4. Mixing Your Watercolours - An Introduction for Beginners

MIX YOUR WATERCOLOURS LIKE A PRO!
In this video I show you how to mix watercolours to achieve a combination of subtle and delicate hues, essential for landscape painting. We have a look at the importance of understanding what you can achieve with just 3 primary colours and a few earth colours. I show you how to set out your palette in a way that's simple and effective and demonstrate the benefits of using a limited palette. You will also get to see some of my most important, 'go-to' colour mixes that I rely on in my landscape paintings.
The painting of Kimmeridge Bay that I use to illustrate this tutorial is available as a Limited Edition of 50 prints - please visit for more details www.ourlandsca...
If you want further details on the colours that I use, then please visit my website - www.ourlandsca...
PAINTS
Daler Rowney Artists Range - Jacksons Art Supplies geni.us/rwRJa6A
Daler Rowney Aquafine Range - Jacksons Art Supplies geni.us/8bXMGe
Maimeri Blu - Jacksons Art Supplies geni.us/sKIh
PALETTE
JACKSON PORCELAIN PALETTE WITH COVER - 32 WELL Jacksons Art Supplies geni.us/TOCAJt
THIS VIDEO CONTAINS AFFILIATE LINKS TO PRODUCTS, WHICH MEANS THAT I RECEIVE A SMALL COMMISSION ON A PURCHASE OF THOSE PRODUCTS WITHOUT ADDITIONAL COST TO YOU.
This video contains affiliate links to products, which means that I receive a small commission on the purchase of those products without additional cost to you.
The purpose of this video is to share my knowledge and experience of landscape painting and watercolor with you and from time to time that may involve me recommending products that I use. I receive some of those products from manufacturers for free, but the products that I recommend are only products that I believe in, have used for many years and am comfortable in recommendin to you.
The products that I receive are not contingent on the production of any video tutorial or marketing content, nor are they part of a legal sponsorship arrangement.

[@wiesjehartman]

Wow! This is by far the best demonstration ever. I love your paintings. Your colors are so spot on . After watching this I know why. Thank you for sharing this. An 86 year old from Canada

[@donnagoode6923]

This really is SO HELPFUL AND CONCISE! Other videos I've watched on mixing colors have left me confused and overwhelmed but this presents it in a very usable and comprehensible format. You are not only a gifted artist but a talented teacher. Thank you!

[@kynaatawan5967]

So many people paint with watercolour like they do acrylics or oil. You are a true watercolourist. I love your paintings and will try these exercises.

[@llucas2008]

I’m sure everyone’s told you that you’re brilliant. I just found you because I just resurrected my desire to sketch and paint again. I’ve tried my hand on oil and acrylic (daubbled) and I love oil pastels but I’m just getting into watercolor and I can’t get enough of your videos. One day I dream of visiting the Lake District and doing my sketches and watercolors. Right now I use my photos from my travels to Sonoma and Ireland and later those of Austria and Greece. Thank you for inspiring me.

[@Sam48772]

You are an amazing teacher. I love your painting too.

[@andrecardon2141]

An english painter who knows how to choose colors in link with his country. Really experienced teacher with clear diction and very good flow. UNDERSTEABLE. OUTRE MANCHE. Merci

[@sinydedeugd6989]

I'm only 2/3 into this video and I've already said 'WOW' at least 30 times. I am now as in love with your way of explaining as many below. From now on I am a loyal fan! Thank you so much for sharing this with us Oliver! 😍

[@clareclemens4849]

This has to be the best demonstration of mixing colours I have seen. Thank you for being so generous with your knowledge. So many watercolour tutors are less so.

[@MrCatrig77]

You failed to mention what happens to color after it dries

[@gr8fng]

​@MrCatrig77 why would expect @clareclemens4849 to include what happens to colour after it dries in her comment???

