Mixing colors

There is a whole science behind the creation of colors and how the human eyes interpret them [LINK:
Meaning v Colors]. We call this chromatics (the relationship with colors). Humans have three types of
color receptors in their eyes, which allow us to see hundreds of colors. We can then see each color that
comes to us as a combination of a single color or a series of colors.

These days it is easy to get colored paints, colored pencils, markers and other art supplies. But no matter
how many different shades are invented, it is almost impossible to name them all. This is because an
almost infinite number of shades can be created by mixing colors.

That's why it's super handy to know how to mix your own colors, because: 1) You have access to a wider
variety of colors and 2) you can make the most of your creativity. Let's take a look at how to make the
most common colors, as well as shades derived from them.

How to make red?

As you know, red is a primary color, so it is not possible to make it using complementary color mixing,
creating a new color by mixing two colors. Making red has never been a problem throughout history
because it was very easy to get red pigment. In fact, some of the earliest known cave drawings were
made with red pigment, possibly making it one of the first colors used to make art. Although you cannot
make red by mixing two colors, you can use an alternative color wheel. This is called subtractive color
mixing, the creation of a new color by mixing two or more subtractive colors.

The traditional color wheel includes the primary colors, such as red, yellow and blue, but the subtractive
color wheel has its own set of primary colors, such as cyan, yellow and magenta. By mixing magenta and
yellow, you can make red.

How do you mix different shades of red?

There are more than 400 different shades of red, and while it's almost impossible to list them all, here
are a few you might recognize: Cherry red, Crimson red, Hibiscus, Ruby red, Indian red, Mahogany,
Raspberry red, Strawberry red, and Candy Apple red.

Sticking with the listed shades of red, we will tell you how to proceed to create these shades:

- Cherry red = black + light red (more black than red)

- Crimson = a touch of blue + red

- Hibiscus = a touch of violet + red

- Ruby red = a touch of black + red

- Indian red = a touch of white + blue + red

- Mahogany = one part blue + two parts red

- Raspberry red = a touch of magenta + red

- Strawberry red = a touch of orange + white + red

- Candy Apple red = a touch of orange + red

This is just a small example of how you can mix red with other colors to create new shades of red. Pink is
a shade of red created by mixing red and white. Hot pink has more red, while light pink has more white.

How do you make yellow?

Yellow is a primary color. It is not possible to make yellow by additional color mixing, but subtractively
you can mix green and red. Yellow is also one of the earliest known pigments used in art. That's because
yellow ochre was widely available. One of the oldest known paintings using this color is 17,000 years old
(a yellow horse on a cave in France). That means yellow has been around for thousands of years!

How do you make different shades of yellow?

You need to experiment with making yellow lighter and darker if you want to mix new shades. It's an
exciting color to customize, because shades of yellow range from shimmering gold to muted blonde.
Take a look at the formulas below to create the most iconic yellow tones:

- Gold: Yellow + Black + Red

- Bright Yellow: Yellow + Green

- Mustard yellow: Yellow + Red + Orange

- Cadmium Yellow: Yellow + Orange

- Flaxen yellow: Yellow + Grey

- Banana Yellow: Yellow + White

It is important to know the right way to enhance yellow to make it deeper and darker. Most people
intuitively mix black in when they want to emphasize the brilliance of yellow. This process is effective for
creating gold, but unfortunately dark colors can have a muting effect on lighter colors. However, there is
room to strategically mix black, navy blue and gray when creating specific shades.

If you want to avoid the "dullness" of dark colors, you can add other colors and shades to complement
and darken yellow:

- Orange

- Gold

- Purple

- Red

- Green

- Brown
You need to think experimentally when complementing this bright color. It is a color that you can easily
enhance by adding darker shades of yellow. You can also use this technique by adding lighter shades of
yellow to tone down strong shades of yellow. This toning down method works well for yellow because
the predominant qualities of yellow are actually very beneficial when nuanced. You can get a natural,
authentic shade of yellow by toning down a cadmium yellow with a lighter yellow. Again, you should add
the new color gradually to an existing color to ensure that you don't saturate your starting color beyond
recognition.

