How To…Mix Realistic Greens From The Greens In Your Watercolour Palette
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:
- Watercolour 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.
- Watercolour 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 colour was named in his honour 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 watercolour 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 watercolour 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:
I wish you would include pigment numbers with this article because as you know, brands can call their paints anything they want to and they could contain very different pigments. No greens are the same across brands, so all of the results that we’re seeing here are going to vary widely depending on which paints you use. And one of the problems that I see within the field of watercolor, is that a lot of beginners get very frustrated with not being able to replicate what they see instructors or other artists doing. A lot of that is because the demonstrator doesn’t talk about the pigment number. Different pigments have very different characteristics and that will be reflected in what you see. Moreover, recommending a student grade watercolor paint exacerbates that problem because they substitute pigments and use cheaper ones at much lower concentrations. The top two reasons that beginning watercolorists quit painting is 1) lack of water control and 2) inferior products/ inability to match what they see others doing. You may think you’re keeping things simple by not mentioning pigment numbers when discussing colors, but I think this only adds to the frustration felt by beginners and those that struggle with color theory. Moreover, I take exception to the fact that you said greens are often overly bright and yet, none of the greens you mention are overly bright. Phthalo greens (PG7 or PG36) are overly bright unchecked by accompanying pigments. But viridian, Hookers green, and sap green are not bright.
Viridian (PG18) is typically a dull mid-green to bluish green with a low tint strength and either non-staining or lightly staining. If you are using a PG 18 Veridian that doesn’t match those characteristics, then you are using a brand that is adding brighteners, dyes, or are being false in their report. And I’m sad to say that in your pictures I see a brand that routinely comes up in my testing as having falsified the contents of their paint.
Hookers green is most often a multi-pigment color in most brands and is usually a dark valued, dull yellow green color. Historically, it was a mix of Prussian blue and Gamboge. In brands that have perhaps foolishly chosen to use phthalo green unchecked by other pigments, you can find a bright color. However most brands follow the adage of a three pigment mixture: a green paint, a yellow or blue paint to shift the hue, and a warming or neutralizing paint, so as to avoid a green that is too bright.
Similarly to Hookers green, sap green is a dull yellow green. It’s quite close in color temperature to green gold. And while it’s undoubtedly a staple and many artists watercolor palettes, it’s not a bright color. Pigment choices again vary by brand, but phthalo greens (PG7 or 36) are typically accompanied by one or more yellows and/or earth tones.
I appreciate the work that you’ve done here however. You’ve encouraged experimentation and play and have demonstrated some different colors that might look good with the greens in any given palette. But I think we need to be careful and be proactive so that people don’t get to the point of frustration and discouragement that they want to stop when what the teacher said/did does it match what they’re able to get with the materials in front of them.
* so that you know how I have reached the conclusions that I have, I am a scientist by education and training and a self-taught artist and watercolor instructor. I would describe myself as a pigmentologist insofar as I have built myself a home laboratory to include a microscope and a spectrophotometer where I study and compare my more than 1600 professional grade watercolor paints and high quality powder pigments.
Thank you for your detailed response and the insights you’ve provided. It’s clear that you have a deep understanding of pigments and watercolor paint, which is really appreciated. However, the blog post was aimed at complete beginners, many of whom are using student-grade paints and may not yet be ready to dive into the complexities of pigment numbers or professional-grade products. The goal was to keep things simple and approachable for those just starting out, who might find too much technical information overwhelming at this stage. It is important to note that many beginners cannot afford to buy professional grade paints when starting out.
While I respect your perspective, I don’t fully agree with some of your points. The emphasis here was on encouraging beginners to experiment and play, rather than focusing heavily on pigment composition, which can add layers of complexity for someone just learning the basics. That said, your input is valuable, and I can see how it might benefit more advanced readers who are ready for a deeper understanding of pigments.
Fully appreciate the article and I’m going to put the suggestions of colour charts into practice…and especillay the comment about mixing a lot of what is the ‘right’ colour for your project, I spend ages re-mixing and re-matching colours…I will now look ahead more for quantity, thx, M
Wow!
Hi Rae, are there brands that you have found do not falsify what pigments they have used and also, can pigments with the same number vary, depending on how they are prepared?
Hi Marny,
Thanks for your comment! Just to clarify, I’m not Rae, but I’d be happy to help address your question.
All the art materials we sell at Bromleys are tested by independent bodies, such as the ASTM. These organisations regulate the labelling and ingredients that manufacturers must declare on their paints, ensuring the information provided is accurate and reliable. Many brands also conduct their own in-house testing before sending their products to the ASTM for corroboration. This process ensures transparency and accuracy in the materials offered to artists.
We make this information readily available on our website to help artists make informed decisions about the products they use. If you’d like to access pigment details for a specific paint, first find the range you’re interested in on our website and navigate to the colour you’d like to learn more about. Click the ‘more info’ link near the ‘Add to Cart’ button – this will give you a detailed breakdown of pigment composition and other relevant details.
As for why pigment numbers weren’t included in the blog post, it’s important to understand that a pigment number primarily indicates the chemical composition of the pigment, not necessarily how the paint will look or behave. Manufacturers can influence a pigment’s final appearance by altering factors such as how it’s processed, the proportions of ingredients used, or the grinding method. For instance, pigments like PV19, PBr7, PR101 and PB36 can vary greatly in hue, tint strength and other characteristics due to these manufacturing choices. While pigment numbers are a helpful guide, they don’t identify a consistent paint colour. We’ve found that including this kind of information can sometimes overwhelm beginners, who are often eager to dive in and experiment hands-on with their paints rather than focus on technical details upfront.This particular article was designed as a beginner-friendly resource, encouraging experimentation and play with colour mixing. It’s intended to be a springboard for new artists exploring their palettes, without overwhelming them with technical details right away.
That said, if you’re interested in diving deeper into pigments and paint-making, we have a series of blog posts exploring how Daniel Smith paints are made. The first in the series can be found here and there’s also a series of videos on our YouTube channel here.
I have been using watercolours for years and still have trouble with greens. Your article is extremely useful and has helped me obtain the greens I need.
Excellent artical on mixing greens I have made notes in my sketch book as this info will prove very useful
Very helpful article. I would mention that I’ve noticed that Hookers green and Sap green can be made using different mixes using more than two pigments depending on manufacturer. The best one I’ve found is Winsor & Newton as they use just two pigments, PY110 a deep yellow and PG36 a yellow shade green.
Thank you. Such an interesting and useful article. I knew most of it – sort of – but this article lays it out so clearly, and gives me a lot more confidence as I learn how to paint.
Thank you Janet, I’m glad you found the post helpful in mixing lots of nice greens!