Question about color mixing guidelines for brighten/darken...

[georgia]

Hi, I just bought the color buster today. I'm a complete novice at painting, so I'm really excited to have this tool.

Anyway, I have a question about the color mixing guidelines shown on the color buster, specifically where it says:
- Brighten: Add next color up
- Darken: Add next color down

If I only have the following paint colors:
- Black
- White
- Red
- Blue
- Yellow

Then my question is this: What is the "next color up" (or down) that I add?

When the color buster says "up" or "down", I'm assuming it means EITHER the next color closer or further away from the words "tone checker", OR it means the next color closer or further away from the words "compare colors". I don't know which.

Furthermore, suppose I have a brownish color I'm trying to achieve, and I want to brighten or darken it. The next colors adjacent to that one on the grid are not colors I have available (per the list above). So what do I add? The nearest available color I own in the direction specified?

Also, this question applies to the part where it says:
- Dull or Shadow: Add opposite color

Because what if I am mixing my primary colored paints to make a shade of lime green, and I need to add the opposite color? Well, the opposite on the wheel is maroon. Does that mean I have to separately mix a maroon with my red and blue paints and then mix that into the lime green? (I'm guessing the answer is that this isn't necessary, but I don't know what to do instead.)

I just want to make sure I'm using this correctly. Again, I am a complete novice at painting, so all of this color theory stuff is new to me.

(As a side note, I am also wondering if any instructions or video have been posted regarding the "greys" color buster file which was also included when I bought this.)

[C.Bodine]

Georgia, first  to the PB! I was a complete beginner in Aug and have just become addicted to this site! Nolan and Dennis are fantastic teachers and the other members are very encouraging!

I began reading your post and realized you have so many questions that really need to be answered with the help of another tutorial.  Nolan has a free color mixing/color wheel lesson on here, I believe! Go to the Paintbasket TV and there will be a list of free and pay per lesson courses. You will find the free color mixing course there!  He also has  several other lessons that are free and easy for beginners!

[Val]

   Georgia.  The colour mixing tutorial is stupendous! You may find you need to watch it several times.

It will guide you through the thick and thin of it. Plus, Nolan/Dennis is always handy for further explanation. 

[Lillian]

  to Paintbasket, Georgia!

It looks like you are eager to start painting.  You came to the right place.

I know you will enjoy the color mixing tutorial and you'll learn a lot there.

[Kelley]

Welcome to PaintBasket Georgia!

As CB already mentioned, there are answers to all your questions on PaintBasket TV.  To give a quick reply, you can mix ratios to achieve almost any conceivable color with the three primaries you mentioned: red, blue and yellow (plus white).  I hardly ever have a use black from tube.  On the other hand, I do use aliziron crimson, pthalo and ultramarine blue to give me specific or deeper hues because it is less work to mix.

[georgia]

Wow, hi everyone! Thanks for the quick responses!

Is this the specific tutorial you are referring to that will cover color mixing?
http://www.paintbasket.com/courses/perfect_painting/

If not, maybe someone could post a link to the specific one you all are mentioning?

Thanks so much! I really appreciate the help!

Specifically what I'm trying to learn this for is to take an existing image that has a border around it and continue the image to cover up the border and extend all the way to the edge. So the color matching has to be perfect, that is why I want to learn how to mix colors accurately.

[C.Bodine]

Georgia, that isn't the lesson we're talking about. At the top of the screen you will see  a blue box that says "Watch Paint Basket TV Now." Click on that.  Then to the left you will see a list that says "live Webinar Replays." The first one is Oil 1 color mixing.  This is the one you need. Explains color mixing completely!! It is a must see if you want to learn to paint!

[Tony (ASM)]

Hi Georgia! Welcome to Paint Basket (PB)!
Here are the colour mixing video tutorials to help 'ya out. Also, a link to Paint Baskets Youtube channel and their playlist of 'Colour Mixing' videos:

Color wheel chart mixing theory painting tutorial

Wait for the video to load on this one and click 'play' in middle of screen:

http://www.paintbasket.com/paintbaskettv/index.php?replay=1

This is the PB's Youtube 'Playlist':

http://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLF73BE49CC1D61293&feature=plcp

[Maryna]

As C.Bodine said it is the very first Live webinar class replay. It runs over and hour, it is an excellent tutorial about colour mixing and a must watch for everyone.

Here is the link http://www.paintbasket.com/paintbaskettv/index.php?replay=1

Happy 

[Leana]

  to Paint Basket Georgia.  Best art tutorial site on the web and you will find loads of info here.  Watching the videos are previously stated is the best place to start Make yourself at home, make yourself a  , put your feet up and turn on Paint Basket TV... have fun and enjoy 

[georgia]

If this video is about oil paints, will it still work the same way with acrylics?

[Maryna]

yes

[georgia]

Alright thanks everybody, I finally watched all those videos. I watched the one Topdog posted, plus all the ones on the youtube list, and finally the one in the paintbasket TV that was an hour and a half long.

I learned that "up" or "down" was referring to the color wheel. So if you are mixing a maroon and you want to brighten it, you would add red. If you are mixing a green and you want to darken it, you would add blue. The terms "up" and "down" are relative to the color wheel in which yellow is at the top and purple is at the bottom. So I understand this now and it makes sense.

Dull or shadow also makes sense to me now, but my question still stands. To dull or shadow something, you must add the opposite color. But sometimes, the opposite color is a secondary color like orange or green. If the only paints I have are primary colors, does that mean I need to first mix a secondary color like orange, then add it to my blue that I'm trying to dull/shadow?

The only colors I'm working with are the primaries and white. (I also have black, but I'm not going to use it since I can make it with the others.) Since I don't have pre-mixed orange, green or purple, does that mean every time I sit down to paint something, I need to mix an orange green and purple pile of paint before I get started? That seems like extra work and using up more paint than needed.

[sapphirelynn]

  Georgia.  There are a few of us who paint in Acrylics here on this site...Dioxazine  Purple might not be a primary but it is invaluable to have. Saves so much time, never makes mud and the tiniest bit goes a long way. Fantastik for creating distance in Landscapes.  Of course you can make all the colors with just the ones you have but life if much easier if you add a few more premade colors

[georgia]

What I am working with is probably a lot more difficult than just regular painting. I am trying to take something the size of a playing card which looks like this:

http://ccg-emporium.mybigcommerce.com/product_images/h/141/plains-4__82537_zoom.gif

...and extend the art to cover up the borders. Here is an example that someone else did on this very same card art:

http://fc09.deviantart.net/fs70/f/2010/228/e/4/__Extended___M10_Plains_1_by_Arcbound_Phyrexian.jpg

Because I am working on something so incredibly small (only the size of a playing card) and because I am painting directly on the reference art, matching colors is extra difficult. It's hard to isolate only one color - I need to use a much smaller hole in a piece of paper to block everything out and see only that color. And the matching has to be 100% perfect or else it won't look good.

You can see in the example above, which someone else painted (not me), they did a really good job, but it's clear they couldn't get the colors exact, and they had to blend them over a large portion of the art around the edges.

Anyway, this is what I'm working on and why I am so obsessed with being able to match colors perfectly.


Also, I have another question. If you are supposed to dull/shadow something by using the next color "down" on the color wheel, how do you dull/shadow purple?