Muted colors are more natural! How to desaturate colors. Color mixing with acrylics for beginners.

Most colors we see are quite muted, while the colors we buy often are very saturated. In this video I show a few ways to mute colors.
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Have fun painting!

[@prism9884]

Damn dude…this video was so freakin helpful! I’ve watched a handful of videos trying to understand color theory better. And this was for sure the best one I’ve seen where I understood it enough to apply it to my work. Hell yeah, man. Thank you for your content!

[@toonnagtegaal_en]

Great that I could help a bit, enjoy painting!🎨👍

[@Tsortso1]

This paper towel is quite a fighter, glad you survived because you have so much to teach my dear friend!

[@toonnagtegaal_en]

🤣🤣thanks!👍

[@KatBrand420]

I’ve been struggling mixing colors. My brain is old and have some short term memory loss after chemo so as soon as I would watch videos about mixing I’d forget as soon as the video was over. Until I found you!!! I’m getting it. Your method of explaining is so good. Something you do just made it click in, maybe it’s the antics to make you breath and relax without having to say it. Just a tremendous big thank you 🙏🏻

[@beppienagtegaal6879]

❤

[@toonnagtegaal_en]

My pleasure, that’s so great to hear!👍👍👍🎨

[@KatBrand420]

Also I have Parkinson’s so I need all the help I can get lol

[@toonnagtegaal_en]

@@KatBrand420 then I hope you can get a lot of joy out of painting, wishing you all the best❤

[@jnleduc]

I feel your pain!​@KatBrand420 I made a ton of color chips.Kind of like the color chips you get at the paint store. I was able to practice mixing while creating a reference for the future. I put the brush brush down for years and am picking up right where I left off because of this.

[@virginiainnes9042]

This has been the most helpful color tutorial I have seen! Thank you so much! And I love your comedic side…very informative and entertaining! God bless!

[@toonnagtegaal_en]

Glad to hear it was helpful, enjoy painting!👍

[@jeffmoodie6144]

I just pared my palette down to 5 colours. Red, yellow, blue, burnt umbar and white. Then I went to town mixing colours and values just to see how they all interact. Then I swapped out for different primaries to see variations. Your video does a very good job of demonstrating a lot of what I got to by tinkering and I think that just playing with the colours and variations without having an actual painting in process is a very important exercise.

[@toonnagtegaal_en]

I think you're absolutely right, so glad you mention that! When we want to learn to play an instrument, we find it normal that we practice things 'out of context', in painting I almost never see people do that and it's very beneficial to do that and also fun.👍👍

[@kreativundhappy]

The struggle with the paper towels is real, I feel you 😂 Very good video, thanks for sharing!

[@toonnagtegaal_en]

😂😂Glad I'm not the only one with that struggle!👍

[@imcrimson8618]

I suck with identifying muted colors in general. So this video is very insightful. I also find it hard to place a name on muted colors at times.

[@toonnagtegaal_en]

Glad I could help a bit, and your comment just made me think that it would be good to make a separate video on that topic (how to identify colors when they're not that obvious). Have fun painting!👍

[@imcrimson8618]

@@toonnagtegaal_en sounds like a wonderful idea! One that I rarely see too

[@stefaniemore3203]

Thank you, so much. The video was so enjoyable, from start to finish, that it did not feel at all like a lesson. But, boy did I learn! You make it seem so easy. I am now subscribed to your website, and I'm looking forward to learning how to work with acrylics. With regard to your "adversary," the roll of paper towels, the only thing I can say is: I hope you folks have better medical insurance than we do here in the U.S. (ha, ha). Thank you for your wonderful and playful sense of humor.

[@toonnagtegaal_en]

I'm glad it was helpful! Luckily the medical insurance here is great. If I'm not wrapped in kitchen paper, then I'm wrapped in plaster.😅😅 Enjoy painting!

