"Mix it up a bit?" Topic

Do you mix your paints to make the color you want or do you buy 15 types of green so you always have the exact shade in there somewhere?

I mix colors all the time.
I only use colors out of the bottle.
I mix rarely, if I am missing something.
I mix for specific things (like skin tones).

I mix rarely, if I am missing something. I have so many blues and greens, it is ridiculous!

Rarely, rarely mix a color.

Very rarely mix, nor do I buy lots of different shades.

Have been mixing for over 30 years.

If I have a largish project on, or at least plans for one, I'll pre-mix extra during the first mix. But those tend to separate pretty quickly.

Since ca. 1992 (when I bought my first PC) I consistently write down successful "recipes" (formulations?). I have no proof but I'm convinced that's saved me a lot of money in the long run …

Out of the bottle.

If I'm looking to have a particular color and will be needing it multiple times, I mix up a batch of the paint I want in some ~1 oz dropper bottles that my wife got for me one year. That is not often needed though as I have a bunch of browns, greens, blues, and greys.

Both

Rare. You can get almost anything, so mostly it's something I don't need much of, or an unexpected need.

I mix rarely for specific things, such as terrain and buildings. Uniforms, after all, are supposed to look uniform, and remixing an exact match is very tricky.

Rare. When I do it's usually on the go.

Years ago, I was painting up a fleet of Star Trek ships and looking for the right color. From a modeling magazine I found a suggested mix. I was something like mix 2/2/1. So, I took 5 bottles of paint and mixed them in a larger bottle. It worked great for the color I needed.

I'll mix a bit on my wet pallet, but mostly for high-lights or one off figures.

I'll mix if I don't need a lot of the color.

Yes, to both actually. OTOH I usually buy craft paints.

I often mix… to obtain that perfect shade or, to put something a bit different on an otherwise bland group of figures.

When matching the uncovered edges of shields using transfers it is a must. Often best to write down the combination for future repairs or touch ups.

I mix constantly. I mixed ten minutes ago.

I also mix whole pots to get exactly the colors I want- buy the "base" color, and have a box of "mixer" pots that I draw paint from to mix in. Though for whatever reason I've never actually done it with my Vallejo, about a quarter of my P3 paints are mixed.

I mix all the time. Sometimes to have large batches around, others if I just want to do a highlight progression and dropped out too much of the shade color. I'll add gray or white to that and go with where it takes me adding more of the lighter color in as I go.

I rarely mix paints, mostly because I want to be able to replicate my work in the future if I want to expand a unit.

The funny thing is that I enjoy mixing paints. Creating colors is pleasing to my inner artist. I do occasionally mix paints to create a whole bottle of a custom color I can't purchase off the shelf, but I'm careful to write down the "formula" I used to get the color.

- Ix

I think he whole mixing thing kind of presupposes making a note of what you're mixing for future reference.

Quite surprised that so few (at least in this thread) do it.

Sometimes I mix, but mostly the mini is stuck with the closest color to what I need/can find… ;-)

I mix if there is no other choice, I live in fear of having to touch up and not being able to match the shade!

I mix colors constantly, but I also have > 300 bottles of paints and washes.

Both depending on the circumstances because I sometimes cannot find the right shade I need.

I'm a paint junkie. My acrylic mountain rivals the one made of lead. I rarely if ever mix.

I like to mix

Uniforms, after all, are supposed to look uniform

Concur. However, if I am wearing a khaki cover, shirt, trousers, and belt you can be assured that I am wearing at least six different colors of khaki.

Both. I have a lot of paints in colors that I use as a base, but if I need something special, I mix. Or if I need to do a "between" kind of color, I mix.

I mostly use artist's oils, so mix it all the time. Since so little is used, my grandchildren will inherit most of the tubes.

I'm a mixer, although for colours which are standards I will buy the exact shade. Most of my figures are pre 1700 when dying wasn't an exact science and some variation in shade was expected so I don't feel like every figure in a unit must be wearing exactly the same shade of a colour. Plus I like my Dark Age figures to show variation in colour albeit within a restricted range of shades.

I mix for specific things (like skin tones).

I mix to get shades I can't find out of the bottle, like the pale green used on Japanese WWII aircraft. Or just to get shading or more variation of a color. It is very dependent on the project.