RYB vs CMY Color Mixing

Ever wonder why there are so many reds, yellows, and blues at the art store? Or which colors you actually need on your palette? This course is here to clear up the confusion about warm and cool colors and dive into the differences between the two most popular color mixing systems: RYB (red, yellow, blue) and CMY (cyan, magenta, yellow). Painting starts with color-mixing, and this course is the most important course for anyone who wants to try painting. In this course, you will acquire the system for how to set your palette and mix any color you want. Color mixing is like science; anyone who understands it, gets off to a good start.

There’s a lot of buzz online about which palette is better—CMY is praised for its vibrant colors, but ignoring RYB would dismiss centuries of artistic history. In this course, you’ll uncover fascinating insights into how artists like Matisse and Bouguereau adapted their palettes for different paintings, explore how CMY gained popularity, and see why there’s no "best" palette—just the one that’s best for you.

Through hands-on color mixing and painting exercises, you’ll learn to:

• Make color charts with both RYB and CMY palettes
• Create paintings using each palette to understand their strengths
• Set up your palette like a pro
• Compare the similarities and differences between RYB and CMY
• Decide which palette works best for different types of paintings

By the end, you’ll not only master the theory but also apply it to your art, equipping yourself with the knowledge to confidently choose the palette that fits your vision. Whether you’re painting bold, saturated works or subtle, classical pieces, this course will give you the tools to make your colors—and your art—shine.