[@jutta3378]

Wow, this is just what I was looking for! A lot of my acrylic paintings seem to have a "shrill" quality to them probably because I try to compensate for my red-green colour blindness. But that most colours we see are naturally quite muted is a revelation to me - as beginners we tend to paint what we think a subject should look like instead of painting what is in front of us. Now that alone is a valuable lesson in itself! As usual, great teaching and very encouraging!

[@toonnagtegaal_en]

I completely agree. And it's one of the things I personally like most about painting: it literally opens your eyes. Learning to paint from life has little to do with learning to do tricks with brushes and paint, it's more about learning to observe. 👍

[@kelechim-8406]

I loved watching you mix these matching colors so perfectly.

[@toonnagtegaal_en]

Thanks👍 it's just a matter of practicing combined with some basic knowledge of color theory. If I can do it, you can do it as well!👍👍

[@DG-mv6zw]

Wonderfully useful tutorial, and so well explained and presented. A painting is already finished once you've chosen the right colour , hue and chroma etc. I subscribed on the basis of this video alone. Looking forward to your other videos. Thanks so much, Too. Greetings from Scotland, my friend 👍

[@toonnagtegaal_en]

You're most welcome and enjoy painting!

[@boulbon08]

Great video! Thanks for sharing your knowledge, and for throwing in some fun 😄

[@toonnagtegaal_en]

You're welcome and enjoy painting!👍

[@vickibrighton9455]

Very helpful video on color saturation. 🙌🏻♥️

[@SuvojyotiRoy]

Such a beautiful and helpful video. Thank you!

[@toonnagtegaal_en]

My pleasure, have fun painting!👍

[@yaelpedroza125]

I enjoyed the comedic relief in between all the informative goodies.

[@toonnagtegaal_en]

Thanks, that's exactly why I do these weird things 😂👍

[@sunadesun383]

Great video ! I've learnt so much. Thank you 🌹

[@toonnagtegaal_en]

You're welcome, have fun painting!

[@chrisbadham2805]

Fantastic.You've explained things that have perplexed me ,for years.Thankyou.

[@toonnagtegaal_en]

That's great to hear, enjoy painting!👍🎨

[@Maanuum]

Wow, this video was perfect! It helped me so much! Thank you 👏🏼

[@toonnagtegaal_en]

That's great, you're welcome!👍

[@danfloawe]

Great video, very good instruction. Also loved the little bit of comedy

[@toonnagtegaal_en]

Thanks, enjoy painting!👍👍

[@jillkent6134]

I really enjoyed your video so helpful watching you get the colours right 😊

[@toonnagtegaal_en]

I'm glad it was helpful!🎨👍

[@juliajones4365]

This is great! I've been getting back into painting and I don't remember too much from my art teacher back from 10+ years ago. This was a great refresher

[@toonnagtegaal_en]

That's great! Nice that you started painting again, enjoy it!👍

[@ishadesai5650]

Perfect video about what I was looking for. Thank you so much.

[@toonnagtegaal_en]

My pleasure, glad it was helpful!👍

[@viseuez]

Wow!! It only took two minutes to answer so many of my questions. The teaching method, video and commentary are EXCELLENT! Thank you for sharing!

[@toonnagtegaal_en]

My pleasure, great that it was helpful!👍👍👍

[@petercope-ro1pu]

Great video i learn much from you with this , love the way you teach please keep doing these videoa you are an exellent teacher .

[@toonnagtegaal_en]

Thanks! I will go on, but sometimes (like now) I don't have the time, so I'm a little bit inconsistent with the upload scheme 👍

[@christinewilde110]

Brilliant. Thank you. X

[@toonnagtegaal_en]

My pleasure!👍

[@prenic3527]

This is extremely well explained, thanks!

[@toonnagtegaal_en]

You're welcome!

[@sinsubra]

Great video. I didn’t understand how to desaturate a color correctly until I watched this video. Thank you so much

[@toonnagtegaal_en]

My pleasure, I’m glad it was helpful!👍🎨

[@k.elmaraghy1370]

You're so much fun to watch+ I ve been more and more interested in color. Though I find it hard as to how to apply all that knowledge.