[@diverte]

absolutely

[@isabellepanaget2961]

Oliver, You are a really good teacher of watercolor paintings. I see all the work and all the way That I have to do ! Thank you for your help.

[@philcaffrey]

Thanks Olly. Your channel suits me perfectly - the detail and careful explanation is brilliantly paced - too many other channels are a bit too superficial and quick - thank you so much.

[@trishbale8243]

Thank you so much for a very detailed and very easy to understand video of mixing colours .If my art teacher at school had had half of that knowledge to pass on I may have been a lot better at art 😂Thank you again, I’m going to start mixing!

[@flourchylde]

WOW! Just WOW! This is the best waercolor tutorial I have ever watched. Thank you for sharing your talents with us.

[@janicedigirolamo482]

I agree with all the glowing evaluations of your art and your teaching-what I love is your dry sense of humor-just heard you say-coffee tea? No, give me ultramarine. I laughed a while at this unexpected funny!! Thanks! I needed that.

[@KuldaevaWatercolor]

Hi Oliver, Thank you for sharing essential knowledge on how to mix colors and how little we need to create a huge array of colors. It also shows how much care and respect you have for your students (us). Thank you for all the hard work you’ve put in to making this video!!

[@returnofthenative]

Yes very, very helpful. Sound common sense mixing expertise. Thank you so much Oliver.

[@adelamcgrew7135]

Hi, what an interesting way to explain color. Not complicated but just easy to see and get the knowledge. Awesome , thank you.

[@Mimibryant0123]

I found you by accident and I’m so glad that I did. I am a beginning beginner and this video is very informative. Your soothing voice and great demonstrations make your video easy to watch. I subscribed based on this video and I look forward to watching more. I will also soon look for you on Patreon. Thank you

[@susanritchie9456]

Thank you so much for sharing your knowledge- your paintings are beautiful!!

[@pammcreynolds]

I love to mix colors, but still learning. Very nice video on mixing.

[@the-scribe]

Brilliant! I am just starting watercolour following Eleanor Mann's book "The Watercolour Book". She teaches using just 6 Winsor & Newton professional colours. and I am making charts like yours using her six colours. Winsor Blue Green Shade, Winsor Lemon, Permanent Rose, Raw Sienna, Burnt Sienna and French Ultramarine. Thank you for your very interesting video. I will be looking for your other videos. Best wishes. George

[@BruceWhitmore]

Helpful perspective on using a high number of pigments and factory mixes. Thanks

[@youngwonpark8825]

I have watched millions of KZbin videos by artists, but I would like to confess that you are the best teacher. I used to struggle with color mixing and failed every time I tried to add colors to my pen drawings. You have just opened my eyes to true color mixing. Thank you very much. Greetings from South Korea :)

[@oliverpyle-ourlandscape4442]

Delighted to hear that - and thank you!

[@suev1520]

Lightbulb moment..after 25 years of painting this was a eye opener for me and loved how you broke down the process without all the noise and confusion..thank you sooooo much 💕💕

[@leetau8429]

thankyou for sharing your knowledge, i have decided at 60yrs old to learn to draw and watercolour painting... i have approx a cup full of purple i made with white included lol. this video will save my pigments defs

[@yellowrosecottag]

Thank you Oliver! So helpful! As a beginner I was paralysed by too many colour choices. Then I did an online class during the pandemic with an artist who limited to a palette of three colours with not a lot of mixing. That was liberating and enabled me to focus more on technique and control. Now recently I had been struggling with warm primaries vs cool primaries and how to lay out my palette so this video was exactly what I needed for clarification. I’m out of the mud now! Your videos are great. You show everything from the mixes in your palette to clear explanations of every step. I’ll keep watching.

[@RANHEN1]

Your paintings struck me because of the beautiful colours. Now I know how to make them. Thanks!

[@ruthfulton2079]

Love your paintings. That a brilliant watercolour mixing tutorial. Thku for sharing.

