How to Make Gold Paint – The Ultimate Guide

By Elena @Midsommarflicka

Let’s start with a quick question. What color comes to your mind when you hear the word ‘Royal’? I’m pretty sure it is the elegant Gold color that just crossed your mind intrinsically. According to color psychology, golden color enunciates the feel of extravagance and quality.

If you want to make a statement piece of art on your walls, using the color gold is the easiest way to achieve it. However, it is not at all easy to make gold paint as the gold color holds a tricky position on the color spectrum.

So, want to know how to make gold paint perfectly at home? Well, we did the homework for you, and here we will provide you with the complete guide so that you can achieve the perfect shades and tints of gold.

Some Basics Regarding the Color Theory

To understand the idea of ‘color,’ it is crucial to go through the color theory first. Let’s try to understand some basic terms so that you get the focal point of the theory and get the gold shade accurate every time.

  1. Color Wheel

You make a color wheel by starting with the three primary colors: red, blue, and yellow. You can create any secondary color like orange, from red and yellow paint mixture. The wheel of color is the circular arrangement of the primary and secondary colors based on their chromatic relationship.

  1. Hue

In painting, the hue is the real pigment of color without any added shade or tint. When we think about any color, we are actually thinking about a hue. So, the golden hue is the basic, unmixed gold color.

  1. Analogous and Complementary Colors

Three colors that sit next to each other on a color wheel are called analogous colors. Two colors that sit opposite on the wheel are complementary colors.

  1. Warm and Cool Colors

Colors with an undertone of yellow, red, and orange are the warm colors. Colors with green, purple, and blue undertones are cool colors. Neutral colors have muted tones as the underlying hues of these colors are two or more in number

For example, yellow ochre is the warm shade of yellow and burnt sienna is the cool shade of yellow.

Add Brown and Yellow Paint: The Simplest Way to Make Gold Paint

Now, we are back to the question, how do you make the gold paint? Instead of beating around the bush, let’s get straight into the simplest way to get the golden colors.

  • Mixing the Colors

Mix yellow and brown in a perfect ratio to achieve the basic golden hue. To find out the accurate ratio, you have to keep adding small increments of brown until you get your desired shade. You can easily get the color brown if you mix equal parts of blue, yellow, and red.

  • Things to Remember

Remember that gold is a warm color, and adding more warm colors like yellow will give you a light and vibrant golden color, whereas a neutral color like brown will offer you a dark gold shade and metallic look. You can also consider adding increments of white paint to achieve various shades of gold paint colors.

Some More Methods to Make Gold Paint

As you already know the most basic way to make gold paint, let’s find out some more fun methods of making the basic and more metallic gold paint. Here are some detailed step-by-step procedures for making the gold pop on your walls.

Method 1- Add Yellow, Blue, and Red

  • Always start with a yellow base. Add small amounts of blue with the yellow paint to create a dark green color.
  • Mix red color to the recipe, and it will turn brown slowly.
  • Keep mixing more yellow and brown until you get the shade you want.
  • Add gold sparkles to the mixture to create shiny gold paint. You can find sparkles in nearby craft stores.
  • If you add blue color, the final shade will be rich and bronzy gold.

Method 2- Add Black, White, and Yellow for Acrylic Paint

  • As the acrylic paints have an oil base, the texture will be slightly different here.
  • Create a paint mixture of black and white for attaining the color gray.
  • Now, simply mix the gray in small increments with the yellow to develop a consistent gold paint.
  • The shade will be more of a sandy gold because of the white you added.

Method 3- Add Orange, Yellow, and Brown for Terracotta Paint Color

  • If you’re a fan of the beautiful vintage terracotta color, this is the method you should apply.
  • Be careful while adding the two dark colors, orange and brown, as the darker shades tend to go wrong easily. Try adding small amounts to avoid the mess.
  • Mix the orange and brown paint for an earthy red shade.
  • Add yellow carefully to make gold paint in a classic terracotta shade.

Method 4- Add Black, Red, and Yellow for the Warmest Gold Paint

  • The basic rule is if you want warmer shades, add warmer colors like red or magenta. Use a tinge of blue or purple for cooler shades.
  • Mix red and black in the correct proportion to create a dark maroon color.
  • Combine the maroon with yellow to create the warmest gold paint for your walls.

How to Make Metallic Gold Color for Spray Paint?

Metallic gold paints are perfect as spray paint. You can spray the paint on any regular object and turn it into a statement piece. To make gold metallic paint, you can use the same principle described in method 1.

  • Add blue and red for a brown hue and then yellow paint to turn it into gold.
  • To create the metallic shimmer, you can add silver or gold sparkles to the paint. You can also use gold flakes to spice things up a bit.
  • For the best results, use metallic mineral powder and some liquid to yield the richest and glossiest gold metallic paint.

How to Make Rose Gold Paint?

Rose gold is one lovely shade of gold that conveys a very modern look to a room and naturally attracts anyone. Here’s what you can do to prepare it.

  • You have to use red, gold, white, and silver paint to make this shade of gold.
  • Mix equal parts of silver and gold paint. Blend the white and red paint separately until you produce a dark pink color.
  • Now, simply add the dark pink paint into the gold and silver mixture to create the gorgeous gold rose paint.

So, now you have everything you need to know regarding how to make gold paint. Just remember, too much gold can be overwhelming, and a lighter shade can lack the metallic sheen. So, follow our guide for creating different shades of gold like a boss.