How to Mix Mustard Yellow Oil Paint
To mix mustard yellow with oil paint, combine 12 parts Cadmium Yellow Pale and 1 part Ivory Black. Mustard is a yellow dulled toward brown. A tiny amount of black or umber does it, but yellow is weak, so add the darkener a speck at a time.
Opens the free browser simulator with these colors on the palette. Squeeze them out and blend with the palette knife.
Step by step
- Put down 12 parts of Cadmium Yellow Pale. It is the largest amount, so it is your base.
- Add 1 part of Ivory Black. It is a strong tinter, so add it a little at a time and check the color as you go.
- Blend with a palette knife, folding the paint over itself until no streaks of the separate colors remain.
- Pull a thin smear out to the side. Thin paint shows the true color better than a thick pile.
Lighter versions of mustard yellow
The same recipe with more and more titanium white mixed in, by volume:
#CAA32E
#DABC4A
#E1C862
#E8D584
#EFE6B9
Another way to mix mustard yellow
With Cadmium Lemon and Burnt Umber: 5 parts Cadmium Lemon and 2 parts Burnt Umber.
Tips for mixing yellows and creams
Yellow is the weakest tinter on the palette. Start with yellow and add other colors to it, never the other way around.
Questions
What colors make mustard yellow?
To mix mustard yellow with oil paint, combine 12 parts Cadmium Yellow Pale and 1 part Ivory Black. You can also mix it from 5 parts Cadmium Lemon and 2 parts Burnt Umber.
How do you make mustard yellow lighter?
Add titanium white a little at a time. Adding the same amount of white as the whole mix gives about #E8D584. White also cools and softens a color, so you may need a touch more of the warm color in the recipe to keep the same character.
How do you make mustard yellow darker?
Add a little raw umber or raw sienna. Black turns yellow green, and purple, its complement, turns it brown very quickly.