One of the main difficulties watercolour beginners have is being able to mix a realistic green. The usual way to mix green is to combine different primary colours like blue and yellow. To do this you need to have some understanding of colour theory to ascertain which colours are warm and which are cool. This can be overwhelming for a beginner so in this article I share another way to mix convincing greens.

Base greens are included in most watercolour palettes

Most entry level watercolour palettes helpfully include one or two greens; Viridian, Hookers Green & Sap Green. Used straight from the pan or out of the tube they can often seem artificial. Often too bright or it does not replicate what is in front of you. In this article I will show you how to mix more realistic greens using the green in your palette (the base green) plus one other colour from your palette.

Materials Needed:

• Watercolor paints either as pans in a palette or separate tubes. I have used Winsor & Newton Professional Watercolour but I recommend Rosa or Cotman as great beginners paint.
• Watercolor paper
• Brushes
• Palette
• Water

Mixing with Viridian

So, first off I have taken Viridian Green a beautiful, transparent green pigment with a bluish tone. Viridian on its own looks unnatural but when mixed with yellows, oranges, or reds it produces an impressive range of natural greens. On the left of the image above I have swatched out Viridian, my base green. On the right of the image I have swatched out another commonly included colour from a beginners watercolour palette. In the middle of the two swatches is the new green mixed from Viridian and the other colour.

Evergreen: Viridian + Alizarin Crimson. Reduce the amount of water you are using in the mix to get a more intense version. An almost grey colour can be mixed by using slightly more green than red in the mix.

Mid Green: Viridian + Raw Umber or Yellow Ochre

Bright Spring Green: Viridian + Lemon Yellow

Muted Earth Green: Viridian + Burnt Sienna

Earthy Moss Green: Viridian + Cadmium Scarlet (or Cadmium Red Light, Cadmium Red Pale or Cadmium Orange)

Additional mixes to try;

Forest Green: Viridian + Ultramarine Blue

Teal Green: Viridian + Phthalo Blue

Mixing with Hookers Green

Hookers Green is named after the 19th-century botanical artist William Jackson Hooker (1785–1865). Hooker was an esteemed British botanist and botanical illustrator. Although he did not create the pigment himself, the color was named in his honor due to his significant contributions to botanical art and illustration, which required a reliable green pigment for accurately depicting plant life. As a result Hooker’s Green is a versatile and commonly used green in watercolor palettes. It provides a good starting point for mixing a variety of green shades. Here’s how you can mix greens using Hooker’s Green to create different tones and shades:

Olive Green: Hooker’s Green + Alizarin Crimson

Bright Spring Green: Hooker’s Green + Lemon Yellow

Deep Forest Green: Hooker’s Green + Indigo (or Ultramarine Blue)

Additional mixes to try;

Mossy Green: Hooker’s Green + Yellow Ochre

Muted Grey-Green: Hooker’s Green + a touch of Payne’s Grey

Mixing with Sap Green

Sap Green is a popular, versatile green in watercolor palettes known for its natural, warm tone. It’s a popular choice amongst artists as a convenient go to green and a great starting point for mixing a range of other greens.

Mossy Green: Sap Green + Yellow Ochre

Olive Green: Sap Green + Rose Madder (or Alizarin Crimson)

Forest Green: Sap Green + Indigo (or French Ultramarine )

Additional mixes to try;

Bright Spring Green: Sap Green + Lemon Yellow

Teal Green: Sap Green + Phthalo Blue

Muted Earth Green: Sap Green + Burnt Sienna

Sap Green is a staining colour, this means that it leaves a green residue on the paper when colour is lifted out. So you are able to use this to your advantage by mixing Sap Green & French Ultramarine and then lifting the colour out. On the image above I have lifted out with a palette knife on the left whilst the wash was still damp. On the right, I used a damp brush to lift out the colour when the wash was dry.

In summary to adjust greens:

Lighten: Add more yellow to make the green lighter and more vibrant

Darken: Add more blue to make the green darker

Tone down or neutralise: Add a bit of red or another complementary colour (Pinks & Oranges) to make natural, muted greens

Other ways to alter your greens are to play with the transparency of your paint by adding more water or less water to your mixture. Add more water to dilute it and make it lighter, or reduce the amount of water in your mix to make a more intense colour. Another option is to use granulating colours like French Ultramarine as this will add texture and interest to your greens.

Mixing colours on your palette rather than directly on the paper will give you more control over the shade of green. So when you find a mix you like it is wise to mix a big batch. This ensures that the same shade is applied throughout your painting rather than running out half way through.

Finally, it’s all about practice! Test your new found skills by observing trees, leaves and the landscape and practice mixing greens to match. You might find it useful too to create a quick reference colour chart with different mixes of your greens mixed with other colours. Hopefully this article will help you gain confidence in mixing a wide range of realistic greens to include in your paintings – Good Luck!

Want to learn more about colour theory?

Check out some of our other colour mixing articles:

• A Guide to Colour Mixing with Watercolour – Power to Your Primaries
• Colour Theory to Improve Your Paintings