[@Zenon-fg4dw]

Mixing colors has been the hardest thing for and has inhibited my progress with watercolors. I really appreciate how you are taking the time to explain the basics of color mixing. I think I can implement some of these lessons. Thank you!

[@orawanmcauley2849]

it’s really as enjoyable to watch as is useful. Thank you 🙏

[@ananthnayak]

Just came across your channel recently. Excellent tutorial..top notch really. Learnt more from this one video on color mixing than I've done from so many others put together!

[@claudioignaciocanzoneri7523]

Hello. I like your style, I really appreciate your tips and lessons, they are very useful to me and I am going to follow them. I will try to imitate it as much as possible. Thanks again for your generosity. (Excuse the grammar, but since I'm not fluent in English, I rely on google translators)

[@maureenreid6963]

Brilliant tutorial, I wish someone had shown me how to mix colours 30 years ago. Yes, that's how long I've been attempting to produce a consistent standard of work. I think that your method will help me achieve my goal. Thank you so much Oliver, Mo

[@DSmith-pc9jn]

Thanks so much. I have been painting for awhile but really enjoyed seeing your way of working.

[@pippikrumeluss5167]

What a coincidence! I painted a woodland themed painting with just burned sienna and cobalt blue deep this week. And in the next step I will add yellow ochre or chrinacridone gold to it. 💕

[@Jeannette.akaJnett]

Such marvelous info. Certainly wish I had known all this prior to purchasing so many different colors over the years.

[@dehweh2297]

I watched Dr. Oto Kanos video series about colour theory. Which contains an incredible wealth of information. But your video here tied it all up for me. In a practical, usable way. Everything makes so much sense now. Thank you for providing this. It's very, very helpful. You are a very good teacher.

[@barbaracopeland447]

I watch many instruction in watercolour and am self taught but you are the best for beginners!

[@oliverpyle-ourlandscape4442]

Thx Barbara

[@margaretheath4854]

Fantastic thank you Oliver

[@pantera8298]

Very useful information! Thank you

[@Bluegreen7Pau]

Thank you for this very useful and instructional video. I will get my hands to mixing some primaries and experimenting right away.

[@pattyhall7162]

Thank you for sharing, love the way you teach!

[@liaclark2393]

great suggestions on keeping records on the mixes thank you 🖌 happy painting

[@overworkedcna412]

It would be incredible if you could do a texture tutorial. The way you rendered the cracks in the rocks in the seascape is incredible, I'm trying to "reverse engineer" it but not having much luck.

[@janelubenskyi1177]

Definitely you are one of the prime painters to follow on You Tube…very helpful tutorials.😊🌷

[@patriciaharris8213]

Quite brilliant. Thank you!

[@carolynchambers8716]

Thank you so. much. This is immensely interesting and helpful. Most grateful to you.

[@kathryndohring5481]

Absolutely amazing video! I will be watching this again. You're an awesome teacher and so generous with your knowledge. I'll be going to my local art store to get some more colors. Can't wait to make to make my color charts. Thank you so much!

[@oliverpyle-ourlandscape4442]

You'll have fun making the charts Kathryn - and thanks for the kind words.

[@kathleennickles7159]

Thank you. I worked on the Blues chart today.

[@yunzers]

This is so helpful. Thanks so much! The painting of rocks and water is absolutely fantastic!

[@halinateller2665]

The best tutorial about mixing colors! Thank you!

[@lindajohnston6653]

This is incredibly helpful! Thank you so much!

[@margaretbutcher]

Brilliant. Thank you.

[@gr8fng]

Goodness I'm so glad I've found your channel ... I've just swatched my watercolour palette and was feeling overwhelmed at how to move on to exploring colour combinations. Then boom ... watched 3 of your videos & I'm feeling excited to explore & play. Thank you & blessings from Australia 🐨 🐾

[@vickieburt1756]

Thank you so much for this invaluable information.. So useful to a beginner like me.

