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How to mix Moss Green in oil paint
Moss Green is a yellowish mid green. 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 #6A7F3A
Predicted mix #6A7F3B
Target #6A7F3A against the predicted mix from the Winton recipe (excellent match, ΔE 0.2).
Moss Green mixing recipes by paint set
| Paint set | Recipe (parts) | Match |
|---|---|---|
| Winsor & Newton Winton | 3 Titanium White + 2 Chrome Green Hue + 1 Cadmium Lemon Hue 3 Titanium White2 Chrome Green Hue1 Cadmium Lemon Hue |
Excellent match (ΔE 0.2) |
| Gamblin 1980 | 8 Titanium White + 5 Yellow Ochre + 3 Turquoise 8 Titanium White5 Yellow Ochre3 Turquoise |
Excellent match (ΔE 0.7) |
| Magicfly 40 | 9 Titanium White + 8 Deep Yellow + 1 Phthalocyanine Blue 9 Titanium White8 Deep Yellow1 Phthalocyanine Blue |
Excellent match (ΔE 0.8) |
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: 2 Chrome Green Hue + 1 Cadmium Lemon Hue
- Gamblin 1980: 5 Yellow Ochre + 3 Turquoise
- Magicfly 40: 8 Deep Yellow + 1 Phthalocyanine Blue
What two colours make moss green?
With only two tubes from the Winton range, the closest PaintMixLab finds is 2 Flake White Hue + 1 Chrome Green Hue (very close, ΔE 2.3). Two-tube mixes are simpler to repeat but usually a little further from the target than three.
How to mix moss green by hand
- Put out Chrome Green Hue as the base — it carries the hue.
- Work in Cadmium Lemon Hue a little at a time until the hue swings towards moss green; stop as soon as it reads right, it is easy to overshoot.
- 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
Moss Green questions
What colours make moss green?
In the Winton range: 3 Titanium White + 2 Chrome Green Hue + 1 Cadmium Lemon Hue. Other sets use different tubes because tinting strength varies by brand — see the table above for Gamblin 1980 and Magicfly.
Can I mix moss 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 moss 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 moss 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 moss 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.
