I was so nervous...

I'm really thrilled that you're reading about my tutorial on mixing reds. With a bit of practice you will know how to solve the mixing of any red you need.

Do you work in layers? Need to mix that red again?

No problem! It's right at your fingertips...

Paint alla prima? Mix it right the first time.

I was so nervous when I first started mixing with Munsell. What if I couldn't do it. Existential crisis meet painter who has two upcoming shows and lots of paintings to make. I had to commit.

Read more about my Mixing Red tutorial here. It turns out I had nothing to worry about, because humans are incredibly color sensitive. We should thank our ancestors for this skill. Being able to accurately judge colors is a significant survival benefit.

The first secret to accurate color mixing is to have both colors to compare side by side so that we can see each without moving our eyes away. The brain recalibrates in micro-seconds.

The second secret is to have and accurate and objective target color to match your mix to. This is what Munsell provides, and once you get comfortable with the way Munsell organized the color sphere of oil paints you will be able to mix any red you want, be it lipstick, stop light or blush on a person's cheek.

When you have put in some practice time you'll begin recognizing reds in the real world, knowing exactly which red you are looking at. This ability is due to your newly learned ability to see color and name them.

Think about how vague contemporary color descriptions are. We all sort of know what is meant but probably have a different idea of it in our mind. Munsell eliminates that confusion and once we know what each red's characteristics is we can name it. Accurately.
That's a skill our ancestors would envy! Read more about my Mixing Red tutorial here.

Happy mixing!