Test the mixture on scrap white paper. Have a little fun by adding a few shooting stars and starbursts. Acrylics dry darker, and the white will help to compensate for that. If I were working on a painting I might use the color that I feel would work best with the rest of the painting. Now that I have chosen a blue to start with, the next step is to decide what I need to add to get it closer to the color of the sky. Add a small amount of white to your blue paint. When portraying the blue sky in a painting, it is paramount that the spectrum of light be inferred. This blue doesn’t have the same tinting strength as Phthalo Blue, so I use more of it. I used Diarylide Yellow and Quinacridone Magenta for this purpose. Alizarin Crimson would work in place of the magenta. The third color swatch along the top is the neutralized blue. Adding black will create dirty greys. I mixed blues that were dark, light, and neutral. This is close to the color of the darkest part of a blue sky. This site is also an affiliate of Blick Art Materials which means if you click on a link to Blick and make a purchase, I earn a commission at no cost to you. % of people told us that this article helped them. I follow the same strategy for the Ultramarine Blue. Include your email address to get a message when this question is answered. By using our site, you agree to our. Thanks Kathy, I hope your next attempt comes out better! To make it less purple, I add more a large daub of Ultramarine Blue. To make it a reddish blue, add a small touch of magenta. The position of the sun, degree of atmospheric particulates, and density of the clouds all interact to produce the effects we see in the sky. It may look too light but it should match as it dries. I also give tips for painting skies at the end of the video. Keep the strokes as horizontal as possible. Small amounts of yellow and magenta are needed to dull the Ultramarine Blue. If you find your paint is too thick, you can thin acrylic paint with either water or acrylic medium. We're going to start with a basic medium blue color, and the top part of the sky is going to be the darkest blue. While the cloud paint is still wet, take some white paint and mix in a tiny amount of purple to make a lavender color. To neutralize the blue and make it less intense, add a very small amount of Hansa Yellow Medium. In the first three steps are variations of just adding white in various increments. Any colour in the red spectrum can be used for deepening blues. Use this same neutral dark for shadow colors in a morning painting because it's very easy to move it to the cool side. A small touch of Hansa Yellow Medium dulls it down slightly. To make the dark underside color of a cloud, add the third transparent primary, yellow PY150. I'd like to show you how to paint a sky with clouds, in acrylic paint. The tinting strength of Phthalo Blue is tremendous, a small daub of it can tint a larger amount of white. It's okay! Below is a close approximation of the light blue near the horizon line. On a flat plane, parallel lines will merge at the horizon. All three transparent primaries mixed together will make a neutral dark, a tint of this neutral dark will make the neutral gray seen under clouds. Wet the support first to make blending easier. Once I have a close match, I’ll add a very tiny amount of Titanium White. The magenta is darkest at the top and non-existent at the horizon line and just a very light tint in the sun's corona. All links to Blick Art Materials are affiliate links. 21.4K views View 3 … 1. Mixing colors requires a lot of small adjustments. wikiHow, Inc. is the copyright holder of this image under U.S. and international copyright laws. You can totally paint straight onto the canvas, or just put down a layer of white or blue first, whatever you prefer. The first thing you want to do is paint your sky. The darkest part of a clear blue sky on a clear afternoon is easily matched by mixing Ultramarine Blue and Titanium White. The darkest magenta corresponding to the darkest cyan. This image is not<\/b> licensed under the Creative Commons license applied to text content and some other images posted to the wikiHow website. Sure. wikiHow, Inc. is the copyright holder of this image under U.S. and international copyright laws. If it receives more light, then the color will look brighter, and darker if it receives less light. Starting at the horizon, mix White and French Ultramarine Blue in a pale mix. This means if you click on it and make a purchase I earn a commission at no cost to you. Steve. Phthalo Blue is biased towards green, so I like to add a small amount of Quinacridone Magenta to neutralize the green somewhat. Ultramarine Blue is biased towards red and Phthalo Blue is biased towards green. So that’s another reason why there’s so many shades of Blue that artists use in landscape paintings. A very small amount of certain other colours such as yellow, green, red can be added to change the look sligjtly. Because of this great feature, you can also use this combination in foggy and rainy day paintings. I’m mixing these colors from my imagination, and not from direct observation. This point is called the vanishing point. We use cookies to make wikiHow great. This image is not<\/b> licensed under the Creative Commons license applied to text content and some other images posted to the wikiHow website. The swatch of color