand your colours and how they behave with each other as well as creating ain invaluable reference tool so you know how to mix any colour you want quickly.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

This post is useful for beginners and experienced sketchers. Making charts such as these is something I have put off for a long time but as soon as I actually made the effort to make one I realised how invaluable the process of making the chart and the final product is for future sketching. By spending time making the chart you save time in the long run by taking some of the guesswork out of colour mixing.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Even if you are well versed in colour theory and the mechanics of how colours and pigments work, there is no substitute for direct experience. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Please do not<\/strong> skip making a watercolour chart (like I did) for years. Do it now. It is one of the most useful things you can do to take a leap forward in learning how your watercolour paints work. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

What is a Watercolour Mixing Chart?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

A watercolour mixing chart is usually in a grid format and allows you to mix record a range of colours achieved by mixing one colour with another.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

The chart has a defined range of pigments along the horizontal axis and the same pigments along the vertical axis, where one pigment meets another on the grid is the resulting colour from mixing them together.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Due to the nature of this grid system, each colour will meet on two occasions. In order to not get duplicate mixes, you can decide that one axis will have more of the colour than another. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Let\u2019s imagine we are mixing Indian Yellow<\/strong> with Ultramarine<\/strong> for example, which you may be able to locate on the grid above. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Where Indian Yellow is labelled on the top edge<\/strong> and Ultramarine is labelled on the left edge, the mixture will have more Indian Yellow<\/strong> than Ultramarine and the resulting colour is a more yellow-green.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Where Ultramarine is labelled on the top edge<\/strong> and Indian Yellow is labelled on the left edge and the colours meet again (on the top row of the image above) there is more Ultramarine in the mix<\/strong>, the resulting colour is more of a blue-green.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In this way, you get two different results from the colours mixing and a more effective reference tool. Check out the Youtube video and the section below on how to make the chart for more detailed step by step instructions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Why is it Important to Make a Watercolour Mixing Chart?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

There is no better way to understand colour theory than to practice it. Also, there is no better way to understand the paints in your palette and how they mix together than experimenting and keeping notes on which colours mix with which to produce certain results.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

The most efficient way to do this is to make a chart. There are a few different ways to make a watercolour chart but I will show you the way I most frequently make one.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

When you buy a new watercolour set or new pigments to put into your set I highly recommend you make a chart that you can refer to. You cannot tell the real colour from looking at the packaging or the tube. You can make swatches of the colours directly from the pan. By making swatches you can see how bright the colour is as well as how transparent or opaque it is. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The next thing you want to understand is how the colours mix together and what results they produce and this is where the mixing chart comes in.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

If you have a regular sketchbook you carry with you for all your urban sketches, I recommend making the chart in your sketchbook<\/strong>. If you don\u2019t tend to use a sketchbook then you can use any watercolour paper to do this. I have a large chart stuck to my wall at home to refer to when I paint there and a smaller version which is not quite so neat in the back of my sketchbook for quick reference.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Having such a chart to refer to will save you so much time<\/strong> when you\u2019re out painting and trying to achieve a certain shade.  Over time you may refer less and less to your chart and colour mixing will become instinctive<\/strong>. However, as soon as you change your pigments then you will need a new chart!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Some of my favourite online classes
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