Using green and red to make yellow is just the beginning! As you can see, it's easy to recreate color
tones found throughout nature by adding just a little alternative color. Experimenting with yellow is like
playing with fire, as the color can quickly become intense once you start mixing. Yellow will quickly take
on the characteristics of the colors you add to it if you're not careful.

How to make blue.

Like red and yellow, blue is a primary color and has the same problem as red: you can make it by
additional color mixing, but you can make it by subtractive color mixing. It is possible to make this color
darker with small amount of black (e.g. midnight blue) or lighter with a little white (e.g. azure blue). You
can make blue by mixing magenta and cyan.

How do you mix different shades of blue?

If you have a strong blue, you can create a rich palette of royal blue tones. The possibilities are almost
endless! This is where art works like a real science, because you have to combine the right color
formulas to get the desired result. Artists and interior designers create custom colors without thinking
when they want to occupy walls or canvases with shades of blue. They do this by emphasizing or
softening certain characteristics of blue with other colors of the color wheel:

- Turquoise: Blue + Green + White

- Cobalt blue: Ultramarine + Turquoise

- Azure blue: Cobalt + White

- Green blue: Blue + Green

- Royal Blue: Purple + Black

- Navy blue: Black + Orange

- Cornflower blue: Blue + Grey

- Powder blue: Royal blue + White

- Indigo: Blue + Red

To deepen blue, add black or gray and to soften blue tones, add white in your formula. Be careful
because if you add too much black or white, it can ruin the vibrancy of your hue. This is something that
artists learn by trial and error. So it's a matter of adding very small bits of paint to see how they affect
your chosen color. You get a "perfect" mixture when the particularities and characteristics of the original
colors are expressed.

Mixing secondary colors

Secondary colors are color combinations created by the equal mixture of two primary colors (red,
yellow, blue). On the traditional color wheel, they are located between the primary colors: 1) red and
yellow make orange, 2) red and blue make purple, and 3) blue and yellow make green. On the
supplementary color wheel, there is another set of secondary colors: 1) blue and green make cyan, 2)
blue and red make magenta, and 3) blue and yellow make green. [link to "Primary Colors"]

How do you make purple or violet?

When you want to make purple, you have to mix red and blue. This color is special because long ago it
was incredibly difficult to make, making it very rare. As a result, it became a color you could only see in
royal houses. Fortunately making this color much easier nowadays.

The ratio of red to blue is up to you, but a 50/50 split will produce a nice rich hue. As you continue to
mix purple, you will find that different shades will manifest themselves:

- Add more blue (or even a touch of black) to make dark purple.

- Add a little white to make light purple. You can also add a little red to create a warmer, softer shade of
purple.

You can further increase the red to make a magenta hue or you can increase the blue to make the hue
darker. It is also important to decide which shades of red and blue to use, otherwise you may not get the
purple hue you want. Not only does using different amounts of red or blue change the hue, but as we
said earlier, the different shades of red and blue can create a different look that isn't really purple:

- Mix cerulean blue with permanent pink to create a richer purple hue.

What you need to know further is that purple tones go well with yellow. The darker shades of purple will
make the brightness of the yellow stand out, while the yellow makes the purple look deeper and richer.
These two colors are also opposite each other on the color wheel, which is why they are also called
complementary colors.

How do you make green?

Did you know that green is one of the most common colors in nature? Because of this, it has become a
very popular color in art. You can mix different shades of green by studying color sensitivity, so you can
tell when a particular color leans toward warmer tones (e.g., red and orange) or cooler tones (e.g., blue
and green). Making green is done by mixing yellow and blue. If you want to experiment with the hue
without adding other colors, try a little less yellow for a cooler, darker variation of green, or try less blue
for a warmer, lighter variation.

If you use different shades of blue with the same color yellow, you'll get a whole range of different
shades of green. You can mix equal parts cadmium yellow with ultramarine blue, cobalt blue or
manganese blue, and you'll get three different shades of green.
Of course, you can also experiment by changing the shades of yellow. For example, saffron yellow will
lean more toward the red tones on a color wheel, making it a warmer yellow tone. So if you mix saffron
yellow with a blue pigment, it will create a warmer shade of green than if you choose lemon yellow.
Lemon yellow is a cooler shade of yellow because it leans more toward green on the color wheel.

How do you make different shades of green?