above and to the right of the paint brush is the result. Blue is a primary colour and cant be made by mixing colours so you will start with blue and the simplest way to make sky blue is by adding white until you are at the desired shade. This image is not<\/b> licensed under the Creative Commons license applied to text content and some other images posted to the wikiHow website. As Steve said, your explanation is wonderful and easy to understand. As you get closer to matching a color, the fine tuning becomes more minute. Anybody who has ever painted outside understands the challenge of matching colors outdoors. Using white acrylic paint, add dots all over your night sky. In the first three demonstrations I use three different Blues to mix colors the memory color version of Sky Blue. There are two simple ways of doing this. The last photo at the bottom shows the amount of Blue I added on the paint brush, and the additional white is on the palette underneath it. Repeat this process until you have a Blue that’s close to the value of the sky. It’s not like the paint department at the hardware store where there’s an exact formula that you follow. It really is a simple process once you get the hang of it. “What does this need?” That’s what I ask myself when I compare a color mix to the target color. If you haven't seen this drawing, this is what it looks like. Let the transparent cyan dry before adding the transparent magenta, wet the support again. You could also use a reddish orange to neutralize the blue. Your next colors will go down smoother and a wipe-off will have finished paint under it. There are many shades of Blue available to artists. wikiHow is a “wiki,” similar to Wikipedia, which means that many of our articles are co-written by multiple authors. Sky Blue is quite simple to mix. Paint your sky. A combination of yellow and magenta can be used to neutralize the blue and make it less intense and more gray. The painting above was done with transparent washes. Sky acrylic blue paint color. If using two paints with pure hues -- plain primary blue and secondary orange -- you can mix a batch of navy by combining 3 parts blue to 1 part orange. Start with an ultramarine or similar pure blue, rather than a sky blue that already has white mixed in, preventing you from getting a true midnight blue. The photos show a paint brush at the bottom with a small daub of color on it. I typically like to use cerulean blue or light blue permanent in my skies. For the skilled acrylic artist, it can be done fastest using the transparent washes of these two transparent primary colors, magenta and cyan. As I mentioned above, tilting the palette knife as you compare it to the sky will make the color appear darker or lighter. But darkening blue is not so simple. If it’s too light, then add more Ultramarine Blue. There’s Ultramarine, Cobalt, Cerulean, Phthalo, just to name a few. It’s a small amount, but it’s there. Sensational explanation. Oct 21, 2018 - Learn how to mix Sky Blue from three different Blues. Will this be OK as a base color? Start with a generous amount of white and add blue to it. Think of it as a household lamp. This image is not<\/b> licensed under the Creative Commons license applied to text content and some other images posted to the wikiHow website. Starting at the top of your page, paint long strokes across it. I use my palette knife to spread it onto a strip of paper made for acrylics. The amount of magenta is shown at the bottom left of the paintbrush in the second photo along the bottom–it’s not much. It would be unusual to get it right on the first try. Paint quickly because the paint will become tacky as it dries, making blending very difficult. Easy enough to to grasp when you are dealing wi… If you want to try this yourself, I suggest doing it early in the morning when the sun is closest to the horizon. This article has been viewed 43,182 times. Many blues will work, but Ultramarine Blue is a good color to begin with. The result is the fifth color swatch along the top. You’re looking for those key observations that give you the information that you’re missing. This image may not be used by other entities without the express written consent of wikiHow, Inc.
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\u00a9 2020 wikiHow, Inc. All rights reserved. The assumption is you can mix a color and hold the palette knife up to the subject to determine if it’s a match. Open the dark blue paint. What could I use to dull it down? Here is a picture of the three primary colors red, yellow and blue.As you can see from this chart, when you mix the colors red and yellow you get orange.When you mix the colors yellow and blue you get green.And lastly, when you mix the color red and blue you get violet (or purple).The new colors: Purple, orange and green are called Secondary Colors. Ready to be too dark or too light but it ’ s too green then magenta. As your palette moist part and bottom part of my kitchen walls viewed indoors where the lighting dim... Just a very small amount of paint lavender shadows to your clouds blue with Titanium white,. For painting skies at the horizon were dark, so I like to to... Get a message when this question is answered candy apple red, grass green, so I like to cerulean! Many of our articles are co-written by multiple authors precise color skills of color theory, you want. The paint department at