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Watercolor Painting Tutorials

How to Mix Watercolor the Right Way

Before you can throw caution to the wind with loose watercolor, you’ve got to nerd out on the basics. This 6-color split primary palette guide shows how solid fundamentals unlock expressive freedom.

Guide to mixed watercolor - garage artist style
Time to nerd out some!

Hey, before we dive into mixing watercolor and exploring the Six Primary Palette, let me say this: if you’ve been around this site for a while, you know it’s all about painting loose and expressive, throwing caution to the wind, and finding freedom in your art.

But here’s the truth — none of that happens without some fundamentals. Early in my journey, I realized my paintings were falling apart because I was ignoring the basics. At some point, I had to knuckle down and learn the “nerdy stuff”: color mixing, values, composition, and all the technical skills that give you control.

It wasn’t glamorous, but it changed everything. Once I had those essentials in place, I finally had the confidence and permission to paint the way I wanted — loose, raw, and expressive.

So, today we’re going to nerd out a bit on color mixing. Throughout this site you’ll find plenty of skill-building tutorials like this one, because I believe strong fundamentals don’t limit you — they unlock your freedom.

Stop Fighting Watercolor

Watercolor isn’t about control—it’s about understanding. This bundle shows you how to loosen up, simplify your approach, and finally enjoy the process. No stiffness. No overthinking. Just better paintings.

👉 Paint with Confidence

The Six Primary Palette

Grade school lied - you need six primaries, not three. Why? Because not every blue and yellow make a good green.

Warm vs. Cool:

  • Yellows: Yellow ochre (warm, has red), Cad yellow lemon (cool)
  • Reds: Cad red light (warm), Alizarin crimson (cool, has blue)
  • Blues: Ultramarine (warm, has red), Cerulean (cool)

Mixing Secondary Colors

Use warm + warm or cool + cool for clean secondaries:

  • Orange: Yellow ochre + Cad red light (both warm)
  • Violet: Alizarin crimson + Ultramarine (cool red + warm blue)
  • Green: Cerulean + Cad yellow lemon (both cool)

What Happens When You Mix Wrong

Ultramarine + Yellow ochre = muddy gray (not a good green) Cad red light + Ultramarine = another gray (not violet)

Wrong combos make mud. Right combos make clean, vibrant color.

Tertiary Colors

Colors between primaries and secondaries. Just push your base mix with more of one color:

  • Yellow-orange: Base orange + more yellow
  • Red-orange: Base orange + more red
  • Red-violet: Base violet + more alizarin
  • Blue-violet: Base violet + more ultramarine
  • Blue-green (turquoise): Base green + more cerulean
  • Yellow-green: Base green + more cad yellow lemon

Key Takeaways

  • Six primaries give you clean color mixing
  • Match temperatures: warm + warm, cool + cool
  • Wrong combos = mud, right combos = vibrant hues
  • Leave gaps between colors on your palette so they don't mingle

Practice Exercise

Create a color wheel using the six primary palette. Mix all secondaries and tertiaries. Then try a "bad" mix (like ultramarine + yellow ochre) to see the difference.

Materials You’ll Need

Here are the materials I use all the time and have for decades. I only buy from Blick Art but feel free to shop where you prefer.

Recommended Watercolor Materials

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