[@PAZMz]

Loved this tutorial and I learned a lot. Love your palet of colors and will be using your tips abut the mixing space. Saludos

[@johnthulborn4713]

Thank you for this tutorial Oliver going to make colour charts.i have been running before I can walk all the best to you

[@elbaz860]

Superb advice Oliver. Thank you so much.

[@melodygood2380]

excellent info, as always !

[@gillianjones537]

Absolutely brilliant tutorial. So well explained.

[@myraegli9974]

Excellent and Concise lots of information here Thank you.

[@jaywantbilaye8127]

I like your method and also ur painting. Thanks a lot Sir.

[@kerriclarke9366]

Another excellent video. I have been learning about colour triads to achieve colour harmony so this tutorial was perfect in supporting my new knowledge but with additional mixing tuition. Can almost hear the pennies drop LOL. Picking up so many great watercolour 'habits' from your tutorials that I am practicing to make my own. I am getting better results putting colour and shapes on paper. My son's friend commented on a stormy Australian 'Top End' (= Northern Territory) beach scene I am working on and I am sure that the colour harmony of the three primary colours I am using is what appeals (cobalt blue, quinacridine gold, permanent alizarine crimson). Apparently I haven't ruined the painting yet, but all good practice if I do. Can't thank you enough for taking the time to make these tutorials. 😊

[@oliverpyle-ourlandscape4442]

The beach scene sounds wonderful Kerri - I'm sure you'll finish it well.

[@НатальяПетрова-ц1ы]

Спасибо за полезные советы! 🥰 Я тоже очень люблю ультрамарин

[@davidpohl9406]

Thanks so much for the glimpse into your color sensibilities and mixing processes. So much information, I watched it three times in a row and saved in my liked videos. I will watch this many more times and am looking forward to it. Beautiful painting with subtle color shifts. Thank you again!a

[@oliverpyle-ourlandscape4442]

You're welcome David - and thank you.

[@kerriefearby9542]

I can't thank you enough for these explained demonstration they have helped me so much

[@TradIrishHarper]

Wish I would have found this video before buying all my DS tubes. So many I really didn’t need. Looks like really a core set of 12 would have been a better route.

[@evonneulmer5787]

Extremely helpful will watch again

[@jessicabaca5186]

That is a great painting

[@jessicabaca5186]

And very informative

[@jeanmagnes7550]

This was wonderful! Love your landscape colors and this video was extremely helpful-- Thanks!!

[@bryantmediaa]

Very helpful Olly! I’ll be doing these exercises till I start confident with mixing😊

[@patjames4125]

I'm grateful and inspired.

[@tweedledumization]

Heureka! great idea and technique, thank you

[@ChrisHobelArt]

Absolutely fantastic, not just for beginners ❤

[@momotaro0410]

I just started to learn watercolor painting and in fact my first class was 2days ago. I already given up half way through the lesson😢it was so difficult and the explanation was not clear enough. Your video motivates me to try again. Thank you. Are you giving any online lesson? Would love to sign up and learn from you

[@adrianla-garde7733]

Just clicked on your Jacksons affiliate link to order some paints and got a 10% affiliate discount! Thanks Oliver.

[@oliverpyle-ourlandscape4442]

Thanks Adrian - much appreciated! Happy painting

[@RATTE1606]

at school x years ago - lesson one - 1 rule - never use the green directly from the palette ... ;) we should be able to see all the different greens and mixing all them by ourself.

[@julieg3290]

This was really helpful and combined so many skills in one exercise. I had fun exploring a trio of primaries and then using the palette. It was indigo, rose and a mid range yellow and the blends just asked to make a luminous apricot provençal farmhouse with bougainvilleas and olive trees on the terrace under a cool pale blue sky. Of course I am not that far along so went for abstract doodles and differing tones. Still learned a lot and had fun. Thank you for this marvelous lesson.

