I was just wondering about this the other day, after about 6 months of mixing colors as I go when I paint.  I think it's probably most important for plein air painters to have at least some colors ready to go before they start.  For me, I work in my studio and usually take a bout a week per oil painting, so I just mix as I paint, as needed.  I guess time is a factor, because I don't always know how long I'll be able to work uninterrupted at each session and I don't want the paint to sit on the palette any longer than absolutely necessary. Premixing might mean I have to walk away from it for a bit and there it sits.  The water soluble oil painting medium I use accelerates the drying time of the oils, especially in the winter months, so I have to be mindful of that, too, when I mix colors.

Courtney- I don't think this works for watercolor or especially acrylics.  Acrylics dry so fast, I think that this method would be a waste of paint.  However, i'm pretty new to acrylics so maybe this is just my frustration talking!  Thanks for all the wonderful tips.  Patsy Heller

Hi there,

For me, it's about getting the right colour groupings to capture how the light(s) is(are) rendering the subject & scene.

I typically work with a high palette so, I want to select my base triad (RYB, etc) to match in hue and temperature to suit the subject / setting and to mix down to the proper dark grey.  I'll probably have two base triads: one for hot/neutral highlights and one for cooler shadows & "low-lights".

So, that gives you your base palette for that piece.  If I need larger amounts of colours between those of the two groupings, then I want to add them to my palette so that I won't be slowed down or distracted from capturing the flow and energy of the subject / setting.  (For instance, I might want to use larger amounts of split complements.)  If I can find a tube colour that fits in one of those two groups then I'll use it to ensure the best saturation possible.  If I don't have it in a tube, then I'll mix it, understanding that it cannot be as brilliant or intense as I would get from a tube (i.e. the mixture can only be muddier than a pure pigment).

With all that background, it's likely clear that I would tend to mix a larger amount of a base colour to ensure hue and temperature matching with the rest of the colours in the piece.  I can easily push and pull the premixed extra base colours to suit local colour / temperature demands and, so, minimize the number of premixed colours required.  For me, I find it easier to keep things cohesive this way and yet still minimize paint wastage.

Cheers,

MikeB

Per goldbug64's comments, I am using oil w/ Liquin.  So, I don't have the super-speedy setting issue as w/ acylics.

  => Have you considered using a drying retarder to facilitate?  If no & you still like the v. quick drying time of acrylics, I would suggest buying tube colours to fill in the gaps (i.e. matching what you would otherwise need to premix) and then have less paint on your palette at any given time.  Obviously you would then adjust this wider array of base colours to satisfy local colour requirements.

Cheers,

MikeB

I mix as I go. This allows me to be more creative and not worrying about sticking to the colors I had in mind before I started the painting. It also keeps the paint fresh.

Hi Courtney,

My latest acrylic painting focal point is done with premixed colours - mainly because it is created by brush(most previous ones were  with a knife), and because it was -really important for me to keep the values correct, since the subject is liquid and fabric; and it is being completed over a greater period of time. it has been extrememy helpful to not have to stop and mix, and just to concentrate on painting. I kept my colour premixes in small squeeze bottles. I would do this again for similar subjects with a brush technique, because with a knife I love the colours to stay fresh and unblended in most cases.

thanks for this article

Gill Knox

I think it is important to have your paints on the palate mixed to the consistency that you like to paint with and perhaps a couple of greys, then the color you really need will mix very fast and easy as you are painting.

I mix my oil colors as I go on my palette and on the canvas as well.  And the con about sticking with the premixed color choices - I have colors in mind for a particular item, such as one color of blue for one part of the painting and an entirely different color of blue for another, so I don't feel that I limit my choices.  I am always mixing new colors as I go.   I paint mostly in my studio and as others have stated, I don't mix a very large amount because of the idea of not wasting them.  

Courtney,

I sort of use both methods. I premixed the color I want, than when I run I just mix a new batch as I need it. It adds interests to my subject since the color I started out with is slightly different than the color I ended with.  

Carmen

from Clinton, MD

Hello Courtney,

I eagerly pursue your essay every day.  As I work in gouach, coloured pencil and dry  pastel what I always do to avoid frustration is try premixing my palette in some abstract design before applying it to the final realist representation, and this with very satisfying results.

Gihan Zohdy

Have tried both options and, as an oil learner through many DVDs and art instruction magazines, found that I learn more about color  by always working with a carefully pre-chosen limited palette (according to subject) then mixing as I go.  Choosing the limited palette in itself is often a struggle...RIchard Schmid's advice on determining color families has been invaluable.  Also very helpful have been Artist's Colour Solutions by Michael Wilcox and  Richard Robinson's Master Class in Color.

I'm an oil painter.  Months ago, I started to premix the colors I intend to use in a project before I start it.  I definitely prefer this way to work because I won't have to stop painting every 5 or 10 minutes to search the particular color.  It's already on my palette.

I have gone both ways. I sometimes premix  and most of the time do not. If I have a big chunk of time to work on a portrait or sitll life, I prefer to premix much of my paints. I have taken workshops with Daniel Greene and Frank Covino and feel that they go too far. I spent so much time premixing my whole palette, that I pretty much lost the impetus for my painting. I also found that it was quite a waste of paint.I would much rather premix and tube my paints according to John Sanden. I do however, find that premixing does speed up the painting time.

Ann Basuino, San Francisco, CA

I've worked both ways, and find I do best when I have my main colors premixed.

 It does several things: provides a base of color that I can work off of, to either warm up or cool down in temperature, or go lighter or darker from.  Having  the colors on my palette allows me to compare them to each other, before I apply them to my canvas.  If  the color relationships work out on the palette, they'll work on the canvas.  Also, having  the paint ready to work with helps when working plein air,  when speed is important to capturing fleeting light.   Last, I think every painter has to know their own weakness.  I know for me, that if I don't have enough paint on my palette, instead of  taking the time to mix more, I just get absorbed in the painting process & will paint with what I have only diluting it.  I end up with thin washes instead of a rich impasto paint application.

Courtney you keep winning me over.  I am a senior art coach and I complement you on your open mindedness and clearly stated ideas.

Thank you.

Gary Smith

www.escapewithgary.com

Am I the only painter that paints in the directions that the initial paint strokes lead me? It's from vision but cataloging viewed objects.  

I think each and every work has its need for either method. I tend to work shorter periods and sometimes the frequency is interrupted, so pre-mixing isn't warranted.