Colour Mixing Guide: Acrylics

Julie Collins studied Fine Art at the University of Reading and has been an artist, writer and teacher since then. She has written colour mixing and artist's problem solving books and writes for The Artist magazine. She works from her studio in Farnham, Surrey, where she explores her passion for painting, drawing and crafts.

• Introduction 4Material 6Colours used in this book 8Colour 10Colour tone 20Using a limited palette 22Dull and bright colours 26Local colour 27Colour mixes 28Glossary 48

December 2016Julie Collins’ previous book on colour mixing with watercolours was reviewed in our December 2015 issue. The latest book on Acrylics is a good addition to the series. It follows the same structure as the Watercolours book, using a limited palette (this time thirteen colours plus white) from primary and secondary colours but as a different medium, producing different colours and results.The book explores the colour wheel, tone and dulling colours before moving onto the colour mixing catalogue. This book is a handy reference tool for planning a colour scheme and would be useful for creating a many layered piece for mixed media work.Julie Collins makes the point at the beginning that you need to spend time mixing your colours in order to make the right choices for a piece of work. She likens it to an athlete warming up before a race rather than rushing into a 100m sprint. It’s a great metaphor to consider when approaching colour.