[@oliverpyle-ourlandscape4442]

Sounds wonderful - I want to stay in this Provençal farmhouse ('mas' if I remember correctly!) I You're right - it's fun to do. Happy painting!

[@sherryfurr9115]

Excellent!!!

[@nancywillette8762]

Invaluable!!

[@moma-b]

Thank you so much for sharing this, it's very useful! 🙂I love mixing colors. Sometimes I just get a piece of paper and mix colors on it for fun, without any real intention to paint anything meaningful. 😄

[@oliverpyle-ourlandscape4442]

Perfect may to practice

[@lollytai477]

This is an awesome video. Thank you so much! I love your painting of the heather by the sea. It would be great if you could do a video on how you made that drawing. I am very interested in what you used as the base color, how you layered the painting, how you got the crisp edges between the sea and plants, and the soft blends between lavender and green plants, how you made the sea oats white, and more. It looks like a simple drawing but it is not. Thanks again!

[@ei3577]

Very useful information.👍

[@Wendy8888]

Thank you.

[@roselynbaruch3697]

Thanks so much! You have come along at the perfect time. Still having trouble eliminating my 67 gorgeous colours. I want to try all kinds of subjects including florals, illustration, portraits and landscape, perhaps I need to have different palettes to accommodate this.

[@oliverpyle-ourlandscape4442]

certainly Roselyn - florals require a higher degree of colour precision than landscapes so having different palettes for different genres is sensible.

[@denisestover2416]

23:20 I'm just suggesting, but maybe create a chart outline for people to download and they can fill in their own colors. It seems that sometimes if there is a reference to follow or fill in that it helps, especially beginners, to understand the lesson(s). I specifically don't need it but I remember when I was a newbie (over 29 years ago) that would have given me a springboard to jump into learning all about color. Just something to think about. 36:10 I think by showing the colors that do not create the stereotypical secondaries would help your students a lot. I first learned it by having the warm and cool primaries and then mixed secondaries with each pair and went from there. Later, I added earth colors to my primary practices. I didn't add any neutral primaries to my practices because I didn't recognize neutral primaries until years and years later, lol! My 'practices' were my way of learning about colors and all of the stuff I was reading about in the books and on the color wheel. I was a self-taught watercolorist, which I'm sure you've recognized. It would have been so great to have KZbin back then!🙂 41:10 I found that I preferred using raw sienna for my skies versus any other yellow because it wouldn't go into green when I added the blues. For grays, I loved mixing burnt sienna and ultramarine or cobalt or even prussian blue to get the specific one I was looking for outside of complementaries. Quick side note: I say 'was' when speaking of watercolor because for the past 10 years I've been a silk painter using dyes and the CMYK colors to paint fine art on silk. I learned my silk painting using watercolor ways and I definitely do things differently than most other silk painters, lol! Thank you for generously sharing your knowledge and experience with us! I hope you don't mind my suggestions. Thank you, again! God Bless 😃

[@kmf634]

Thanks so much for this !

[@ashrienart3363]

Thanks! This was very helpful 💜

[@maryamsahebghalam8162]

Thank you👍👍👍👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻

[@losifova2580]

This is a masterclass! Although I have discovered accidentally lots of colors by playing around with a limited palette, never even occurred to me some of the mixes you have done or to mix them with such a method. I think I may even get hookers green back into my palette, after seeing the possibilities. I dislike the greens out of the tubes in general, they are so unrealistic so I don't use them. By the way I must tell you I love your work! Not only is beautiful it has lots of soul, life and feeling. Thank you! Subscribed.

[@oliverpyle-ourlandscape4442]

That's very kind - thank you.

[@ABWEndon]

Thank you Oliver. This is an excellent tutorial and I've learned a lot. What is your personal opinion of Cerulean Blue, especially in relation to painting sky? I've heard that some people love it, whilst others loathe it. I'd be very interested to hear what you think about this colour please. Thanks, Andrew.

