Acrylic Paint Mixing Made Easy: Beginner’s Guide

When I was refreshing this acrylic paint mixing post and eliminating the shameful AI-written copy, I was reminded of how I first started teaching online. So before we get into all the nerdy color-mixing stuff, let me share that short story.

Back when I first started teaching, I was invited to lead workshops in places like California, Minnesota, and Wisconsin. It was exciting, and I loved the teaching part. But our first child, Olivia, had just been born — and every trip meant missing time at home.

👉 If you’re brand new, you can start at the Acrylic Hub — it’s got all the free courses and guides in one place.

That’s when I realized I didn’t want to live on the workshop circuit. I still loved teaching, but I needed a way to share my ideas without being gone all the time. So I switched to teaching online. And honestly, if I hadn’t made that decision, tutorials like this one — and all the other full courses on this site — wouldn’t exist today.

👉 You’re here to learn how to mix acrylic paint with just six primaries. This simple approach has saved me (and my students) a lot of headaches. No suitcase full of tubes, just a handful of colors and a little practice. Let’s get into it.

The Six-Primary Palette

You don’t need 48 paints to start mixing. With six primaries — a warm and cool version of each color — you can mix just about anything.

Reds

• Cool: Alizarin Crimson
• Warm: Cadmium Red Light

Yellows

• Cool: Cadmium Yellow Lemon
• Warm: Yellow Ochre

Blues

• Cool: Cerulean or Cobalt Blue
• Warm: Ultramarine

White

• Titanium White for tints

Step 1: Build a Color Chart

Creating your own chart is the best way to understand how these paints interact.

1. Label your six primaries.
2. Mix secondaries (orange, green, violet) by combining warms/cools.
3. Add tints with white.
4. Add shadows by mixing with complements.

Step 2: Two Ways to Mix

Palette Knife

• Keeps colors clean.
• Great for large mixes.

Brush Mixing

• Faster and intuitive.
• Just be careful to wipe your brush often.

Step 3: Tints, Shades, and Neutrals

• Tinting: Add white to lighten.
• Shading: Add complement (red + green, blue + orange, etc.) to darken.
• Neutrals: Mix near complements to mute intensity without muddying.

Step 4: Other Harmony Tricks

• Analogous: Three colors side-by-side on the wheel (calm, natural).
• Complementary: Opposites (dynamic contrast).
• Triadic: Even triangle on the wheel (balanced, colorful).

These aren’t rules — just starting points. Play, experiment, and take notes.

Wrap-Up

Color mixing doesn’t have to be overwhelming. With a simple six-primary palette, you can:

• Mix every secondary and tertiary you need.
• Control tints, shades, and saturation.
• Build harmony in your paintings without buying more tubes.

This tutorial is just one piece of the bigger picture. Because I shifted from traveling workshops to teaching online, you now have full access to in-depth courses right here — at your own pace, no plane ticket required.

So start simple, make a chart, and enjoy the process. Every mix you make builds confidence.

Learn & Improve Your Acrylic Skills

• Acrylic Hub– Your go-to guide for tutorials, tips, and resources.
• Ultimate Beginner Acrylic Course - Start painting with confidence.
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