How to Mix Slate Grey Oil Paint
To mix slate grey with oil paint, combine 5 parts Ivory Black, 4 parts Titanium White and 2 parts French Ultramarine. Slate grey is a dark grey with a cool, blue cast. Add a blue to a black-and-white grey, or mix a blue with an orange-brown earth and lighten it.
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 5 parts of Ivory Black. It is the largest amount, so it is your base.
- Add 4 parts of Titanium White. White lightens the mix but also cools and softens it, so add it gradually.
- Add 2 parts of French Ultramarine.
- 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 slate grey
The same recipe with more and more titanium white mixed in, by volume:
#5F6E7B
#788692
#8997A1
#A1ACB4
#C8CED1
Another way to mix slate grey
With Cerulean Blue, Yellow Ochre and Cadmium Red: 5 parts Cerulean Blue, 2 parts Yellow Ochre and 1 part Cadmium Red.
Tips for mixing greys and blacks
Greys look different next to other colors. A neutral grey can look bluish next to orange and warm next to blue, so judge it in place.
Questions
What colors make slate grey?
To mix slate grey with oil paint, combine 5 parts Ivory Black, 4 parts Titanium White and 2 parts French Ultramarine. You can also mix it from 5 parts Cerulean Blue, 2 parts Yellow Ochre and 1 part Cadmium Red.
How do you make slate grey lighter?
Add titanium white a little at a time. Adding the same amount of white as the whole mix gives about #A1ACB4. 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 slate grey darker?
Add more of the darkest color in the recipe. For a grey mixed from complements, add more of both colors and less white.