[@oliverpyle-ourlandscape4442]

Cerulean is a nice colour. I generally find it a little weak and it doesn't blend as smoothly in skies when mixed with other primaries. It's a good cool blue though, but I'm finding that Prussian does a better job for me.

[@aksh5523]

Very useful, thank you

[@markdonovan1540]

This is such a useful and helpful video. Unfortunately, I've seen it about 3 years too late! I think my paint stash has reached the dizzy heights of over 100 different paints, although I've used up quite a few so far. I guess this can happen when one falls into the watercolour rabbit-hole without anyone to act as a guide... I've been dialing back the paint collection recently, often resorting to restricting myself to paint with limited palettes and learn to mix more. It's all good fun and part of the learning process.

[@oliverpyle-ourlandscape4442]

Thanks Mark. The experimentation is an important part of the learning, the key is to gt to a point where you become comfortable with a few trusted 'friends' on the palette.

[@dogwhiskers8]

Always a treat to get an Olly tutorial. Even if your paintings intimidate me. Huge talent. I'm pleased with learning though. T.y.

[@oliverpyle-ourlandscape4442]

If it helps, my paintings intimidate me too while I'm doing them!

[@patriciahuffines1902]

Hello all. I'm ready to go

[@elenamedina1067]

Thank you

[@SwordToothTiger]

Do you have a lesson how to draw painting like on 22:81, like this sharp edges on rocks! Beautiful!

[@ThomasSuetterle]

Hi - erst mal Danke, für Deine großartigen Videos. Immer aufs Neue ein echtes Abenteuer! Was ich hier aber überhaupt nicht verstehe - du hältst deine Farben nicht sauber!? Du gehst mit dem blauen Pinsel direkt ins Gelb - wenn du danach aber reines Gelb brauchst, musst du doch SEHR viel Gelb auswaschen? Dieses Problem beschäftigt mich, seit ich zum ersen Mal einen Pinsel in der Hand hatte. Machst du das immer so? Oder nur hier? LG aus Deutschland, Thomas.

[@LisaZoe86]

Hi Olly, the painting you show at 28:01 is one of my favourites from you too and I wondered how you did it. How did you actually paint it and for example how did you manage to keep or get those light areas within the stone part in the front? How did you paint the sea with the white waves? It's a masterpiece and I would love to get more insights into the process of painting it. 😍

[@shitalkanitkar5995]

U get masking fluid . U first mask in the whites using a cheap brush dipped first in soap (imp. Else the brush has to be discarded). Rub off the dried mask once you've painted over. If u don't want pure white u can first apply a very light glaze over the area

[@LisaZoe86]

@@shitalkanitkar5995 Hiya, I am familiar with masking fluid. I would like to know wether that's how he did it or if he left those areas simply unpainted and generally how he approaches a piece as complex as that.

[@oliverpyle-ourlandscape4442]

No masking fluid on this painting. The waves are simply the paper left by making broken brushstrokes with the blue/grey, so painted negatively. The pale cracks on the ledge are mostly the initial wash underneath (a soft brown/grey) and I can leave unpainted areas so that they show through. Some of the finest lines were added after painting the ledge with a little titanium white aded to the residual mess on the palette!

[@caroleyre8950]

I’ve just discovered your channel and loving your excellent detailed explanations, thank you. I’ve been painting for 16 months now and my progression seems to have stalled so I decided to go back to basics and am watching your videos 1 by 1. Can I ask, the palette you show at the beginning with your primaries set out is that tube paint that you have decanted into the wells or the hard cakes? I have tubes that I decant a mix of professional and student quality but never seem to get the concentrated colour just by dipping in the point of my brush as you do. Thank you.

[@lydiatchantchinoff5667]

Thank you super demo. excellent description. could you also give us the name of the other colors of this palette ?

[@oliverpyle-ourlandscape4442]

The colours I use are listed on my website - www.ourlandscape.co.uk/kit-resources