Colour mixing

Correct answer: A. An unchanged sample of the base colour

Explanation: The governing concept is comparison with a control or reference sample. An unchanged sample of the original colour provides a fixed baseline, so the observer can judge exactly how hue, value or saturation changed after mixing. Thus option A is correct. The darkest or muddiest sample is only an experimental result, and an unlabelled sample cannot support reliable comparison or identification.

Correct answer: C. A small amount of dark colour has a strong effect on the mixture

Explanation: The governing practical principle is pigment strength. Dark pigments often have a strong tinting effect, so even a small addition can noticeably change the value and character of a light mixture. Adding the dark colour gradually allows the artist to stop at the desired shade instead of correcting an overly dark batch. Hence option C is correct; cost, drying behaviour and complementarity do not explain this mixing control.

Correct answer: A. Add a little blue to a white-dominant grey

Explanation: The relevant concepts are value and colour temperature. Begin with a grey containing mostly white so that its value remains light. Then add only a small amount of blue; blue shifts the neutral mixture toward a cool temperature without making it strongly coloured. Option A therefore satisfies both conditions. Yellow in black is not a controlled light grey, while white-red and black-orange produce different hues rather than a cool neutral.

Correct answer: C. Add a suitable amount of white or a lightening medium

Explanation: The governing concept is to correct one colour property without unnecessarily changing another. Hue describes the colour family, while value describes lightness or darkness. Since the hue is already correct, the artist should raise the value by adding a measured amount of white or another suitable lightening medium. Option C is correct. A complement may alter saturation and hue, changing the successful part of the mixture, while black makes it darker.

Correct answer: B. Gradually increase red

Explanation: The governing principle is controlled proportion in pigment mixing. Orange lies between yellow and red; increasing the red component step by step shifts the balance away from yellow-orange and toward red-orange. Therefore, option B is correct, and gradual additions produce a smooth progression instead of an abrupt colour change. White would make a tint, black would darken it, and blue would reduce the orange character or make it duller.

Correct answer: A. Add a little white

Explanation: Value means the relative lightness or darkness of a colour. Since the hue is already correct and the mixture is too dark, a small amount of white is the standard way to raise its value and create a lighter tint. Option A is therefore correct. A complementary or third primary colour would alter the hue and may reduce saturation, while black would lower the value further.

Correct answer: B. Saturation and tone

Explanation: In colour theory, adding grey to a hue creates a tone and usually reduces its saturation or intensity. The red becomes less vivid while remaining recognisably red; the exact value change depends on whether the grey is lighter or darker than the red. Therefore option B is correct. Temperature, colour naming, and brush texture are not the main properties controlled by this pigment addition.

Correct answer: A. Add a controlled amount of a complementary or darker neighbouring colour

Explanation: The governing concept is value control through colour mixing. A small, controlled amount of a complementary or darker neighbouring colour lowers the lightness of the original colour without the flat, dirty effect that too much black may produce. Therefore, option A is correct. White usually lightens, water mainly changes flow or transparency, and leaving the colour unchanged cannot darken it. The added colour should be introduced gradually and tested.

Correct answer: B. Black and white with a little red or yellow

Explanation: The governing concept is colour temperature in a neutral mixture. Black and white establish a grey base, and a small amount of red or yellow gives that base a warm undertone; hence option B is correct. A little blue generally shifts grey toward a cool temperature, while a large amount of green makes the mixture noticeably coloured rather than a warm neutral. Pure black is not grey because it has no white added. The modifier must remain small so the result still reads as grey.

Correct answer: A. Black and white with a little blue

Explanation: The governing concept is colour temperature controlled by an undertone. Black and white first create a neutral grey, and adding a small amount of blue shifts that grey toward a cool appearance, so option A is correct. Red would introduce warmth, while yellow and orange or red and yellow are mixtures of warm hues and do not form a cool grey base. Only a little blue is needed; too much would make the mixture distinctly blue rather than grey.

Correct answer: A. Too much white was added

Explanation: The governing concept is the effect of white on value and saturation. White raises the value of green, but adding too much can reduce its chromatic intensity and make the mixture appear opaque, pale, and chalky. Therefore, option A is correct. More blue would normally shift the hue toward blue, red would neutralise or warm it, and excess water generally thins paint or increases transparency rather than creating a chalk-like body. White should be added in small increments.

Correct answer: A. Make the wet mixture slightly darker than the final target

Explanation: The governing concept is drying shift: many paints appear darker or more saturated when wet and lighter after the vehicle evaporates. If the dry test is lighter than the intended result, the next wet mixture should be made slightly darker, making option A correct. Adding white would usually lighten it further, removing a complementary colour does not directly compensate for the value change, and refusing to mix gives no adjustment. A small test swatch should always guide the final ratio.

