Gold color enriches the elegance of any artwork as it is the symbol of lavishness. It will totally change the look of your masterpiece. Making your color will allow you to roam in the versatile world of color and get your desired painting. This article covers everything about making gold color with acrylic paint, watercolor, and oil paints. We also included some tips to get perfect results.
Let’s know about colors
We have to know the color theory before we jump into gold color-making. According to color theory, we can categorize colors into three groups (primary, secondary, and tertiary).
Primary colors are very basic shades: yellow, red, and blue. You can’t make these colors by mixing 2 colors.
On the other hand, you can make secondary colors (green, purple & orange) by combining any basic shades or primary colors. In the same way, tertiary colors are made by mixing one or more primary & secondary hues.
Gold is a tertiary color. You should always keep in mind this categorization to select the right shade for a better painting experience.
Shades of Gold
Although there are three main hues (yellow, rose & white) of gold, you can make a few more shades from various base colors. Let’s have a look at different golden hues, RGB codes, and HEX numbers.
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How to Make Gold Paint (acrylic, Oil, watercolor)
We have learned basic things about the golden color. Now you will know how to make perfect gold color with acrylic paint, oil paint, and watercolor.
a) Acrylic Paint
To make an appealing shade of gold color with acrylic paint, you have to mix 3 primary colors – (blue, red & yellow) in an accurate portion. Things you need to mix gold acrylic paint:
- Red acrylic paint
- Yellow acrylic paint
- Blue acrylic paint
- Copper or bronze or powder
- Paintbrush
- Palette or container to mix paints in
First step:
Mixing primary colors is the first step of making gold color. Take the same amount of yellow, red & blue acrylic paint and mix them up together in a container.
Second Step:
At this stage, yellow will give you the right gold color. Add yellow paint with a previously made primary color mixture. The ratio will be 1:3.
Third Step (Optional):
Adding Silver glitter & copper/bronze powder to this mixture will make it sleek. Though copper/bronze powder isn’t essential to make a gold color. Don’t overdo it. It’s not a wise option at all.
It’s time to paint now. You can apply various hues of gold color in your painting to make highlights or experiment with new painting ideas.
b) Oil paint
Step by step guide to making gold color with oil paints will make your painting with gold color easier. This process is pretty similar to using other types of paints.
What you need:
- 4 colors of oil paint- Titanium White, Ivory black, Light Yellow, and Quinacridone Rose.
- A palette or container.
- A paintbrush.
First Step:
Take an equal proportion of Ivory black, Quinacridone Rose, light yellow, and titanium white. Mix them in a container or palette.
Second Step:
Add white paint with your previously mixed color to get the perfect golden shade. Proper mixing of color will ensure smooth & glossy gold color. The amount of white color should be very little.
Third step:
Take your paintbrush and paint your desired painting with gold color.
c) Watercolors
Golden color brings an aesthetic look to your painting. Let’s know how to do it with your watercolor.
Things you need:
- Various shades of brown and yellow watercolor.
- A brush for mixing.
- An optional container.
First step:
Make your mind about whether you want light or dark gold. Adding more yellow will make the paint lighter than gold. On the other hand, mixing brown color in your paint mixture will give you a darker shade of gold.
Second step:
You have to mix yellow and brown watercolor thoroughly to get a perfect golden shade. Some premixed watercolors are also available that you can easily use in your painting to get the perfect golden color. Those are pretty expensive than your homemade gold color.
Third Step:
In this step, you have to simply dilute the paint with water. To get a light golden color, add more water, and vice versa. Remember that over-diluting may lessen its golden shine.
Fourth Step:
Your gold watercolor mix is ready. Be a little bit patient to apply your paint since watercolor needs a little more time to dry up completely. So, after drying up one layer, apply another layer of color. Otherwise, it will be a great mess.
Now you shine your watercolor painting with aesthetic golden highlights.
Adjusting the Tone of Your Gold Paint
Whether you want to make the gold color a little bit light or bright, it’s possible by simply adding some colors.
Light Gold Color
White and yellow are the two main colors to reduce the intensity of the gold color.
The first option to lighten the gold color is adding a dash of white color. It must not be overdone as it may lead to making an unwanted highlight.
The second option for adjusting gold paint is mixing a small amount of yellow with the color.
Adding yellow won’t change the color, since it is one of your base colors. Moreover, it will bring a long-lasting vibrant look in gold paint.
Dark Color Gold
You can experiment with two colors (orange and brown) to get a dark golden color.
Mixing brown color is the best way to make the gold color dark. Also, orange color can be a good alternative to brown for the deep hue of gold.
Using a base color before applying gold color will give the artwork a rich golden shade. Red is the best option for this rich golden color. Paint it with red color and wait to dry it up. Then, simply apply gold color to it. We assure you this method must give an amazing result.
Rose Gold
Rose gold is not literally gold, it’s actually pinkish gold. This shade can be made with a small amount of red, white, and silver for shine.
Neutral Golden Color
Although the gold color is used in paintings for highlights, sometimes you may need a neutral golden color that doesn’t dominate the whole artwork, then add grey/brown.
It’s important to remember two things while using metallic paints for gold:
- These paints are very glossy;
- Metallic paints are usually more expensive than basic colors.
Tips for making gold paint
Here we are giving a few tips to help you create the perfect gold paint evermore:
- A proper mixture of colors makes any painting smooth and well-defined.
- For more lavish paint with gold color, a white background is the best choice.
- Try various hues of primary colors to get your desired golden color.
- before adding the next one it should be allowed completely for each layer of paint to dry. Thus, it will be ensured that your final product is smooth and even.
- To get an even and smooth artwork, wait after applying one layer of paint to dry it up properly. Then, paint the second layer.
Final words
Our guide for making different golden shades with acrylic, watercolor, and oil paint allows your artwork to experiment with huge shades of gold colors. You will be the next Picasso! Who knows?
