Mixing Paint

I mixed a batch of flesh colored paint when I first started building kits and it's lasted through 4 kits. There's still some left, but it's dry and clumpy, so it's time to toss and mix another batch since I'll be needing it soon. Except for specialty colors which can't be mixed, I usually just buy paint in basic "pure" colors (W/K/Y/R/G/B) and mix my own. Here's a flesh tone using just basic colors:


The ratio is a "ballpark" starter that will get you something close depending on the actual paint you use (not all paints use the same pigments or density!). It will be different for everyone, but this is what works for my paint and you must adjust it yourself.

A common rule for mixing paint is that dark colors and denser pigments will overpower. Start with the lightest color in your mix, in this case white. Then add the next lightest color (yellow) and so on. When adding darker/denser colors (reds, blues, blacks), don't add the whole thing at once. Add them in small amounts (even a drop at a time) until fully mixed and then add more only if necessary.

Another rule for mixing paint is that paint dries darker than when wet. Before darkening your mixture, test it out first on a piece of scrap. You may find that it darkens to the color you want when it dries. If you mix a lot of paints into jars, a tip is to the paint a brush stroke of the mixture on the cap. When you come back to it later, you'll know exactly what color is in the jar when dry.

Unless you're a machine, you'll never mix the same color twice. Make sure you mix more than you actually need to use in case you need to repaint or touch up. It's just paint and if you learn to mix with basic colors, it's inexpensive too.