Most people tend to identify gray as a mixture of black and white, but you can actually create gray by mixing complementary and primary colors. Once you understand basic color theory, you can apply the same principles to a variety of artistic media.
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Method 1 of 4: Using Color Theory
Step 1. Mix black and white
Mixing black and white will produce a color called "neutral gray".
- Neutral grays are the purest type of gray you can make because they have no other tinge or hue.
- Equal amounts of black and white will produce a mid-tone gray. Vary the shades by adding one of the colors. The addition of black will produce a darker gray, while the addition of white will produce a lighter gray.
Step 2. Mix complementary colors in equal amounts
Combining two complementary colors will result in a color classified as "complementary gray".
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Basic complementary colors include:
- Red and green
- Yellow and purple
- Blue and orange
- Mixing two complementary colors in equal amounts will produce a dull gray, but you can give this gray a little tinge by adding more of one color than the other. Adding more red, yellow, or orange will produce a warm gray, while adding more green, purple, or blue will produce a cool gray.
Step 3. Blend the three primary colors
When you combine three primary colors, the resulting color can be called "primary gray".
- The three primary colors are red, blue, and yellow.
- Mixing all three colors in equal amounts will produce a dull gray, but you can create a tinge by using less or more of a particular color. Adding more blue will produce a cooler tone, but adding more red or yellow will produce a warmer tone.
Method 2 of 4: Making the Gray Paint
Step 1. Select the type of gray you want to create
Neutral grays, complementary grays, and primary grays are easy to make, but the best choice depends on what color paint you have and what you're going to use it for.
- Neutral grays are a great choice for dimming other colors without changing the original hue. In general, this color works best when you need gray in its purest form.
- Complementary grays are best when you want to give your gray a cool or warm tinge.
- Primary grays work best if you want to shade or put gray next to a lighter color. Because primary gray contains three primary colors, this type of gray can make the secondary colors appear brighter.
Step 2. Mix the right colors in equal quantities
Pour equal amounts of the colors you want to mix onto the palette. Stir until smooth using a painting knife until the color is mixed.
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The color options you can mix are:
- Black and white
- Red and green
- Yellow and purple
- Blue and orange
- Red, yellow and blue
- Blending the colors above will produce a gray color. If you use pure color tones, the resulting gray will appear quite dull. However, if the color used is not a pure hue, you will see a slight tinge.
Step 3. Lighten or darken the color
Check the shades of gray created. If it looks too old or too young, you can add white or black paint to change the feel.
- Add white paint to lighten the gray or black paint to darken it. Pour in a little at a time so you don't change the shades more than necessary.
- Use white and black paint to change the shades of any type of gray (neutral, complementary, or primary) you create. Adding another color will actually affect the hue and not the feel.
Step 4. Give it a certain color tint as per your wish
Observe the gray hue you created. If it looks too dull, add a certain color to give it a pretty tinge.
- Add a small drop of one of the colors you mix. If you don't like the result, you can easily fix it because it only adds a little color.
- If you are making a complementary or primary gray, add one of the colors of your choice to create an original gray. In other words, if you're making gray from blue and orange paint, add more blue or orange (not other colors like red, yellow, green, or purple).
- Neutral gray can still be added a tinge of other colors. You can even mix almost any color into gray to create different types of tones.
Method 3 of 4: Making the Gray Frosting
Step 1. Select the gray type
Neutral grays are the easiest colors to create when you're icing, but you can also make complementary and primary grays.
- If you want a pure gray hue, just use a neutral gray. However, you can use the other two types if you want a pop of gray.
- Because the liquid food coloring packaging that is usually available in the market is red, yellow, green, and blue, it means that you have to make primary grays (red, yellow, blue) or complementary grays (red and green) if you really want to use them. standard liquid food coloring. However, if you buy a special gel or paste food coloring, you can make three different types of grays because they have a wider range of colors to choose from.
Step 2. Drop the colors you want to turn gray onto the white icing
Spoon as much white icing as needed into a glass bowl. Gradually add the required colors and mix until well combined.
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As a reminder, the color choices for making gray are:
- Black and white (note: you no need to add white food coloring because the icing is already white)
- Red and green
- Yellow and purple
- Blue and orange
- Red, yellow and blue
- Add liquid food coloring by pouring it with a pipette. Add the dye paste or gel by dipping a toothpick in the dye, then dip it in the icing to transfer the color.
Step 3. Add black dye to darken the gray
If you already like the gray tones but want a darker tone, mix a little black dye into the icing until it's the color you want.
- Whatever color you choose to make the gray icing, it can all be darkened with black food coloring.
- Alternatively, you can make the shades more vibrant by adding original colors to the icing. The higher the color concentration, the lighter the gray. However, it might be quite difficult to do this because you need the exact same amount of all the colors to keep the hue from changing.
Step 4. Give it a tinge with the desired color
If the gray looks too dull, pour in a bit of another color to change the hue.
- For neutral grays, you can add pop to the hue with almost any color.
- For complementary and primary grays, you can only give the hue a pop by adding one of the pre-mixed colors. For example, if you make gray with red, blue, and yellow food coloring, you can only add red, blue, or yellow (not green, purple, or orange).
Method 4 of 4: Making Gray Polymer Clay
Step 1. Select the type of gray you want to create
You can create neutral, complementary, or primary grays using polymer clay. Choose whichever appeals to you the most.
- If you want to create a pure gray without a tinge, go for a neutral gray.
- However, if you want to add a pop to the grays, just make them a primary or complementary gray to simplify the process.
Step 2. Pick the selected colors in equal amounts
Prepare each color of choice equally. Knead each color separately, then combine and knead together.
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Your color choices are:
- Black and white
- Red and green
- Yellow and purple
- Blue and orange
- Red, yellow and blue
- To knead all the colors, just mix them all together then flatten and roll this clay ball by hand repeatedly. Do this until all the colors are evenly mixed. These colors will blend into a solid gray.
Step 3. Make the color lighter if you want
If you want to create a lighter-looking gray without changing its quality, knead a pinch of clear clay into the gray lump.
- Clear clay has no color, so it won't change the tone or hue of the gray. This mixture will only make the grays appear paler and less intense.
- When determining how much clear clay you need, you should estimate that the total amount should not exceed one-third of the total amount of gray clay.
Step 4. Lighten the tone, if desired
If you want to lighten the existing shades of gray, knead a small amount of white clay into the gray lumps you have created.
- You can add white, regardless of which color was used to create the original gray.
- While you can technically darken a color by adding black, mixing black clay with other colors is difficult and risks ruining the existing color. However, darkening this neutral gray is much easier than other colors because it already contains a black component.
Step 5. Consider giving the clay a pop of color
Once you're happy with the color saturation and hue, decide if you want to add a tinge.
- Give the clay a pop of color by mixing only a small amount of one of the colors together.
- You can use almost any color when adding a pop to a neutral gray, but you should use original colors when adding a pop to a complementary or primary gray.