Another fun way to create new shades of green is to use different colors. Add a little white to your blue
and yellow combination to create a lighter or brighter shade of green. Or you can leave out blue
altogether and mix yellow with black for a darker, olive green tone. Another way is by adding red, purple
or a second shade of blue.

4 color combinations for greens:

- Olive Green: This color is named after the humble but powerful olive fruit, which is praised around the
world for its health properties and delicious taste. To mix this shade, you'll need a pre-mixed medium
green, e.g. Grass Green (if you need to make a base green, try mixing Cadmium Yellow and Ultramarine
Blue). Then add a touch of warm yellow, (e.g. Sand Yellow or Ochre Yellow), adds an earthy, light brown
tone to the green.

Finally, to make the green darker, you can add a little dark purple to the mix. If you find the end result
too dark, or it's not warm enough, add a little more yellow to adjust it. You can also add a little bit of
white to your mixture if you want to make the shade lighter.

- Lincoln Green: This shade is vibrant and is than Grass Green, but lighter than Forest Green. To make it,
mix a medium, warm blue (e.g., Cyan or a Light Turquoise) with a warm medium yellow (Canary yellow
or Dandelion yellow).

If the result is too bright or warm, add a tiny bit of black to mute the hue to a true Lincoln Green. You
can also try adding a small amount of dark, cool blue, such as Midnight Blue, instead of black.

- Yellow Green: This hue is often depicted as a warm, light green with a slight neon undertone and can
be used to paint the young leaves of trees, plants and flowers in the spring. The color is often warmer
and lighter than Spring Green or Leaf Green.

To make this shade, mix a cool yellow (e.g., Cadmium Yellow or Lemon Yellow) with a medium to dark
warm blue (e.g., Ultramarine Blue or Cobalt Blue). Use more yellow than blue and add a little white to
make it brighter. Finally, you can add a touch of red or orange to the mixture to round out the depth of
the color. Use these additional colors very sparingly, as it can overpower the entire hue.

- Forest green: This deep, cool hue is reminiscent of permanent green trees. There are several ways you
can create a natural green to portray the lushness of a forest.

The easiest way to do this is to darken a pre-mixed, medium green (e.g. Grass Green, Lincoln Green or
Yellow Green) with a very small amount of blue or black. Royal blue works particularly well in
combination with Yellowish green to create a dusky, muted green in resembles the color of pine
needles. To make this combination darker, you should also add a very small amount of black.
As you've seen, there are a wide variety of ways to make green. Experiment with some of the shades in
this article, or create your own spectrum of green using the basic concepts. With so many ways to mix,
there are countless shades of green to explore! We hope you've found some fun ideas and valuable
combinations that you can get excited about.

How do you make orange?

The simple answer is red and yellow. But did you know that you can change the hue by adjusting the
quantities used or by adding other colors to the mixture? If you use different amounts of red or yellow,
you can make different variations of this popular color. By learning how the color wheel works and how
colors are categorized, you will soon be able to create different shades of orange, such as a bright and
vibrant orange or a muted apricot. When you become familiar with mixing colors, you have almost
infinite possibilities and creating the right shade becomes a piece of cake.

By adjusting the amount of red and yellow, you can change the hue. The two simplest variations of
orange are yellow-orange and red-orange. These are called tertiary colors and are evenly distributed
between the secondary and primary colors on your color wheel.

You can change the value of orange by adding black or white. The amounts you mix in will determine
how light or dark your orange will be. Value is a term used to describe the hue of a color. It basically
refers to how light or dark the color is. Artists use value to define shapes and create contrast in their
work.

How do you make a muted orange?

When working with a color as bright and vibrant as a pure orange, it is important to know how to mute
it. You will first need to find complementary color of orange. When complementary colors are mixed
together, they cancel each other out. The result is a shade of gray, like black or white.

Blue is the complementary color of orange. When you add this color to orange you get a neutral muted
variation. Of course, you don't always have to mix pure colors when experimenting with this:

- If you mix orange with Cobalt blue, you get a warm muted orange.

- If you mix orange with Ultramarine blue, you'll have a cooler muted orange.

- Mix orange with a rich, dark blue and the result is a muted orange with a hint of green in it.

