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How to Mix Tempera Paint to Create Magenta, Shades of Yellow and Turquoise

You can make a wide variety of colors using only the three primaries.
colorful paint tubes image by FrankU from Fotolia.com

When painting, it can be confusing to try to mix and combine different colors of paint if you have never done so before. Luckily, by combining the three primary colors--red, blue and yellow--in different ways, you can create all of the other colors in the rainbow.

For example, if you require colors such as magenta, a specific shade of yellow or turquoise, you can successfully create such colors out of the three primaries.

You can make a wide variety of colors using only the three primaries.
colorful paint tubes image by FrankU from Fotolia.com

Things You'll Need:

  • Acrylic Paint - Red, Blue And Yellow
  • Palette
  • Paint Knife

Squeeze a quarter-sized dollop of red, yellow and blue paint onto your palette, spacing the dollops out at least 3 inches apart. These are the three primary colors.

Combine 1/4 of the yellow dollop of paint with 1/4 of the red dollop to create orange.

Combine 1/4 of the red dollop and 1/4 of the blue dollop of paint to create purple.

Combine 1/4 of the yellow dollop and 1/4 of the blue dollop to create green.

Once you have successfully created the three complementary colors of green, orange and purple, you can begin making the specialty colors.

Create magenta by combining a dollop consisting of 1/2 of the purple you created with the remaining red paint.

Make different shades of yellow by adding 1/8 of each complementary color into one-third of the remaining yellow. This will create yellow-green, yellow-orange and yellow-brown.

Make turquoise by combining 1/2 of the green with the remaining blue.

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