Eli5: Why is it easier to darken white paint than it is to lighten dark paint?

Question

I remember in elementary school that I was mixing paints and to make grey, and I found that a small quantity of black darkens white super easily whereas even a 50-50 split of black and white leaves an almost black color. Is black paint more potent? Is there some kind of complicated color theory?

In: Other

Answer 1

Aren’t you talking about the same paint? If you know that “a small quantity of black” makes grey, then why would you be surprised that adding more black makes “an almost black color”? The paint doesn’t care which one you think you’re changing – it’s all mixed together.