Choosing an abstract painting color scheme can be equally daunting as it is exciting. In my last blog, I shared 10 sources for colour inspiration. These resources are great for inspiring beautiful palettes; however you’re still stuck with trying to figure out how to make them. While off-the shelf colors can certainly make gorgeous combinations, mixing your own colors and building a library of your own swatches is a great way to expand your understanding of color theory, discover new palettes and add uniqueness to your artist brand.

To help you get started, I am sharing my 8 favourite abstract painting color schemes and how to make them. For reference, the brands I use are Golden Fluid Acrylics, TriArt Liquid Acrylics or Liquitex Soft Body and Gouache Acrylics.

What You’ll Need:

Arylide Yellow Deep
Quinacridone Magenta
Ultramarine Blue Classic
Primary Cyan
Prussian Blue Hue
Titanium White
Carbon Black

Mixes from left to right:

• Arylide Yellow Deep, one drop of Quinacridone Magenta, a few drops of Titanium White
• Equal parts Arylide Yellow Deep and Quinacridone Magenta
• Quinacridone Magenta
• Quinacridone Magenta, a few drops of Carbon Black
• Ultramarine Blue Classic, a few drops of Primary Cyan and Prussian Blue Hue, a drop of Carbon Black
• Above mixed blue with Titanium White

What You’ll Need:

Fluorescent Yellow, Orange & Pink
Cadmium Yellow
Quinacridone Magenta
Prussian Blue Hue
Teal
Vivid Lime Green (Liquitex Acrylic Gouache)

Mixes from top to bottom:

• Fluorescent Yellow, a few drops Cadmium Yellow, a few drops Titanium White
• Fluorescent Orange, Titanium White
• Fluorescent Pink
• Equal parts Quinacridone Magenta, Prussian Blue Hue, Titanium White
• Prussian Blue Hue, a few drops Carbon Black
• Teal, a few drops Titanium White
• Vivid Lime Green

What You'll Need

Iridescent Gold Deep
Carbon Black
Titanium White

Mixes from top to bottom:

• Iridescent Gold Deep, a few drops of Titanium White
• Iridescent Gold Deep, a few drops Carbon Black
• Carbon Black

What You'll Need

Arylide Yellow
Green Gold
Phthalo Turquoise
Prussian Blue Hue
Quinacridone Violet
Carbon Black
Titanium White

Mixes from top to bottom:

• Green Gold, a few drops Arylide Yellow, a few drops of Carbon Black
• Quinacridone Violet, a few drops of Carbon Black
• Phthalo Turquoise, a few drops Prussian Blue Hue, a few drops Carbon Black
• Titanium White, a drop of Carbon Black

What You'll Need

Cobalt Teal
Iridescent Gold Deep
Carbon Black
Titanium White

Mixes from top to bottom:

• Carbon Black
• Cobalt Teal, a few drops of Carbon Black
• Iridescent Gold Deep, a few drops Titanium White

What You'll Need

Permanent Maroon
Iridescent Gold Deep
Carbon Black
Titanium White

Mixes from top to bottom:

• Permanent Maroon, a few drops Carbon Black
• Iridescent Gold Deep, Titanium White
• Carbon Black

What You'll Need

Quinacridone Magenta
Arylide Yellow
Prussian Blue Hue
Carbon Black
Titanium White

Mixes from left to right:

• Quinacridone Magenta, a few drops Arylide Yellow, Titanium White
• Prussian Blue Hue, Titanium White
• Prussian Blue Hue, a few drops Carbon Black

What You'll Need

Iridescent Gold Deep
Carbon Black
Titanium White

Mixes from left to right:

• Carbon Black
• Iridescent Gold Deep, a few drops of Titanium White
• Equal parts Iridescent Gold Deep, Titanium White

Pro Tip:

One of the best habits you can get into is making your own library of color swatches. Every time you use an off the shelf color or create a new color, create a swatch. Then, just like a recipe, make a note of the colors used on the back of your swatch. You'll be amazed by how many new  abstract painting palettes you can create by playing around with your swatches.