- Mix equal parts red, blue, and yellow paint to make black.
- Alternatively, mix complementary colors to get black, like red and green, blue and orange, or purple and yellow.
- You can also make black by mixing blue and brown paint.
- If your paint ends up more brown than black, add more blue, preferably dark blue if you have it.
Using Primary Colors
Grab red, blue, and yellow paint. You can actually make black using just the primary colors (red, blue, and yellow). This will work with all types of paint, whether you're oil painting, watercoloring, or acrylic painting. If you’re using a nice set of paints with different shades of each color, try mixing Aureolin Yellow, Rose Madder Genuine, and Cobalt Blue to get a soft black. Alternatively, mix Winsor Yellow, Permanent Alizarin Crimson, and Winsor Blue to create a bold black. Really any shade of red, blue, and yellow will work though.
Put equal amounts of each color on a palette. It works best to put the colors on the palette one at a time before you mix them. For a basic black, equal amounts of each color is a great place to start. Using slightly more of one or two of the colors will give you a different shade of black. Don’t be afraid to play around with the colors! If you use a paintbrush to dab paint onto the palette, use a different brush for each color so you don't mix the paints except on the palette.
Mix the paints together. You can use a paintbrush or palette knife to mix the colors together. Keep mixing until all of the colors are evenly blended. Pro tip: if you use a paintbrush to mix the paint, swirl the brush gently and don't press down too hard. You can ruin brushes by pushing them too hard against the palette.
Adjust the value and hue of the black. Value is how dark or light a color is, while hue is the level of red, blue, or yellow a color has in it. For example, you might add a small dab of white paint to lighten the black (aka give it a lighter value), or you might add a drop more blue to give the black a blue hue (like if you’re painting a night sky). If you have time and paint to spare, experiment with the color. Add a little brown or green to the black to paint pine trees at night, or add some yellow for the sun reflecting off of black metal. Mixing paint by hand usually won't give you an exact black, but your black will have more character than pure black.
Using Complementary Colors
Combine red and green paint. Mixing complementary paint colors, or colors that are opposite each other on the color wheel, actually cancels out the color properties of each and creates a dark, almost black color. You can choose any red or green paint, but Phthalo Green and Naphthol Red in particular work really well!
Blend blue and orange paint. Blue and orange are opposite each other on the color wheel. Mix equal parts of each to create a vibrant black. If that doesn’t create a dark enough black, add a bit more blue to the mixture.
Mix purple and yellow paint. Use about 60% purple and 40% yellow. Adjust the ratio as needed to get the black you’re looking for (adding more purple will give you a darker black). Cadmium Yellow mixed with violet works especially well, if you have them!
Using Blue and Brown
Add blue paint, like Ultramarine Blue, to your palette. The blue will make up half of the total paint you’ll use, so add about half as much paint as you think you’ll end up needing to mix.
Add brown paint, like Burnt Umber, and mix the colors together. Adjust with a little more of either color until you get a black you like.
Mix in a dab of dark blue paint, like Prussian Blue, for a darker black. A little dark blue paint works great for making a black that’s deep, dark, and striking.
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