Don’t buy green and violet as a Watercolor Beginner
Some colors are easier to mix than others. And some look more natural if you mix them. For this reason, I wouldn’t recommend buying greens or violets as a Watercolor Beginner. Only if you paint in a specific style or subjects that contain a lot of violet, it could be the right move.
I mostly paint landscapes and other natural surroundings. Therefore, I rarely use violet, but green is almost always a part of the picture.
Actually, it's worth it to take some time and get used to creating your own greens from the paints you have. You will know how to create a greater variety and more natural tones.
If you mix red and blue, you will get violet. But there are many options, for there are many different blues and reds.
To create a vibrant violet with watercolor, it's better to use magenta instead of classical red. Reds often contain a part of yellow, which will create a muted violet.
If you want to go for a creamy tone, you can add some white watercolor to your mix. This will give you a nice pastel color.
To create green, you need yellow and blue. Again, there are so many different options. To me, it always feels like mixed greens look more natural than ready paints.
To mix a balanced green, you need more yellow than blue, as blue is the stronger component in the mix, especially if you use a darker blue, like ultramarine.
Create warm greens by adding more yellow; for cool tones, you need more blue.
The formula for natural greens
There are endless options to mix greens, from extremely vibrant to muted muddy tones. The one special trick to create more natural greens is to add a hint of red into the mix. Be careful and add very small amounts of red until your mix looks natural in your eyes.
To put this into practice, take out all your yellows and blues and try to mix as many different greens as possible. Maybe you will find your new favorite mixes. You can also create a mix with yellow and ultramarine and add a little hint of red, and observe what happens.
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