[@toonnagtegaal_en]

That's great! Don't worry about applying it. That will come naturally as you go along. Rome wasn't built in a day, we learn step by step. I learn everyday as well and that's one of the things that makes painting so much fun.👍🎨

[@riellereally]

super helpful and clear thanks!

[@toonnagtegaal_en]

You're welcome!🎨

[@artsjasukebang2948]

THIS SOMETHING I WAS LOOKING FOR !!! I AM BLESSED TO CLICK ON THIS VIDEO !!

[@toonnagtegaal_en]

That's great, glad it was helpful!👍🎨

[@gregputz1735]

Excellent Video!!! Thank You!!!

[@toonnagtegaal_en]

Thanks and you're welcome!👍

[@JJ33438]

wow this is sooo good thank you.

[@toonnagtegaal_en]

Glad it was helpful!👍

[@susanKochenberger]

First time I've watched you and found your instructions to be very good...especially for this somewhat beginner. I've subscribed and look forward to learning more!!

[@toonnagtegaal_en]

Welcome to the channel and enjoy painting!👍

[@GodIsLoveEternally888]

This was really help - thank you very much!

[@toonnagtegaal_en]

That's great, you're welcome!👍

[@maxguo4358]

Much appreciate your extremely helpful teaching and sharing! It's just marvellous! And BTW, you are cute!

[@toonnagtegaal_en]

You're welcome, enjoy painting!👍🎨

[@beppienagtegaal6879]

That s fantastic!

[@wise_nut]

this video rocks! thanks!

[@toonnagtegaal_en]

Thank you!👍🎨

[@snickersicecream318]

very helpful! Thank you so much!

[@toonnagtegaal_en]

That's great, you're welcome!👍

[@oscarbarrios6726]

very good demonstration of color mixing, thanks a lor

[@toonnagtegaal_en]

You're welcome!👍

[@dappman247]

This video explained the true concept of color mixing for me! Thank you sir

[@toonnagtegaal_en]

That's great, glad it was helpful!👍

[@CarolPan]

Excellent video! I'm new to acrylics, having come from watercolors, so some of this is familiar but so much is new and you did a great job helping me to understand. Thank you!

[@toonnagtegaal_en]

That's great, glad it was helpful and I hope you enjoy acrylics! 👍👍

[@vandakocsis9163]

Great surprise with the paper towel comedy, thank you :D

[@toonnagtegaal_en]

😂a bit of realitysoap of my daily struggles here and there!

[@karenlavigne1108]

Such a helpful video, thank you!!

[@toonnagtegaal_en]

That's great, have fun painting!👍

[@etabbarakat9411]

Very helpful..thank you

[@toonnagtegaal_en]

Glad it was helpful, you’re welcome!👍

[@MarcGerritLanger]

Very nice video. Thank you

[@toonnagtegaal_en]

You're welcome!👍👍

[@lindablake9540]

Thank you this was so useful

[@toonnagtegaal_en]

You're welcome!

[@saranevillerogueart9627]

Best way is to add the opposite color from the color wheel. Ex.. blue and orange. Red and green. Yellow and purple.

[@myalicioglu]

Ooooo dont do that

[@MonkonTheWay-ie4dm]

Wonderful tutorial...! Liked n subscribed❤🖌️🎨

[@toonnagtegaal_en]

Glad it was helpful!👍

[@kylejennings819]

New to this channel and the break effect when you tossed the pallet knife caught me so off guard hah. Great great great content! New sub here

[@toonnagtegaal_en]

I did that to test if you were still awake!😂Welcome to the channel, have fun painting!👍

[@yeshonestly4268]

Thank you 👍👍👍

[@toonnagtegaal_en]

You're welcome!🎨

[@ysensei9]

Thank you so much ! Very helpful ! Très intéressante vidéo , très bien expliqué , rien a dire , c est parfait ! Je m abonne Merci

[@toonnagtegaal_en]

Merci et amusez-vous bien à peindre!👍

[@intissarnassif5291]

i've never understood how to mix colors like this . thank you so much . can you make a video about sunset shades or ocean ?

