How do you lighten oil paint colors w/o using white?

I've been painting w/ oils for a little while now, but am not really got at my color mixing. I need to know how to lighten colors (any and all colors) w/o using white, because it turns out like a pastel when i do. Any tips, suggested web pages or books?





Thanks!How do you lighten oil paint colors w/o using white?
You are using too much white if your lightening turns mixtures to pastel. Another factor is the quality of your paint. A poor quality paint has less pigment so its tinting strength is significantly weaker. This makes the impact of white on the color stronger so you need to use even less.





Any lightening is also going to effect the hue. White will make a color cooler and depending on the pigment the hue will shift in a different direction. Often a dark color produces surprising results if you have not become familiar with it. Certain blacks, for instance, will often shift the hue toward green. Another black will shift towards blue. Raw Umber is actually a yellow. The list goes on.





For now when lightening any color use very little white to retain control. You need to do some color mixing exercises to familiarize yourself with the way your paints effect one another. If you attempt to use any color other than white to lighten the value of a color you will get even less predictable results. It requires experience and knowledge to do this successfully.





An exercise to begin with is to make a color wheel and color chart that breaks each hue into value steps. Completing a project like this will also hone your mixing skills and help to develop your sensitivity to values and color differences.How do you lighten oil paint colors w/o using white?
Another solution might be to work in washes using a paint thinner. Mind your this can be frustrating, messy and takes a really long time to dry but if done well it can be quite beautiful. This will essentially make your paints more transparent. Also, depending on the colour, you can use yellows to lighten a picture. But honestly, don't be too afraid of white. It tends to be essential. Just try to use difference ratios and explore different techniques and eventually you'll find a light that isn't too pastel.
Depends on the colour you are trying to lighten. Try using less white first and if you are still getting a chalky, pasty, pastel-like result try using an already light colour like yellow or cerulean blue.


Spend some time experimenting with your materials. It is time well spent.
Use naples yellow.