How to Mix Oil Paints: The Expert Beginner's Guide

Rule #1: Organize Your Palette

Professional artists always lay out their palette in the same order every single time. This builds muscle memory—your hand will know where "Red" is without you looking.

The Standard Layout (Right-handed painter):
Place colors along the top edge, from Left to Right:

• Titanium White: (A large pile, you use this the most).
• Yellows: (Lemon, Cadmium, Ochre).
• Reds: (Cadmium, Alizarin).
• Blues: (Ultramarine, Phthalo/Cobalt).
• Earths: (Burnt Sienna, Umber).
• Black: (Ivory Black).

Leave the entire middle and bottom area clear for mixing. Never squeeze paint into the mixing area.

Rule #2: The Golden Mixing Technique

Many beginners "stir" the paint like soup. This is wrong. It pushes air into the paint and makes a mess.

The Correct Way:

1. Scoop a bit of Color A with your palette knife.
2. Place it in the mixing center.
3. Wipe your knife (or pick up Color B with a clean corner).
4. Add Color B to the pile.
5. Mash and Fold: Use the flat of the knife to mash the pile flat, then scrape it up and fold it over. Repeat until there are no streaks.
6. Gather: Scrape the pile into a neat little mound. Do not leave it spread out like a stain.

Expert Tip: Always mix a Pile of paint, not a puddle. You need enough volume on your brush to make a confident stroke. If you run out of a specific mixed color halfway through an area, it's hard to rematch it exactly.

Rule #3: Value First, Color Second

The biggest mistake beginners make is asking "Is it the right Red?" instead of "Is it the right Darkness?"
If the Value (lightness/darkness) is wrong, the painting will look wrong, no matter how perfect the Hue is.

The 3-Step Check:

• 1. Value: Is my mix too light or too dark? (Squint your eyes to check).
• 2. Temperature: Is it too warm (orange/red) or too cool (blue/green)?
• 3. Saturation: Is it too bright? (Most tube colors are too bright for realism. You almost always need to mute them with a complement or earth tone).

Rule #4: The Tinting Strength Trap

Not all pigments are created equal. Some are bullies.

• Phthalo Blue & Green: These are nuclear weapons. A pinhead amount will turn a whole pile of white blue. Add them carefully!
• Yellow Ochre: A weak pigment. You need a lot of it to change a color.
• Titanium White: Very strong and opaque. It can make dark colors "chalky" very fast.

Tip: Always add the Dark/Strong color into the Light/Weak pile. Do not try to lighten a pile of Phthalo Blue by adding White—you will use your whole tube of White and still have blue. Start with White, and add the Blue to it.

Summary Checklist

• Use a palette knife for mixing, brushes for painting.
• Keep your palette organized in the same order.
• Mix enough paint (make a pile).
• Check Value first, then Temperature.
• Clean your brush often. A dirty brush makes mud.