[@toonnagtegaal_en]

Good idea, I've put it on my list! May take a while before I can shoot the video, but I won't forget!👍👍

[@markceamusika]

As a bigenner, I appreciate this very much, thank youuu

[@toonnagtegaal_en]

You're welcome, have fun painting!

[@annapiosik5982]

wise and funny, thanks, I've understood!

[@toonnagtegaal_en]

that's great, have fun painting!

[@pavoliring8398]

I like how you are able to make jokes on yourself

[@toonnagtegaal_en]

I have to, otherwise I take myself too seriously!😂👍

[@joannamccraney3148]

Great thanks

[@toonnagtegaal_en]

You’re welcome👍

[@kimedwards1922]

Thank you for this tutorial. I was wondering how you get the color swatches for your painting?

[@toonnagtegaal_en]

I used Photoshop, but in every drawing software or photo editing program there's an eydrop-tool.Then I've made some rectangular shapes of the picked colors. Normally I just check with the mixed color on the backside of my palette knife, hold it in front of the photo or subject, but I must say the eydropper tool is very fun to play with, you can learn a lot about colors just checking at various spots in a photograph. 👍

[@annapiosik5982]

thank you master ;)

[@robinmartin1759]

In art school we were not allowed to use black to mute our colors. We were taught to mix the primary colors with the color opposite in the color wheel. Black is used very sparingly and in most cases Never used. 6:16

[@toonnagtegaal_en]

Yes, that was the same at my art school. And it's fine because that way you can learn that black isn't necessary. It also provides for a better understanding of color mixing when you mute colors by using three primaires. But at the same time I dislike rigid rules, using black can be fine as well but most beginners tend to overdo it. Another example is the use of an eraser, that was also forbidden at my art school. And that's fine as well for a while, but in the end erasers have their use as well. 👍🎨

[@Otacon_]

loved the keukenrol-jokes 😂

[@toonnagtegaal_en]

Lol met de keukenrol! 😂👍👍👍

[@BrightonBeachNews]

Thanks

[@toonnagtegaal_en]

You’re welcome👍🎨

[@nicoleperron3315]

I have a photo of my son when he was very little, he was having the same issue with the paper towels, you brought back so many funny memories with your video. My question is, I do watercolors not acrylics, so what do I do when you use white? If I use a gouache with my watercolors I lose all the translucency, which is what I love about the watercolors. If I add more water, it becomes more transparent but is the same hue. I can use black I can mix or layer colors I can use them straight from the tube or diluted but white is the white of the paper .....

[@toonnagtegaal_en]

That's the big difference between watercolor and paints like acrylics and oils. With watercolor your white is the white of the paper indeed and most of the times people gradually build the colors from light to dark and when something needs to be very light, you just reserve these spots (sometimes done with masking techniques as well). For me it's ages ago since I last used watercolor, so I don't remember it too well. maybe you can find videos of others that can show you the process. 👍🎨

[@carinaruijsch]

Ahhhh nu snap ik het! Tnks ik ga eens aan het mixen!

[@toonnagtegaal_en]

Top, succes ermee!👍

[@JimReid-cb8lx]

I initially tried slipping on the paper towels but found out later that it is actually possible to mix the correct colour without doing that.

