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Mix a recipe by hand
3 minute read, 8 steps
A recipe tells you which of your tubes to mix, and how much of each. This guide reads one from top to bottom, then mixes it by hand.
The example is a bright green from a box of twelve Liquitex Basics. The recipe is 3 parts Primary Yellow, 1 part Primary Blue and 1 part Titanium White.
To set a color and get a recipe, see Recipes. To use your own tubes, see My Palettes.
- Read which tubes a recipe uses and how much of each
- Choose parts, milliliters, fluid ounces or grams
- Set your screen before you judge a color
- Measure equal parts and mix them
- Fix your mix by eye
Step 1
Get the recipe
Open Recipes. Set the color you want 1 and the palette with your tubes 2. Here the target is a bright green and the palette is a box of Liquitex Basics.
Press Get Mix Recipe 3. The recipe opens in a few seconds.
Step 2
Read the recipe
The list shows the tubes the recipe uses 1. Here it uses three of the twelve: Primary Yellow, Titanium White and Primary Blue.
The number next to each tube is its share of the mix 2. Most of this green is yellow, with a little white and blue.
The band shows the mix next to your target 3. The match tells you how close they are. Here it is 100%.
Step 3
Choose how to measure
Below the list, the same recipe comes in parts, milliliters, fluid ounces or grams 1.
Parts are the easiest to measure by hand. Choose 10, 20, 50 or 100 parts 2. Fewer parts are easier to measure. More parts get closer to the exact color. The recipe below changes with your choice 3.
Need a set amount of paint? Choose Grams, pick how much you want, and weigh each paint on a kitchen scale.
Step 4
Set your screen
Scroll down to Practical Use. It shows how to mix the recipe by hand.
Press Open the patch. Your screen turns white. Hold a piece of your painting paper, or a white card, against it. Change your screen brightness until they look the same.
Turn auto-brightness off while you mix, so the screen does not change while you compare.
Step 5
Measure equal parts
Practical Use rounds the recipe to a few parts you can scoop 1. Here it is 5 parts.
A part is any amount you can repeat. Use a squeeze from the tube, or a palette knife tip for a small test mix. Keep every part the same size.
Put the parts close together 2: 3 parts Primary Yellow, 1 part Primary Blue and 1 part Titanium White.
Step 6
Mix and compare
Mix the parts well, until no streaks are left. Paint a small swatch on paper and let it dry.
When it's mixed, it should look like the band under the parts. The wet half is fresh paint. The dry half is the finished color. Acrylics dry a little darker.
Step 7
Adjust by eye
Hold your swatch next to the screen. Tap the swatch that looks most like yours 1.
The recipe tells you what to add 2. Here the mix looked too blue, so it says to add 1½ parts Primary Yellow and ½ part Titanium White.
Mix it in, paint a new swatch and compare again. Small steps are easier to fix. If none of the swatches is close, press None is close, pick my color.
Step 8
Take it to your table
Press Download PDF 1 to print the whole recipe and take it to your table. On a phone, it is in the menu with three dots.
When you are signed in, every recipe is saved 2. You find it again in My Recipes, under Recipes.
Now mix your own color
Set any target, choose the paints on your table, and follow the guide step by step.
Try it with this colorFrequently Asked Questions
Any amount you can repeat: one squeeze from the tube, one palette knife tip, one spoon. Every part in a recipe must be the same size.
Parts are the quickest by hand. Grams are best when you need a set amount or want to mix the same color again exactly. You need a small kitchen scale.
Most acrylics dry a little darker, and a bright screen makes colors look lighter. Set your screen with the patch, and judge a dry swatch.
A paint that changes the mix a lot even in a small amount, like a dark blue or black. Add it carefully, a little at a time.
