# Mixing colors



## TerryCurley (Jan 4, 2015)

I need help figuring out how to make the colors gold and copper. I have all the usual colors but I need these, the gold for Jerry's eye glass frame and the copper for the pennies in my bottle picture. I haven't figured out the mix for these. I'm thinking gold must be yellow and orange and ???? perhaps burnt sienna...... and copper burnt sienna and yellow and maybe orange ....hmmm sounds like the same as I just said....anyway help would be appreciated and probably save me a lot of paint trying to figure it out.


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## Bushcraftonfire (Apr 22, 2015)

You will need to test these out to get the right proportions sis.. but gold is basically yellow with a touch of red.. and a VERY TINY amount of blue. This video might be of help to you as well.. 

www.youtube.com/watch?v=VF7TpN0C4Nc

Copper and Gold are similar.. although I think the copper has a bit more red in it (I could be wrong.. but i think that's what I rememeber

D


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## TerryCurley (Jan 4, 2015)

Thanks Dave. I kind of faked it for the copper but I think it came out OK. I'm going to post the picture in the bottle thread. I will watch the video after reading all the posts. I found from google a color chart for mixing. It will come in handy. I have a color wheel but it doesn't have the weird colors like silver and gold and copper.


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## TerryCurley (Jan 4, 2015)

I just got around to viewing the video, my internet was down because of storms in the area. That is a great video on how to mix gold....thank you David, I'm saving the link to it for reference when I need to do the gold eye glasses.


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## Bushcraftonfire (Apr 22, 2015)

For copper.. just add a bit more red to the gold Terry.. And don't forget (I'm sure you won't) Different primaries will give different results (IE: Not all blues are alike.. and red is not a real primary.. Magenta is  )

D


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## TerryCurley (Jan 4, 2015)

Bushcraftonfire said:


> For copper.. just add a bit more red to the gold Terry.. And don't forget (I'm sure you won't) Different primaries will give different results (IE: Not all blues are alike.. and red is not a real primary.. Magenta is  )
> 
> D


My favorite primary colors to work with are Ultra Marine Blue, Crimson Red, and Cadmium Yellow Light. I know with these you can make any color...but the problem with mixing is I keep having to add a little of this and a little of that and before long I have much more paint than needed and wasting is one of my pet annoyances in life.


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## Bushcraftonfire (Apr 22, 2015)

I feel the same way.. and I REALLY need to get past it.. I will scrape the last dregs of colors I have mixed to use them somewhere.. I hate waste.. Heck.. I don't even like wiping the color off my brush to dry it out a bit.. LOL!

D


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## TerryCurley (Jan 4, 2015)

Sometimes I even add more color to the picture than needed instead of wasting the paint...Now I know that's just wrong.


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## Bushcraftonfire (Apr 22, 2015)

*Chuckles*


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## OrangeAnalytic (Jun 7, 2015)

For gold: yellow and brown (touch of black for deepening/touch of white to highlight. Brown has the red already in it. Add touch of red to mix for minor reflective areas of glasses frames. Copper: Brown, touch of red. Add white and yellow to highlight, black to deepen. Approach subject with separation of these varied tones for Rembrandt effects. Hope this helps.


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## OrangeAnalytic (Jun 7, 2015)

TerryCurley said:


> Sometimes I even add more color to the picture than needed instead of wasting the paint...Now I know that's just wrong.


 Not necessarily. using the colors of your primary subject sparingly about the perimeter of your work will make your painting appear balanced and subject matter "at home" within your format setting. Advice given to me (critique) by pro instructor for a work that took a Gold Key/Blue Ribbon First Place Award in State competition, Honorable Mention, Nationally. You may even extend this use of color even more sparingly into the frame of the painting itself.


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## TerryCurley (Jan 4, 2015)

OrangeAnalytic said:


> Not necessarily. using the colors of your primary subject sparingly about the perimeter of your work will make your painting appear balanced and subject matter "at home" within your format setting. Advice given to me (critique) by pro instructor for a work that took a Gold Key/Blue Ribbon First Place Award in State competition, Honorable Mention, Nationally. You may even extend this use of color even more sparingly into the frame of the painting itself.


I just learned something that I will keep in mind and use. Thank you Orange.


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## Bushcraftonfire (Apr 22, 2015)

Yes.. That's called "Counter-Balance" IIRC.. and is very important to maintain cohesiveness through the piece.

D


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## OrangeAnalytic (Jun 7, 2015)

Also, if you are in the midst of a painting ( ofttimes one will attack the primary subject matter first in a work and have excess pigments on palette that can be transformed into browns or greys by mixing in same amount or less of the opposite color to create a nice supply for sketching in further subject matter or shadow blocking.


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