Mixing primary colors for kids, beginning lessons

By Spramani Elaun

The most exciting activity in my art classes is when kids mix colours for the first time. The look on their faces is magical! Like their in disbelief when two colours come into contact and change beautifully into a perfect secondary colour. My students get lost in mixing strategies with combinations of primaries. This activity is very simple and you don’t have to be an advance artist to explore colour theory with kids, you just need red, yellow and blue paint.

Kids Mixing Primary Colours

What is Colour Theory?

Learning to mix primary colours into an array of colour combinations is the study of colour theory. Colour theory learning comes by mixing pigmented colorants together like scientific exploring. I give young children sufficient opportunities to see colours evolve with numerous curious experimentation. I’m not rigid and focused on students mastering colour mixing to perfection within the 3 phases. I don’t approach formal colour theory until ample exploring has taken place through multiple mediums. Learning to mix the colour wheel takes years to master and should be allowed lots of practice over time.

Here are some ways mixing colours can be helpful:

1. Mixing colours helps in fine art painting.

2. Practicing mixing colours often will make painting projects more enjoyable.

3. Mixing skills help when colour options are limited. Kids can mix up a variety of colour combinations.

4. Mixing primaries and secondaries is the basics to understand advance colour theory.

5. Mixing colours helps with acrylic painting, watercolor painting, pastel painting, oil painting and colour pencil drawing.

6. Colour mixing is great art therapy.

7. Mixing colours can teach warm and cool colour combinations, how to achieve value intensity and create moods in paintings.

Subtractive Colour System

RYB (Red, Yellow and Blue) can create a 12-step spectrum colour wheel

Learning to mix primary colours into secondary colours can be very helpful with all types of mix media projects.

Remember these skills take many years to learn so provide many chances for practicing.

Start off simple by mixing two colours at a time!

See chart below:

Blue + Yellow = Green

Red + Yellow = Orange

Red + Blue = Violet

Red + Blue+ Yellow = Brown

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