UV Paint Mixing Secrets: How To Create Fluorescent Earth Tones
Notice the earth tones in this “white light” photo. There’s nothing special about it until… (see below)
Generally, UV (black light) paint comes in colors that for the most part represent the primary spectrum: red, yellow, orange, green, blue, violet, and white. (Wildfire Luminescent Paint also has a hot pink and magenta.)
(To complicate matters, there are also the invisible colors, which appear white under normal light and fluoresce their color only under black light… and the invisible clears, which dry with a clear transparent coat but fluoresce their color under black light.)
If you want to go beyond the default primary colors, you’ll have to do a little mixing.
Keep in mind the “default” Wildfire paint colors are formulated to not shift colors between white light and UV. However, when mixing UV paints, there will almost always be a certain amount of color shift (in varying degrees) between the visible color and the fluorescent color. This is normal.
In our last paint mixing article, we talked about transition grays: creating a visible grey that fluoresces a different color under black light. In this article, we’re going to reveal the formulas for creating fluorescent earth tones…
(You might want to print these out for reference!)
Forest Green
This image, taken under black light, reveals fluorescent earth tones. (Click to enlarge.)
- 2 ¼ parts Wildfire Bright Green
- ¼ part JWR Acrylics Hooker’s Green
Earth Tone
- 1 ½ parts Wildfire Bright Green
- 1 part Wildfire Bright Red
- 1 part JWR Acrylics Unbleached Titanium White
Sand Tone
- 2 ½ parts Wildfire Optical White
- ¼ part Wildfire Deep Yellow
- ¼ part Wildfire Bright Orange
- 1 ¼ part JWR Acrylics Unbleached Titanium White
- ¼ part JWR Acrylics Titanium White
Amber Wood
- 1 part Wildfire Bright Red
- ¾ part Wildfire Bright Green
- ¼ part JWR Acrylics Burnt Sienna
- ¼ part JWR Acrylics Cadmium Red
Blond Wood
- ½ part Wildfire Bright Red
- ½ part Wildfire Bright Green
- ¾ part Wildfire Deep Yellow
- 1 part Wildfire Optical White
- ¼ part JWR Acrylics Titanium White
- ¼ part JWR Acrylics Unbleached White
As always, be sure and experiment to create your own subtle shades and nuances of color. There’s an entire world of possibilities!
Finally, for creating the best blend & maximum brightness, we recommend using Wildfire Luminescent Paints & Modern Masters JWR Acrylics. They are available in the Wildfire Store, or from your local Wildfire dealer.
