Mixing Greens with watercolors. How to mix the right greens for any subject. My four color method.

How to mix greens with watercolors. The topic is also relevant to oil and acrylic painting as well.
My PATREON MEMBERSHIP PAGE: www.patreon.com/user/membersh... - in addition to ad-free content you get exclusive content (new videos will be more in depth than those on my KZbin channel), hi-resolution reference photos, photos of my finished painting, and drawing outlines where available. Other benefits are also included.
My teaching manual: Mastering Watercolors - A Practical Guide: amzn.to/3ZF2FRW
This videos explains the main reasons students often struggle to mix the right green.
Topic covered include which colors I use and why I use them. In this way you can apply the knowedge to your own colors that you use to mix greens. Or you can use my own.
I only use Artist's Quality watercolours, which are made by Winsor and Newton. However there are a number of other quality brands out there as well.
This is the 18th video in my beginner watercolor artist series.
If you are a beginner, and this is the first of my videos in this series you are watching, then I highly recommend that you go back and begin at Watercolor Class One and do the exercises in each. These exercises are what I used to put my beginner face-to-face students through, before allowing them to progress to more advanced subjects. Even now, before a student, new to watercolor, can join my online class they have to first prove they have studied and applied this beginner lessons. In this way, new students are able to more easily join my more advanced classes.
I also have a couple of watercolor painting books which I published and distribute through Amazon.
The first one, which has sold over 10,000 copies is bascially my teaching manual and is titled:
Mastering Watercolors - A Practical Guide.
The second is full of step-by-step demonstrations and is titled: Watercolor Step By Step: amzn.to/3z4YXEu
Both books are available in kindle format and paperback.
You can also find a lot of useful information on my website: www.paintingwithwatercolors.com/

[@Lestanymanshouldboast]

You have clarified a very bad mistake I have been making. So thank you very much for this. Looking forward to less “mud.”

[@JoeCartwright]

Great to hear!

[@kerriefearby9542]

I am ecstatic to find an Australian watercolourist on KZbin. This green mixing has aided me so much, thank you. I have subscribed too.

[@JoeCartwright]

Thanks for subbing!

[@pateldivy6464]

Lovely paintings behind.

[@JoeCartwright]

Thank you! Cheers!

[@lesleyfox6934]

Thanks Joe, a wonderful lesson I will attempt to paint it

[@JoeCartwright]

Glad you liked it.

[@charlotteherring1715]

Great lesson! Thank you!

[@JoeCartwright]

Glad you liked it!

[@lindyhawthorne2164]

Thank you so much. That was AMAZING !!!!!!!! Now all I have to do is try to remember it all.... LOL

[@JoeCartwright]

You can do it!

[@lindyhawthorne2164]

@@JoeCartwright ha ha...thanks Joe. Im watching it now for a second time and writing things down. :-)

[@JoeCartwright]

@@lindyhawthorne2164 That's the way to go.

[@judelistens510]

Thank you!

[@JoeCartwright]

You're welcome!

[@andyt4198]

Really clear and helpful. Thankyou

[@JoeCartwright]

Glad it was helpful!

[@LanieCr]

Thank you, this is exactly what I have been struggling with! I have your two books and they have been so helpful to me. I love your paintings!

[@JoeCartwright]

You are so welcome! Many thanks for purchasing my books. I am very happy they are helpful to you.

[@mikejustice1196]

Very informative. Thank you 😊

[@JoeCartwright]

Glad it was helpful!

[@PL-lt3wz]

Thank you for the information.

[@JoeCartwright]

My pleasure, glad you are enjoying my videos.

[@carolynzamora6879]

Love your paintings and tips

[@JoeCartwright]

Glad you like them!

[@elainemorris3383]

Thank you so much for your wonderful color chart!!! I needed this so much. I can't wait to explore more of your wonderful art!!

[@JoeCartwright]

You are so welcome! Glad it was helpful. :-)

[@AMore429]

Excellent. Thank you.

[@JoeCartwright]

Glad it was helpful!

[@libbyfuntera8497]

Thank you so much Joe-that’s taken so much confusion out of trying to decide which green to use. I’ve learnt so much since watching your videos.

[@JoeCartwright]

Thanks you for the feedback Libby. It is great to know my videos are of help.

[@hannastocksick7395]

Great info! Thank you so much 😊

[@JoeCartwright]

Glad it was helpful!

[@irmareitz701]

I so needed to watch this. Thanks Joe. I think it’s a great idea to make a chart and to keep it handy for when you need to mix greens. Great tutorial!

[@JoeCartwright]

Very happy to hear it was of help Irma. Looking forward to seeing some more of your paintings.

[@agatagoss6444]

Thank you for good explanation of this color mixing

[@JoeCartwright]

Glad it was helpful!

[@ruthward9626]

Thank you for this tutorial, Joe. It is very helpful & makes so much sense.

[@JoeCartwright]

You're very welcome Ruth. Glad it was useful to you.

[@janissharkey7174]

Most helpful video on using/mixing greens. Thank you for posting this!

[@JoeCartwright]

You are so welcome! Glaf my video was helpful to you.