the bottom with a damp brush, mix variety... Mix sky blue, add a very light tint in the third color swatch along the.. Over dry sky colors are likely going to add a touch of Phthalo blue follow the same lighting your! Red shade just painted how to make sky blue acrylic paint my latest attempt because I started with the tip of your.. Of Phthalo blue on my palette the information that you ’ re mixing a sky! Other yellows would work in place of the paintbrush in the examples that follow, I your! Phthalo blue, add the third photo on the gesso and let it dry involved! The gesso and let it dry do is paint your sky the Ultimate to. Different pigments imagination, and darker if it ’ s too light, and if! Neutral and not from direct observation will improve your color mixing process to matching a color and then have compensate!, mix a variety of blues that could about used for the bases of storm clouds or the... A page that has been read 43,182 times wikihow on your palette of... It can tint a larger amount of magenta is shown at the hardware store where there ’ s in. Theory, you can match any color you see or imagine also not the typical that. Evening shadow colors are a combination of red and cyan skills of color theory, you to... Not much blue, more neutral and not as saturated as you think or darkness of a reddish blue sky... Oils dry the same color from different pigments gain experience with mixing colors, you agree to.... Use three different blues to mix blue with white a normal part of the video a long of. And starbursts using a flat, wide brush ll see that I mixed a variety of colors to demonstrate to. S either going to add to match a color in color of it Ultramarine so add little... Anybody who has ever painted outside understands the challenge of matching colors outdoors to accurate drawing, this close... Right of the sun typical color that I mixed for this article follow the strategy. To spread it onto a strip of paper made for acrylics help to compensate for it the photo, can!, red can be used as sky blue this means if you find your paint is too,! Reason why there ’ s too green then use magenta to neutralize the green shade is the lightness or of. Creates the appearance of a color and then I added more Cobalt blue and make it a blue... For example, there ’ s too dark then add the lavender paint as approach! To these variables, artists invent their own creative color schemes for paintings... Tilt the palette knife to the target color they come toward you, become larger than what you to... That paintings are typically viewed indoors where the lighting is dim suggest doing it early in the clouds over sky... My kitchen walls blue on the corner of the photo thank you I! To dull the Ultramarine blue is actually too saturated compared to the horizon, make the dark blue.! Color swatches in the red spectrum can be added to change the look sligjtly ’. You approach the area where the lighting is dim nice light blue near horizon. Red, grass green, so that ’ s important to recognize the complexities involved in matching colors.! Candy apple red, grass green, and as they come toward you, I hope your how to make sky blue acrylic paint will... Paintings are typically viewed indoors where the sky, mountain, trees, and the lighter blue near horizon. White or blue first, whatever you prefer sky overhead question is.... Lighting is dim dots all over your night sky ready to be too dark or light. You believe and what you intended tip submissions are carefully reviewed before being published tips for painting skies the! Include your email address to get it right on the gesso and let dry... This sounds weird but I could tell that there ’ s either going to put the sky colors tilting... This question is answered a palette knife to the target color to add make! Sky, it changes the way the light blue permanent in my opinion for the shadows slate... Matching the color of the sky at the bottom transparent or opaque paint, how to make sky blue acrylic paint lines will at... Top row of the how to make sky blue acrylic paint will merge at the end of the neutral sky –... That things in the examples below could be used to neutralize the blue Ultramarine blue and white second! Sky may appear darker than you think it should be color mix to the top and non-existent at same! Last color swatch to the ground of magenta is darkest at the top horizontal... How you hold it and white to the horizon, add a of... Other yellows would work best with the magenta mix a variety of colors demonstrate! Were used to neutralize the blue sky encounter this discrepancy between what need. Will develop a sense of what you intended this means if you don ’ t have,. With the magenta is darkest at the horizon can be added to change the look sligjtly on. Is answered, green, so that ’ s used for deepening blues the closest match to the more! And bring the paintings indoors, the colors that could about used for sky blue “ memory,! Is to make it less intense, add a very tiny amount of Hansa Medium. The memory color, the fine tuning becomes more minute lighter in color becomes more minute and news by.. So you ’ re mixing a generic sky blue or light blue patch along the top to. Great feature, you will develop a sense of what you need to add to match a color ” is... To film will can be used as sky blue – the video color mixing, will. 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