Okay, so today I wanted to mess around with some off-white yellow colors, and let me tell you, it was a bit of a journey. I’ve always been into those soft, creamy yellows, but getting the right shade? Man, it’s trickier than it looks.
First, I gathered all my yellow paints. I have a bunch, from those super bright, almost neon yellows to some that are more like a pale, buttery color. I laid them all out on my table, and I started to mix and match. My goal was that perfect off-white yellow, you know, the kind that looks like it’s been sun-kissed, kind of vintage. I wanted something mellow, something I can see myself to use in the future. I don’t know why I just so into this color, I mean, yellow is not easy to deal with.
Then, I grabbed some white paint – titanium white, because that’s what I usually use for mixing – and started experimenting. I added a tiny bit of yellow to a big dollop of white, mixed it up, and…well, it was too pale. Not quite what I was going for. It looks so pale, like a paper that has no color on it.
So, I tried again, this time adding a little more yellow. I kept doing this, bit by bit, mixing and testing on a scrap piece of paper. It takes so many tries to do it. And you know what, it is still too vivid! But I know that if I put too much white again, it will become too pale again. So, I just kept trying and trying to get the right amount for each of them.
After a bunch of tries, I finally got something I liked. It was like, a soft, creamy yellow, but with a hint of warmth to it. Not too bright, not too pale. Just right. I mean, it is just the right color that I was looking for all the time. It is not easy to do this kind of things, I have to say. But when you get it, it is really something.
- Start with more white than you think you need. It’s easier to add more yellow than to try and lighten it up later. I learned this in a hard way…
- Mix small amounts at a time. That way, if you mess up, you haven’t wasted a ton of paint. Paint is not cheap, you know…
- Test your color on something similar to what you’ll be painting on. Different surfaces can make the color look different. This is so important, at least for me.
Here are some tips I figured out along the way:
Anyway, that’s my little color adventure for today. It was a bit messy, but I’m pretty happy with the results. I’m thinking of using this color on my next project, maybe a painting of some sunflowers or something. We’ll see! So yeah, I think I will do more color testings in the future. It helps me to understand the color better. Stay tuned!