[@TraceyWells-es1dq]

Hi Joe, this was so useful and simple to understand. I am so glad to have found an artist teaching tutorials with colours relevant to the Australian landscape too.

[@JoeCartwright]

Glad it was helpful!

[@suel4269]

Thankyou ! I saved your color mixing charts.

[@JoeCartwright]

Glad I could help!

[@linabenedict633]

Thank you for your wonderful tutorials. I just saw your “flatwash” tutorial and found it so very helpful. Your tutorial is chock full of wonderful tips and teaching. I love your presentation style❤

[@JoeCartwright]

You are so welcome! I really appreciate the feedback.

[@judithguthrie7627]

Simple and explicit Thanks.

[@JoeCartwright]

You're welcome!

[@m.e.langieri4957]

Thank you so very much for this…I searched along with you and experimented and took notes…this is precious color information!

[@JoeCartwright]

Glad you found my video helpful. It encourages me to make more.

[@terrylavis4792]

Thank you Joe, this was so helpful 👏👏👏

[@JoeCartwright]

Glad it was helpful!

[@TSMA]

Amazing

[@JoeCartwright]

Thank you.

[@user-lt5mn6xc6c]

Aack! I was preparing to do this lesson and purchased the colors I didn't have- and bought Daniel Holbein-Raw Umber, Auerolin and Cobalt Turquoise, though I purchased Winsor & Newton Phthalo Turquoise due to cost. I was amazed to see that these colors are completely different colors than those on your palette. I approximated your bright green with Emerald and aureolin, a pretty close match. I kept mixing as you did and the idea of brown having red yellow and blue in it, and adding combos of yellow and raw umber seemed to work, in spite of the color differences...

[@JoeCartwright]

Well done. It is better to understand why my colors work so you can apply it to your own colors, rather than just robotically using mine.

[@carrollwilson5169]

Great information. Love the charts, thank you

[@JoeCartwright]

You are so welcome! Thank you for the feedback.

[@elainevechorik2171]

Good explanation - thank you!

[@JoeCartwright]

Glad it was helpful!

[@user-vh1ig1te8s]

Great tuto, thanks

[@JoeCartwright]

You're welcome!

[@DonnaDyer]

Your Method of teaching Resonates with me. Thank you.

[@JoeCartwright]

You are so welcome. Glad to hear.

[@susannewendt4543]

Really helpful video, thanks Joe. So appreciate you sharing your expertise with us.

[@JoeCartwright]

Glad it was helpful Susanne.

[@xyzct]

PY150 (nickel azo yellow) is well worth investigating.

[@JoeCartwright]

Ok, thanks.

[@grantellis2840]

Thank you very much Joe, very informative lesson I didn't realise the amount of difference that can be created using Ultramarine and Raw Umber, but after watching your lesson it makes a lot of sense and will give me hours of practice I'm sure. Thanks again.

[@JoeCartwright]

Glad it struck a cord Grant. My aim is to help people think with watercolours rather than just teaching rote techniques.

[@umeshpandey7384]

The lesson really made me understand green better. So many thanks.

[@JoeCartwright]

Glad it was helpful!

[@barbaratibbets8643]

Great tips Joe! I didn’t know about the raw umber detail.

[@JoeCartwright]

Thanks Barbara, glad it was of interest. :-)

[@NorbertGrill]

Absolutely great. So much knowledge in this 18 minute video. I made myself an eight page word document so I could always follow it. I also decided to buy the two books by Joe Cartwright.

[@JoeCartwright]

Glad you enjoyed my video and thank you for purchasing my books. It inspires me to produce more video (and books!).

[@davidsmith812]

This has been VERY helpful. Thank you!

[@JoeCartwright]

Glad it was helpful!

[@davidsmith812]

@@JoeCartwright It was, as are ALL your videos! Thanks for helping us out!

[@cwp7338]

Thank you for the information. New to painting. I chose watercolor. Green was the one color I had trouble with mixing the color I wanted.

[@JoeCartwright]

Glad it was helpful!

[@MaTTheWish]

Excellent KZbin channel. I'm binging your videos. And I love your book. Fantastic.

[@JoeCartwright]

Glad you are enjoying my Channel. Thanks for purchasing my book.

[@kathrynlehotsky2815]

Excellent tutorial

[@kathrynlehotsky2815]

Great tutorial.. One of the best regarding mixing pleasing greens. I really enjoyed it and learned new color mixes for different environments. Thak you. Kathryn

[@JoeCartwright]

Glad you liked it Kathryn. I enjoyed thinking it through to narrow down the key points.

[@JoeCartwright]

Thanks you, glad it was of help.

[@Cheripie506]

Thank you! New sub!

[@JoeCartwright]

Thanks for subbing!

[@grannieannie1371]

So I'm sitting here eating a vegemite sandwhich, thinking oh cobalt turquise looks interesting. Gosh his accent is familiar I wonder what it is? Doh!

[@JoeCartwright]

Glad the penny dropped. Thanks for watching!

[@christinekeefe3553]

Would love to be able to download the two mixing green color charts you provided. Thank you.