[@toonnagtegaal_en]

🤣🤣🤣O wow, you should show me how to do that!😂🎨

[@frankbava2793]

I have been, said that I'm colour blind. That I can't see colours behind colours. But I must say you have put it in such a way that I can see it. I'd like to ask do you know what colours can make purssian blue, is it more like phalo blue or ultramarine blue? I will like to see more of your KZbin in colour mixing. Thanks

[@toonnagtegaal_en]

Phthalo is definetly closer to Prussian than ultramarine, but depending on the brand Prussian blue can sometimes slightly lean more towards green. Prussian blue is even darker than phtalo, so you could add a slight touch of black or brown to the phthalo. It's always a bit hard to tell, because in the end it's always the question of what subject you're painting, with specific lighting conditions etc. 👍 And as for the color-blindness remark, I don't know that of course, but even if it's true, it doesn't matter, painting is fun anyway. And if the remark is more meant as in: you're not litarally color blind, but you maybe find it hard to judge colors, than that's no problem either. You can improve on that everyday step by step. So please don't be discouraged and just continue.👍 To be complete, here is the link to the color mixing playlist: kzbin.info/aero/PLeIqGpmPcp53gLufPzGEzVCCAQTm0y_qs

[@F_N.artgallery]

👍❤️

[@mostlychimp5715]

The complementary color of yellow, is it purple or blue? I assumed the CYM color wheel didn't work for making greys because mixing blue and yellow makes green, not grey, right? But then you made grey with green and magenta (instead of the red from the RYB color wheel) and now I don't know what to think.

[@toonnagtegaal_en]

Because we're working with pigments and they don't always work exactly 100% as the theoretical color wheels like RGB and CYM. Still I think (but some people argue over it all the time) that CYM is closest to the thing that I see happening on my palette whith pigments. The complementary of yellow firstly depends on which kind of yellow you use. If you have a very neutral yellow, the complementary would be a neutral purple. In case you use a more orange kind of yellow, the amount of magenta in the purple needs to be less, which means you use a purple that's more towards blue. And so, that's why for instance ultramarine blue (a blue that theoretically contains quite some magenta) mixed with yellow already gets rather dull/grey. If you mix cyan (which contains no magenta) with a neutral yellow you get a very vivid green. And with green and magenta it's the same. A very neutral green (so no bias towards yellow or cyan) mixed with magenta will get grey, but if the green is slightly towards blue (so more cyan in it), then we shift the complementary color more towards red (so theoretically we add some yellow to the magenta, but usually we just grab a tube of red). I hope it makes sense, but the fun part of it is: you can try it yourself and that's the most important thing, because there's also the problem that one pigment can be different depending on which brand you use. So it would like that makes things very complicated, but on the other hand: when trying yourself with your own paint, and adding a touch of white to your mixtures, you can see and test with your own eyes what the exact balances are.👍👍👍

[@Morn2moon]

💜💜💜💜💜💜💜💜💜💜💜💜💜💜

[@larss4119]

I still prefer the vivid colors, but it depends on the composition.

[@toonnagtegaal_en]

Yes of course! Out of context I also prefer vivid colors. But it's also funny how less saturated colors when put together look vivid. 🎨👍

[@MrSaadabdulaziz]

Complicated but keep trying

[@toonnagtegaal_en]

That's the way to go about it: trying, it's just the same for every new thing we learn in life 👍👍👍

[@MattCelf]

oops! kol

[@king_koby9591]

Oops..oupps , oops, oops 😂

[@toonnagtegaal_en]

😅life is a struggle sometimes!

[@miguelsuarez8010]

The fauve painters didn't pay attention to muted colors.

[@toonnagtegaal_en]

No they didn't!😂👍

[@miguelsuarez8010]

@@toonnagtegaal_en please explain.

[@toonnagtegaal_en]

Well, if you want to work with vivid colors, then of course you should avoid muting them. It's a matter of style and taste. If you want to paint from life (more or less realistically) then you often need to mute colors.

[@miguelsuarez8010]

@@toonnagtegaal_en Of course. What I mean is that painters who used vivid colors were succesful too. Matisse, Derain, for example

[@toonnagtegaal_en]

@@miguelsuarez8010 That's what I meant too 👍

[@saranevillerogueart9627]

Adding black or grey. Dulls color too much. Kills it

[@FAM85]

This is a common misconception.