How to Paint the Color Gold Using Oil Paint
When it comes to oil painting, mixing colors is one of the most important skills you can master. If you learn to mix well, you can use a simple color palette to get some of the richest, most complex colors in the color spectrum. Gold is a complex color that can be made by mixing a few basic colors, and by layering colors in your painting, it is even possible to get that metallic gold effect.
Other People Are Reading
Things You'll Need
- Yellow ochre paint
- Lemon yellow paint
- Cadmium yellow paint
- Raw sienna or burnt umber paint
Instructions
-
-
1
Find a good picture of gold. If you want to create a decent gold color, you will need a guide. Use a ring or another piece of jewelry or find a good photograph. You will be able to use this for comparison while mixing your colors.
-
2
Try mixing yellow ochre with lemon yellow. The dark, rich color of yellow ochre is similar to the color that we consider gold, but it lacks the shine. Just a touch of lemon yellow can help bring out that shiny golden look.
-
-
3
Mix cadmium yellow light with a touch of raw sienna or burnt umber. Like the lemon yellow and yellow ochre combination, one of the colors here already resembles gold. Cadmium yellow is like a very light gold color. Darkening it with just a bit of raw sienna can bring the color down in brightness and give it that typical golden sheen.
-
4
Start out lighter in the middle and darken around the edges. One of the most effective ways to get that golden look is to use shadow. This can be accomplished by using your lighter shades toward the center of the object that you are painting and darkening more and more as you work your way out to the edge. For instance, start out with cadmium yellow, add a tiny bit of raw sienna, then a little more, then a little more. The edges of your golden object should have a darker tint than the middle.
-
5
Add highlights. Study your gold object or photograph. You'll notice that the color is not uniform. What gives gold that metallic appearance is the different colors that appear across the surface. There is a base color that is close to yellow and numerous light browns and oranges that shadow the surface. Layer yellow with oranges, reds and browns to add these light shadows and highlights.
-
1