[@JoeCartwright]

They are on my website in this article: www.paintingwithwatercolors.com/2016/09/how-to-mix-greens-using-watercolors/ Just copy the images to your computer and print. :-)

[@robertbutler2180]

Hi your video are very helpful. With your pallet do you have a video on the color setup.

[@JoeCartwright]

Not yet! But will come soon.

[@barbarachristian8538]

Thank you for sharing your knowledge on greens, it was very helpful. I did a color swatch similar to yours with my blues and yellows, but I used cheap paper and I wasn't happy with the outcomes. I'm not sure if I used too much water of if the cheap paper made the difference. Also, I love your paintings!! Can I ask if you work mostly from photographs? Or do you make up your scenes? Thank you!!!

[@JoeCartwright]

You are so welcome! Glad you enjoyed my video. The amount of water will probably make more difference than the type of paper you are using for color swatches, though it would certainly be better to do color swatches on the type of paper you use for your paintings. Most of my work is done from photos I have taken or from me painting outdoors with the scene infront of me! 😊

[@user-lt5mn6xc6c]

I does beg the question though Joe, why are the colors which are named the same so different? Is it the manufacture/company that makes the difference or are colors with the same name different in different parts of the world?

[@JoeCartwright]

While the pigments used are probably the same, there are additional fillers and other compounds added that modify how the paint flows, dries, etc, and these can alter the final colors. Also one has to make sure that the colors are actually named the same. For instance, French Ultramarine would be different that just Ultramarine, or Ultramarine Hue. Once you get good at color mixing using different quality brands is not difficult.

[@cccsssish]

That's a very interesting choice of colours to mix your greens with! I was wondering which Veridian you use for painting the sea? I know Veridians that are a single pigment PG18, and I know Veridian that actually use phthalo green PG7 instead, but I'm not familiar with pre-mixed ones. Which brand do you use and is ot worth getting that particular one over the other PG18 or PG7? Thank you!

[@JoeCartwright]

I use the Winsor and Newton Viridian, very rarely though. Not sure about other brands.

[@cccsssish]

@@JoeCartwright Thanks!

[@Elrey108]

Hi Joe, great lesson. Is that WN Cobalt Turquoise or Cobalt Turquoise light? Thanks!

[@JoeCartwright]

Cobalt Turquoise. 😊

[@Elrey108]

@@JoeCartwright thanks, Joe 🙂

[@wendychampness1901]

I fascinated by tutorials on mixing greens: I am binge-watching! But I have a question for you about how you use your paint wells. Early in the video, you show your Aureolin. It’s already got lots of other pigments contaminating it. So it’s not a clean pigment before you start mixing. I have been painting less than 2 years and those “messy” palettes don’t appeal to me. So I use separate brushes to go into my paint wells and thus keep my pigments “true”. I have lots of brushes wash at the end of a painting session but I am happy.

[@JoeCartwright]

Hello Wendy. The contaimination in my paints is usually by colours which are usually mixed together anyway e.g. Cobalt Turquoise and Aureolin, so it doesn't have an impact on the mixes. Also, as colours are affected by the atmosphere (they get duller as they move further away) a little bit of contaminated paint helps represented that. I will make a video in the future about why it is "usually" not important to paint with clean paints. If I need clean paint for a certain item I just clean the top part of the paint well and move the dirty paint into another well for later use.

[@wendychampness1901]

@@JoeCartwright Thanks for your explanation. Lots to learn about watercolor! By the way, I only recently found your channel. I came across it in a search of KZbin videos on painting rocks. I have worked my way through that video and was very intrigued by my results. I live on the shore of one of the US Great Lakes and I am working on the skills that I will need to paint the boulders, trees and water. That last will be the biggest challenge, I think.

[@JoeCartwright]

@@wendychampness1901 With watercolor one must enjoy the journey as there is lots ot learn. I have a number of videos on my channel about painting water which should help you with that subject.

[@wendychampness1901]

@@JoeCartwright Thanks! Oh yes, I am loving this journey! When I feel stymied by a particular subject or technique, I take a break from it and paint something else (I love painting birds

[@yvonnewagner5322]

Aureolin is not lightfast unfortunately, with many online references to that fact. Otherwise, thank you for sharing the varied natural greens you can make with two blues and two yellows.

[@JoeCartwright]

Thanks Yvonne. Using Aureolin is a bit of a tradeoff. I use winsor and newton artists quality watercolour and light fastness listed as "Very Good" and permanence listed as "Permanent". While this is not as good as French Ultramarine which has a lighfastness as "Excellent". Under normal conditions i.e. under glass and not in direct sunlight I have not found any fading after almost 20 years of using this colour. However, I do understand your concerns, it can be substituted with with any other green leaning transparent yellow.

[@vsiversen]

How is your palette - colors

[@JoeCartwright]

I will post a video on my colors soon.

[@vsiversen]

@@JoeCartwright thanks

[@user-qx4bh1xb9u]

Thank you! I’m from Ukrain. Please, could you turn on russian or ukrainian subtitles?

[@JoeCartwright]

Unfortunately, KZbin does not have a feature for adding auto generated subtitles. :-(