True green is equal parts yellow and blue. To make sage, more yellow is preferred.
Try using a measure, such as 1 tablespoon (15 mL), to ensure the parts of paint are equal in size.
Make your gray darker for a more subdued sage. Try a 1:1 ratio of white to black to start. Adding white will lighten your gray, while adding black will darken it. It only takes a small amount of black to darken, but it takes lots of white to lighten. To ensure the parts of paint are equal in size, use the same measure (1 tablespoon (15 mL)) you used to create your grass green paint.
If your sage starts looking too dark, add more of your grass green to balance out the gray (and vice versa if it’s looking too bright).
When you’re using only these primary colors, think of sage green as a recipe: 2 parts yellow, 1 part blue, and just a dash of red for flavor. Red will overpower green quickly, so take your time adding it in.
Black will overpower the sage quickly, so only add 1 drop at a time when you’re darkening. White is weaker and you’ll need to add more of it to lighten.
If the shade is too brown, add more green to balance it out. If your starting green was more on the blue side, add a “hotter” red that has some orange in it. If your green was more on the yellow side, add a “cool” red-purple or magenta color. The general rule is that cool reds will dull your greens and keep them cool, while hot reds will add warmth to the green.
Remember, black is a very strong color. You only need a drop to darken your sage paint.
For inspiration about color combinations, use the color wheel (a circular chart that illustrates the relationships between all colors).
