Teach your Kids how to Mix Paint

1.It is important to teach children how to mix paint. This is an easy guide to the basics of mixing. The image to the right shows the primary colors on a color wheel which are red, yellow and blue.

By using the primaries all the other colors can be made just by mixing them together. The only exception to this is the color white.

You use a color wheel to help guide you in mixing. By mixing to points of the triangle together you will create a new color.

The best paint to buy for children's projects are tempera and acrylics. Stores such as Walmart usually carry both of these, but if you have trouble finding them near you, you can order online at "Blick art supplies". Just visit www.dickblick.com they have a large selection of paints for beginners.

2.Now we will move on to the secondary colors on the color wheel. These are the colors you will get by mixing your primary colors together.

The image to the right shows what color will result by mixing two points on the primary wheel.

yellow + red = orange
yellow + blue = green
red + blue = purple

These are your secondary colors green, orange and purple.

Remember, that the truer your primary colors are the better your final result will be. If you do not have a true red and blue, for instance, trying to make purple may be difficult. When mixing your colors always use more of your lightest color and less of the darker one at first.

An example is when mixing yellow and blue to make green, use more yellow since this is your lightest color, and less blue. Start with just a few drops of blue and see your result. If you want a darker green then add alittle more blue. The reason for this is because it is harder to lighten a dark color if you mess up. So never mix colors together in equal amounts! Always use more of the lightest and less of the darkest to begin with!

3.Next we will move on to the tertiary colors on the color wheel. This may look a bit strange if you have never mixed colors before but it is actually very simple.

The image to the right shows what colors will result when you mix your primary colors with your secondary colors. An easy way to do this is to mix together the two colors that are to the right and left of the color on the wheel. These colors are yellow/orange, red/orange, red/violet, blue/violet, blue/green and yellow/green.

For example, if you want to make YO(which means yellow/orange), just mix the Y(yellow) with the color O(orange). These are the two colors to the right and left of it. The same goes for all the rest.

Look at the wheel and find Bv(Blue/violet). What are the colors to the right and left of it on the wheel? If you said B and V then you are correct. That means if you mix blue with violet(purple), then you will make blue/violet. I hope this is starting to make some sense!

If you have followed me so far then you are ready to mix colors and understand how a color wheel works! So lets put it all together in the next step.

4.Now we can put it all together. The image to the right is a complete color wheel with the primary, secondary and tertiary colors. The colors are in a different order then the images above but it is still the same.

Find your primaries which are red, blue and yellow. Then find your secondary that are in the middle of your primary colors on the wheel, orange, green and purple. Now look at the colors in between those and you'll see the tertiary colors! It is that simple.

Making your own color wheel is a great project to start with when learning to mix paints. Have your children make own of their own that way if they forget how to mix a certain color they can look at it for help.

Remember to treat paint mixing like cooking! Always start with more of your lightest color and add the darker color to that in small amounts. Think of it this way, to make orange use two tablespoons of yellow and one teaspoon of red! This will give you better results!

Here are a few tips to follow:

1.Always buy only your primary colors along with white and black

2.To lighten any color you can use white

3.Try to avoid mixing black to your colors it will muddy them, instead use more of your darker color you are mixing with. If you must darken with black only use a very small amount. A little bit of black goes along way.

4.To mix brown use red and green

5.To make a great flesh tone mix yellow with a bit of red and a bit of green and lighten with white

Remember "practice makes perfect" so start mixing and watch your skills improve!