Correct answer: A. Opacity and covering power may decrease

Explanation: The governing concept is the balance between pigment concentration and binder or water in poster colour. Excess water dilutes the pigment, making the paint thinner and reducing opacity and covering power; therefore, option A is correct. It does not make the paint thicker, cannot turn it black by itself, and does not always increase saturation. A controlled amount of water may improve flow, but too much can cause weak layers, uneven coverage, and unwanted runs on the surface.

Correct answer: A. Add a very small amount of yellow-orange

Explanation: The governing concept is colour temperature: warm colours tend toward yellow, orange, or red, while cool colours tend toward blue. Adding a very small amount of yellow-orange shifts the neutral grey toward warmth while preserving control and avoiding a strong hue change. More blue cools it, black lowers value, and white only lightens it. Therefore option A is the most precise correction.

Correct answer: B. Blue

Explanation: The governing concept is complementary neutralisation and temperature balance. Blue is the cool component, whereas orange is warm. If the mixture looks too warm, adding a small, controlled amount of blue offsets the excess orange and moves the mixture closer to neutral. Adding orange or yellow increases warmth, while white changes lightness rather than correcting the temperature. Thus option B is correct.

Correct answer: D. Add black gradually in very small amounts

Explanation: The governing concept is controlled value adjustment. Black has a strong tinting strength, so a large amount can rapidly lower value, obscure the original hue, and make the mixture muddy. Adding tiny amounts gradually allows the artist to stop at the desired darkness and preserve the base colour. Mixing all primaries or an equal complement also risks neutralisation. Therefore option D is correct.

Correct answer: A. Gradually increase measured amounts of yellow in a white base

Explanation: The governing concept is systematic gradation through a controlled mixing ratio. Begin with a white base and increase the measured amount of yellow in equal or planned steps; each sample then becomes progressively stronger and deeper while remaining recognisably cream. Different colours would change the hue unpredictably, black would make a dull grey-brown shade, and identical samples cannot show progression. Hence option A is correct.

Correct answer: D. Add white gradually

Explanation: The governing concept is to correct one colour property without unnecessarily changing another. The hue is already correct, but the value is too low, so adding white gradually raises the value and makes the brown lighter. Slow addition prevents over-lightening and helps preserve the warm hue. Blue, red, or yellow would alter the hue balance and may make the correction less controlled. Therefore option D is most suitable.

Correct answer: A. Add blue gradually to a white base

Explanation: The governing concept is controlled tinting: a tint is made by combining a colour with white. Starting with a white base and adding blue in tiny stages makes each change easy to observe and stop at the desired lightness. Adding much white at once is harder to correct, black darkens the mixture, and orange neutralises blue rather than making a clean light blue. Therefore, option A is correct.

Correct answer: A. Place the base hue in the centre and gradually increase white on one side and black on the other

Explanation: The governing concept is a value scale built from one hue. A tint is the base hue lightened with increasing white, while a shade is the base hue darkened with increasing black. Placing the unmixed hue in the centre and progressing outward in both directions creates a readable comparison. Complementary colour changes intensity, water changes dilution, and different hues break the chart’s purpose. Option A is correct.

Correct answer: D. When brightness must be reduced without greatly lowering value

Explanation: The governing concept is the difference between chroma and value. A complementary colour mainly neutralises or reduces brightness and saturation, whereas black lowers value and makes a colour darker. Therefore, if the aim is to mute an overly bright colour without greatly darkening it, the complementary mixture is more suitable. White lightens, water affects transparency, and black is appropriate for a dark shade. Option D is correct.

Correct answer: A. Keep the wet mixture slightly darker or more saturated based on a dry sample

Explanation: The governing concept is calibration for a drying shift. If the medium repeatedly dries lighter, the wet mixture should be adjusted slightly darker or more saturated after comparing a test sample with its dry result. This uses observed evidence rather than guessing. More water or white would generally make the final colour lighter, and stopping tests removes quality control. Thus option A is correct.

Correct answer: C. A light muted brown or grey

Explanation: The governing concept is sequential mixing and value change. Red and green, being complementary, tend to produce a neutral or muted brown-grey mixture rather than a pure bright hue. Adding white raises its value, so the result becomes a lighter version of that neutral mixture. It cannot logically become pure red, pure green, or dark blue through this step. Therefore, option C is correct.

Correct answer: D. Sufficient difference in the gradual amount of white was not maintained

Explanation: The governing concept is value gradation: a tint is made by progressively adding white to the same hue. If two neighbouring samples receive nearly equal amounts of white, their lightness values will also be nearly equal, so the scale loses a clear step. A changed hue or paper whiteness is not the usual cause. Therefore, option D correctly identifies the failure to maintain sufficient differences in white.

Correct answer: A. The unchanged base colour

Explanation: The governing concept is controlled comparison. An unchanged base-colour sample establishes the starting condition, so every altered sample can be judged against it for hue, value, or saturation. A darkest or muddiest sample is only an outcome and may vary between experiments, while an unlabelled sample cannot provide reliable evidence. Thus option A is the essential reference for a meaningful mixing record.