How to mix olive green paint
Olive green is a dark, quiet yellow-green: plenty of yellow, a little blue, and something to dull it.
Ways to mix it
This mix The colour Way 1
very close · difference 1.4
- 9 parts Hansa yellow light PY3
- 1 part Ultramarine blue PB29
- 1 part Burnt umber PBr7
This mix The colour Way 2
very close · difference 1.6
- 6 parts Hansa yellow light PY3
- 2 parts Ultramarine blue PB29
- 1 part Cadmium yellow medium PY35
This mix The colour Way 3
very close · difference 1.8
- 5 parts Hansa yellow light PY3
- 5 parts Yellow ochre PY42
- a touch Phthalo blue PB15:3
The palette opens with this colour as the colour you want; the coach finds it with the tubes of your box.
Lighter, darker, warmer, cooler, duller
What to add to way 1, as the coach on the palette would tell you:
- LighterAdd 1½ parts Titanium whiteWhite lightens but also cools and greys: a touch of yellow brings the warmth back.
- DarkerAdd ¾ part Burnt umber and ¾ part Ultramarine blueDarken with a dark colour of the same family rather than black, which kills the colour.
- WarmerAdd a touch Cadmium yellow medium and ½ part Yellow ochreWarmer means towards yellow and orange.
- CoolerAdd 2 parts Ultramarine blue and 8 parts Hansa yellow lightCooler means away from yellow and orange: towards pink, blue or green.
- DullerAdd ¾ part Hansa yellow light and a touch Quinacridone magentaIts opposite colour dulls a colour while keeping it alive; black dulls and darkens at once.
A tip
Yellow ochre is the shortcut: a touch of blue or black in ochre already gives an olive.
To understand why
Close colours
Computed from a common box: Titanium white, Hansa yellow light, Cadmium yellow medium, Cadmium red medium, Quinacridone magenta, Ultramarine blue, Phthalo blue, Yellow ochre, Burnt sienna, Burnt umber and Ivory black. Parts are by volume; a touch is about a quarter of a part. Your screen shows the colours close, not exact.
Print a mixing chart of these tubes (PDF)
All the colour recipes