Colour Mixing Guide: Watercolour

Julie Collins studied Fine Art at the University of Reading and has been an artist, writer and teacher since then. She has written a number of colour mixing guides and artists’ problem‑solving books and also writes for The Artist magazine. She works from her studio in Hampshire, UK, where she explores her passion for painting, drawing and crafts. Julie has received numerous prestigious awards for her painting, including from the Royal Watercolour Society, the Royal West of England Academy and ING Discerning Eye. Julie was elected a Member of the Society of Women Artists and on to the SWA Council in 2022. Julie is also the author of Colour Demystified, published by Search Press in 2021, which has sold over 9,000 copies to date.

Introduction 4

Materials 6

Colours used in this book 8

Colour 10

Colour wheel 10

Primary colours 12

Secondary colours 14

Tertiary colours 15

Complementary colours 16

Warm and cool colors 18

Colour tone 20

Using a limited palette 22

Dull and bright colours 26

Local colour 27

Colour mixes 28

Yellows and oranges 28

Reds and pinks 32

Violets and blues 36

Greens 40

Browns 44

Blacks and greys 46

Glossary 48