Green is a color that is all around us. Working on the shades of green could be a colorful adventure. From depicting the green of spring to soft colors of full green in summer to the falling of luscious leaves in autumn to the wintry effect of green – green is everywhere! It is on the lines of understanding green in acrylic painting that we have come up with in this article. If you want to learn how to mix shades of green in an acrylic painting, you are right.
Green can be created by mixing blue pigments with yellow, depending on how dark or shallow you want the green to be. If the green needs to be on the softer side, add some more yellow to the blue. You could also add a thinning medium to see its distinct green. It is essential to know the distinction of colors as an artist. You need to know which colors can be mixed to create a different color and the depth of that shade. If you have doubts, you could test it over scribbles on paper before you start painting on a bigger surface, such as a canvas. This will give you an idea of how clear your color has been and how it could look on a canvas.
Even when you notice nature’s greens, you will see they are not the same kind of green. The mountain garden is more inclined toward blue, whereas the park in a tree will be more yellow on the outside and have a darker tone on the inside. This also depends on the sunlight that falls on it. So when you decide to use green in your acrylic painting, you must understand these color green variations. You also need to know how exposed the particular element is to sunlight or how shadowed it is to get the color’s natural feel.
When you mix two colors to get a green shade, you must understand how much blue is required to integrate with yellow. If you want a brighter green, add more yellow compared to blue, whereas if you are looking for a deeper green, add more blue to the mix compared to the yellow. Once you are satisfied with the range of green, you can add acrylic white to the mix to lighten up the green effect, depending on your painting’s requirements. Please remember that the amount of white you use in the combination must also be proportionate and not overwhelming. Only then can your color mix give the right depth and richness to the overall painting.
Glaze On
If you feel that you have overdone the mix or are not entirely satisfied with the result, add a glazing medium to it to either thin down the effect of the green or make it bolder. You could add more color along with the glazing medium depending on the need of your artwork. The glazing medium is excellent for creating shadows or even ingshifting away from too much shadowing and getting to know more, and you can also check Instapainting’s CG artworks.
Green Mixing
Green comes in many variants in the market, and you could also have your personal favorites. Here are some of the most commonly used green paints by artists:
- Green Gold is a color that is inclined towards a yellow shade. You could use more blue to it to create a distinct green.
- Chromium oxide green is a misty green pigment that works as a great color for creating a painting base. You could loosely mix it with white to create a softer effect if you want to add the color for detailing purposes.
- Sap Green is another special green pigment used with glaze medium since this color is a darker tone of green and will give the right kind of richness along with the glaze.
Overall, working with green is interesting. Pick any color from the blue to green spectrum and add yellow and white to it to create a green shade, depending on the level of shadow or light effect you want.
As we already mentioned, mixing green is a colorful adventure, and the process can teach you a lot about color variations. So use the pigment well and explore to great lengths. But before all this, you must be fluent with color variations and mixes.
