5 Simple Color-Mixing Exercises for Watercolor Beginners

Practical Techniques to Improve Your Color-Mixing Skills

✅ Quick Overview

• 🎨 Master color mixing with 5 simple, beginner-friendly exercises to boost your watercolor skills.

• 🔄 Understand color theory and how pigments interact to create vibrant, beautiful results.

• 💡 Improve your color-mixing confidence with practical, low-pressure techniques.

• 🔑 Learn key tips on palette mixing, gradient washes, and controlling color value.

• 👩‍🎨 Perfect for beginners looking to develop a solid foundation in watercolor painting. 

“No small dabs of color — you want plenty of paint to paint with.”
— John Singer Sargent

Introduction

“Let’s play with color!” 🎨 The best way to begin mixing watercolor paints is to let go of perfection and embrace the process. Think of each new color combination as a discovery, a small adventure in the world of pigments. No pressure—just curiosity! In last week's post, we learned how to avoid muddy colors, and today, we're going to take it a step further by diving into simple color-mixing exercises that will help you get comfortable with the process. Whether you're a complete beginner or just looking to improve your skills, these exercises are designed to be low-pressure and fun.

“Color is all. When color is right, form is right. Color is everything, color is vibration like music; everything is vibration.”
— Marc Chagall

Why These Exercises Help

• Teaches your eyes to see subtle shifts: Understanding how colors interact.

• Helps build muscle memory and confidence: Repetition leads to comfort and fluidity.

• Keeps practice short, creative, and consistent: These exercises are designed to be quick but effective.

👉 Be sure to bookmark this post for colorful warm-ups or quick painting sessions!

“I prefer living in color.”
— David Hockney

Why These 5 Color-Mixing Exercises Inspire Me

When I started learning watercolor, I didn’t consider myself artistic at all. But something changed when I began mixing colors and painting with a sense of curiosity instead of worrying about getting things “perfect.” The more I played with color, the more I understood my paints and how they interact.

What helped me the most in those early days were simple, visual exercises that didn’t overwhelm me. With just a few materials and beginner-friendly tutorials, I gained confidence, and my skills grew faster than I expected.

Color mixing was a big part of that journey. It’s not just about creating the right shade — it’s about exploring and discovering what works. Through simple exercises like these, I learned to understand color theory and how to predict the outcomes of my mixes, which ultimately helped me create more vibrant and controlled paintings.

Now, let's dive into these 5 color-mixing exercises that I know will help you grow, whether you're just starting out or looking to improve your color-mixing skills!

My Tutorial Review Process

Here’s the method I use to test and review each tutorial I share:

1. Watch the tutorial in full at least once

2. Gather art supplies

3. Paint along with the video

4. Track brush sizes, paper, colors, and paint time

5. Let the piece dry and revisit it with fresh eyes

6. Check it against my review criteria:
   ◦ Under 30 minutes
   ◦ Beginner-appropriate
   ◦ Clearly presented and well-paced
   ◦ Materials listed or easily identifiable
   ◦ Effective camera angles
   ◦ Total paint time under 1 hour
   ◦ Enjoyable and useful

7. If it’s a yes — I write the review!

Let’s get started!

The point is to know how to use the colors, the choice of which is, when all’s said and done, a matter of habit.”
— Claude Monet

Featured Videos: 5 Simple Color-Mixing Exercises

1. Andrea Nelson — How to Swatch Watercolor Paints

📺 Watch time: 3:04 | Watch on YouTube »

🖌️ Key Techniques Covered:
• Color theory
• Swatching
• Color mixing

🎯 Why It’s Great for Beginners:
Artist Andrea Nelson takes the time to demonstrate how a brand-new watercolor pan set is opened and set up — this is incredibly helpful for watercolor beginners to see and learn. She also goes through how to swatch colors in your paint set and why it's important for artists to have color swatches. Finally, she demonstrates advanced color swatching techniques and effective sketchbook practices for watercolor artists.

👉 My Comments:
This is one of the clearest, quickest videos introducing watercolor pan sets and swatching to beginner artists. And Andrea's sketchbook practice is so inspirational!

💡Quick Takeaway:
Learning to swatch is a simple but crucial step that lets you see the true colors in your palette and explore their potential combinations.

 2. Josie Lewis — Color Theory & Color Mixing

📺 Watch time: 7:47 | Watch on YouTube »

🖌️ Key Techniques Covered:
• Color theory
• Color mixing
• Gradient wash
• Using paint color and white of paper to convey dimensionality

🎯 Why It’s Great for Beginners:
Artist Josie Lewis demonstrates how to paint three-dimensional balls and mix gradients and color shifts using just 3 paint colors. This is a beautiful and simple exercise, and its application extends to every facet of watercolor painting.

