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How to mix Sage Green in oil paint
Sage Green is a greyed, soft green seen in dusty foliage, eucalyptus and interior walls. Below are the oil paint mixing recipes PaintMixLab calculates for it from three common paint sets, in parts you can measure on the palette.
Target colour #8A9A6B
Predicted mix #899B6F
Target #8A9A6B against the predicted mix from the Winton recipe (excellent match, ΔE 1).
Sage Green mixing recipes by paint set
| Paint set | Recipe (parts) | Match |
|---|---|---|
| Winsor & Newton Winton | 13 Flake White Hue + 1 Sap Green 13 Flake White Hue1 Sap Green |
Excellent match (ΔE 1) |
| Gamblin 1980 | 8 Titanium White + 5 Naples Yellow + 3 Ultramarine Blue 8 Titanium White5 Naples Yellow3 Ultramarine Blue |
Excellent match (ΔE 0.3) |
| Magicfly 40 | 9 Titanium White + 7 Light Grey Blue + 2 Deep Yellow 9 Titanium White7 Light Grey Blue2 Deep Yellow |
Excellent match (ΔE 1.4) |
Parts are by volume. Recipes follow the app’s standard engine, which adds white to bring the mix up to the predicted value on the palette. Match quality (ΔE 2000) compares the predicted mix with the target: under 1.5 is excellent, under 3.5 very close, under 6 close.
Dark Mode recipes (original engine, no extra white)
- Winsor & Newton Winton: 6 Flake White Hue + 1 Sap Green
- Gamblin 1980: 5 Naples Yellow + 3 Ultramarine Blue
- Magicfly 40: 7 Light Grey Blue + 2 Deep Yellow
What two colours make sage green?
With only two tubes from the Winton range, the closest PaintMixLab finds is 13 Flake White Hue + 1 Sap Green (excellent match, ΔE 1). Two-tube mixes are simpler to repeat but usually a little further from the target than three.
How to mix sage green by hand
- Put out Sap Green as the base — it carries the hue.
- Lighten with white until the value matches your reference. Check it next to the target in daylight — a mix always looks lighter on the knife than on the canvas.
- Mix more than you think you need, and save the swatch in PaintMixLab so you can repeat it tomorrow.
Greens from a tube are rarely the green you see. Mix them from a blue and a yellow, then grey them with a touch of red or an earth colour, and set the value with white last.
Related colour recipes
Sage Green questions
What colours make sage green?
In the Winton range: 13 Flake White Hue + 1 Sap Green. Other sets use different tubes because tinting strength varies by brand — see the table above for Gamblin 1980 and Magicfly.
Can I mix sage green without black?
Yes. None of the recipes above rely on black alone; where a dark is needed the engine prefers a deep colour or an earth so the mix stays lively. PaintMixLab has an “avoid black” option if your set includes black and you would rather not use it.
Why does my sage green look different from the swatch?
Pigment batches, how much medium you use, the lighting and your screen all shift the result. Treat the ratio as a measured starting point: match the value first with white, then nudge the hue with the smallest tube in the recipe.
Does this recipe work for acrylic sage green?
Roughly. Acrylic ranges share many pigment names, but acrylics dry darker and the tinting strengths differ, so expect to add a little extra white and re-check once dry.
Mix sage green from a photo instead
Point PaintMixLab at the colour you actually see and it writes the recipe for your own paint set — free for 3 days.
