Color is key when it comes to painting watercolor leaves. Once you get the hang of the shape, pressure, and brush strokes needed to paint beautiful leaves, your color mixtures will take them to the next level.
This free color-mixing guide includes my exact recipes for creating 6 stunning color mixtures for leaves – ranging from vibrant greens to earthy, organic greens.
I also threw in some helpful advice about varying the values of your colors. Ready to start mixing? Let’s go!
Full credit to @petals.by.priya for this inspiring tutorial!
Contents
6 Color Recipes
Color mixing… does it really matter?
Yes!
While this color mixing guide includes 6 specific recipes for creating stunning greens, with a little practice varying the values of each color, it's more like having 30+ new shades to add to your toolbelt.
Moody GREENS
Recipe #1 – Deep Dark Green
Sap Green + Indigo
I like to use Sap Green as a base for a variety of green mixtures. Indigo is a very bold, strong color, so be sure to use it sparingly at first and add more as needed.
Vary the value of this color by increasing or decreasing the amount of water in your mixture.
For darker values, use a more saturated mixture.
For lighter, values, use more water in your mixture and gradually rinse the pigment off your brush before painting.
Recipe #2 – Stormy Green
Hooker's Green + Payne's Gray
Similar to the recipe above, I also use Hooker's Green as a constant base when mixing for leaves. Adding Payne's Gray gives it a deep, stormy tone for rich, dark leaves.
Use just a touch of Payne's Gray at first – it is a very bold color!
Vary the value of this color by increasing or decreasing the amount of water in your mixture.
For darker values, use a more saturated mixture.
For lighter, values, use more water in your mixture and gradually rinse the pigment off your brush before painting.
Earthy GREENS
Recipe #3 – Light Earthy Green
Hooker's Green + Light Beige/Sand
When I am painting lighter compositions, I like to mix some sandy green tones for my leaves.
I personally use the color “Sand Ridge” from my Art Philosophy Woodlands palette, but any light brown/beige color will do the trick when mixing with the Hooker's green base.
Vary the value of this color by increasing or decreasing the amount of water in your mixture.
For darker values, use a more saturated mixture.
For lighter, values, use more water in your mixture and gradually rinse the pigment off your brush before painting.
Recipe #4 – Dark Earthy Green
Hooker's Green + Deep Brown
For a similar earthy green as above, but with a darker twist, I swap out the sandy beige for a deep, dark brown.
I personally use the color “Bear” from my Art Philosophy Woodlands palette, but you can use any shade of dark brown you like.
Vary the value of this color by increasing or decreasing the amount of water in your mixture.
For darker values, use a more saturated mixture.
For lighter, values, use more water in your mixture and gradually rinse the pigment off your brush before painting.
Vibrant GREENS
Recipe #5 – Light Rainforest Green
Sap Green Lemon Yellow
For a vibrant, tropical yellow-green shade, I've found the perfect mixture to include sap green with a touch of lemon yellow to give it a juicy, bright hue.
Add as much or as little yellow as you like to create a shade of green you fall in love with.
Vary the value of this color by increasing or decreasing the amount of water in your mixture.
For darker values, use a more saturated mixture.
For lighter, values, use more water in your mixture and gradually rinse the pigment off your brush before painting.
Recipe #6 – Tropical Green
Sap Green + Bold Blue + Mauve
For a deeper, bold tropical green, I typically use sap green with a bit of bold blue (I use “Mist” from my Woodlands Art Philosophy palette) and the tiniest touch of Mauve.
I don't normally mix more than two colors at once, but for tropical foliage paintings, I can't help but use this wonderful mixture.
Feel free to play around with different amounts of each color to find a combination that works for you!
Vary the value of this color by increasing or decreasing the amount of water in your mixture.
For darker values, use a more saturated mixture.
For lighter, values, use more water in your mixture and gradually rinse the pigment off your brush before painting.
Conclusion
Learning how to paint leaves in watercolor is one thing… making them look realistic is another. Knowing how to mix different shades of green can take your paintings to the next level by adding depth, dimension, and a deeper level of interest to your compositions.
Time to start PAINTING!