👉 My Comments:
This tutorial's coverage of how to paint with dimensionality is perhaps the best I've come across: so incredibly helpful. And circles are one of the easiest shapes to learn to paint. Even better: once you learn how to paint these spheres, you can easily transfer the skill right over to painting watercolor fruits and Christmas ornaments!

💡Quick Takeaway:
Mastering gradients and dimensionality is key to creating depth in your paintings, and this exercise helps you practice those foundational skills with just a few colors.

 3. Kristin Van Leuven — 3 Tips for Mixing Watercolors

📺 Watch time: 10:56 | Watch on YouTube »

🖌️ Key Techniques Covered:
• Color theory
• Color wheel
• Analogous colors
• Complementary colors

🎯 Why It’s Great for Beginners:
Artist Kristin van Leuven reminds us that primary colors actually come in different shades, and it’s important to find the primary colors that yield the hues you envision. She also discusses the benefits of using analogous colors, and how to use complementary colors to achieve moody, muted, and even neutral tones.

👉 My Comments:
These 3 tips by Kristin are super useful for watercolor beginners. If you keep them front of mind when you are painting, you will have great results!

💡Quick Takeaway:
By understanding the color wheel and experimenting with both analogous and complementary colors, you can create harmony or contrast in your work, adding depth and interest.

4. Harriet de Winton — Mixing Colors: On Paper vs In Palette

📺 Watch time: 3:59 | Watch on YouTube »

🖌️ Key Techniques Covered:
• Color mixing
• Color theory
• Shading

🎯 Why It’s Great for Beginners:
Artist Harriet de Winton’s video shows the real difference between mixing colors on paper versus in the palette. Both methods are useful and necessary, depending on the desired effect in your painting.

👉 My Comments:
When I was first learning watercolor, I felt more comfortable mixing colors in the palette — it felt safer and more controllable. But as Harriet's demonstration so clearly illustrates, there are times when mixing directly on the paper can yield more vibrant and unpredictable results.

💡Quick Takeaway:
Mixing on paper allows for a more dynamic interaction between your colors, leading to a less controlled but more expressive outcome.

5. Andrea Nelson — Same Watercolor Tulip on 4 Different Background Colors

📺 Watch time: 2:10 | Watch on YouTube »

🖌️ Key Techniques Covered:
• How colors interact
• How background colors affect the result
• Layering colors
• Developing an eye for color combinations

🎯 Why It’s Great for Beginners:
Artist Andrea Nelson demonstrates how different background colors can totally change the feel of the same subject painted on top. This exercise also provides practice with layering colors.

👉 My Comments:
I love how this seemingly simple exercise reveals the power and significance of color theory and color mixing. Sometimes when I want to paint just for the sake of painting, I turn to this format: one subject painted on 3 or 4 different background colors. It is always illuminating!

💡Quick Takeaway:
This exercise will give you a hands-on understanding of how background colors can dramatically alter the mood and outcome of your artwork.

Quick Access: Jump to Tutorials

1. Andrea Nelson - How to Swatch Watercolor Paints

2. Josie Lewis - Watercolor Color Mixing

3. Kristin Van Leuven - 3 Tips for Mixing Colors

4. Harriet de Winton - Color Mixing: On Paper vs In Palette

5. Andrea Nelson - Watercolor Tulip on 4 Different Background Colors

“Whether the flower or the color is the focus I do not know. I do know the flower is painted large to convey my experience with the flower — and what is my experience if it is not the color?”
— Georgia O’Keeffe

💬 Conclusion

🎯 Key Takeaway:
Color mixing is a skill and a creative experiment. The more you play, the better you’ll understand your paints. It’s not about “right”—it’s about exploring.

“If you see a tree as blue, then make it blue.”
— Paul Gauguin

🖌️ What to Do Next

• Bookmark this post for future reference.

• Choose 1–2 color-mixing exercises to try this week.

• Warm up with a few quick color swatches before your next full painting session.

• Looking for more? Available mid-July — grab the free Watercolor Glossary or Absolute Beginner's Watercolor Confidence Kit!

🔗 Related Color-Mixing Posts

• How to Mix Watercolors Without Making Mud — Beginner Tips for Clear, Vibrant Colors

• Easy Color Mixing and Pigment Guide for Watercolor Beginners

✍️ About the Author

Written by Mary Moreno of Mary Moreno Studio, a self-taught watercolor artist since 2020 and creative blogger. I know what it’s like to start from scratch — I began painting without formal training, just a few supplies and a lot of curiosity. Now I share beginner-friendly tutorials, tips, and encouragement to help others find joy and confidence with watercolor.
🎨 Whether you're just starting out or starting over, I’m here to simplify the process and support your creative journey. I see you. I’ve been you. Let’s paint :)