However, green can also help you discover some very impressive muted oranges; it creates unique tones
that add a certain depth to the color. If you experiment with green, you can create muted orange tones,
e.g. light brownish orange and deep robust orange.

Rarely will an artist use a true orange. It often requires some form of muting to achieve the desired look.
Once you become familiar with mixing different amounts of red and yellow to change the hue, learn
how to change the value with black and white, and then attenuate the orange you've come up with by
adding blue and sometimes green, you'll find that the sky is the limit when it comes to the number of
orange tones at your disposal.

Tertiary color mixing

As you already know by now, artists (both traditional and digital) know three sets of colors: primary,
secondary and tertiary. Combining individual colors from these three sets gives us every color we can
see. Those colors can be further manipulated by adding gray, white or black. What do you think happens
when you combine equal parts of a primary and a secondary color? You get a tertiary color! There are
six in total:

- Yellow + orange = yellow-orange

- Red + orange = red-orange

- Red + purple = red-purple

- Blue + purple = teal

- Yellow + green = yellow-green

Sometimes, for artistic reasons, the tertiary colors are given creative names, e.g., teal (teal), chartreuse
(yellow-green), vermilion (red-orange), magenta (red-purple), violet (blue-purple), and amber (yellow-
orange).

How to make brown.

Brown is a strange and unique color because it does not occupy a place on the color spectrum or color
wheel, but it is also not an achromatic color like black, white and gray. Instead, it is considered a
composite color.

Making brown via color mixing is also unique because it can be done in many different ways. In painting,
it is usually made by mixing black with orange. Although the mixture looks like a darker shade of orange,
it actually produces a beautiful shade of brown when done properly.

How do you make different shades of brown?

Anyone who has seen brown earth, sand, dogs, autumn leaves and chocolate knows that there are
endless natural shades of brown. That's why you can tweak the formula Red + Yellow + Blue a bit to
create very nuanced shades of brown. Look at the formulas below to create variations of brown:

- Light brown (e.g., sandy beaches and coffee with milk): Red + Yellow + Blue + White

- Warm brown (e.g., bricks, wood and tree bark): Red (heavier) + Yellow (heavier) + Blue

- Cool brown (e.g. dark hair, winter trees and shiny dunes): Red + Yellow + Blue (heavier)

- Dark brown (e.g. brunette hair, twilight scenes and chocolate desserts): Red + Yellow + Dark Blue

Creating custom shades of brown is really a balancing act. While white is a good option for creating a
latte-like hue, you run the risk of going too far in the beige direction if you incorporate too much white
into your palette. There's also no shortcut to getting a darker shade of brown by quickly mixing in some
black, because generally black overpowers brown, which can lead to texture loss. A dark, inky blue is
often a better option for this. Dark brown deepened with blue is also sometimes used as a substitute for
black when painting twilight and evening scenes, as it allows details to shine through while still giving
the same "nighttime" effect.
Brown can also be used as a base to create a beautiful and realistic rust color; here black does come in
handy. The easiest formula for rust-colored paint is to add red and yellow to a neutral shade of brown.
Then you can add a touch of black. Some people even like to add a touch of gold for a coppery texture.

In addition, it is also important to know the complementary colors of brown if you are going to plaster a
canvas with brown paint. There are only a handful of colors that really work in harmony with this unique
composite color:

- Sleek, immaculate white makes a nice contrast to a dark or chocolate brown. The resulting contrast is
pleasant to look at because it is much softer than the classic black and white contrast. However, it
produces the same elegant effect.

- Yellow, because of its brightness, is a good option to energize brown spaces.

- Appealing to the blue in brown, turquoise brings out this hidden nuance well.

- Similar to turquoise, rose pink brings out the natural primary red in brown. It also contrasts nicely with
the warmth of brown.

The bottom line when creating brown is that the limit doesn't exist if you are skillful at mixing the
different shades of brown. Remember, it all starts with a balance of red, yellow and blue. What you do
next depends on how rich or muted you want your brown to be. Above all, feel free to experiment!

How to make pink.

Pink is often enough associated with images of love and romance, and feelings of femininity, softness
and gentleness. It has a centuries-long love affair with the world, whether it's the soft, petal-inspired
pink or the futuristic neon pink of today. This color is a mysterious hue with a powerful ability that
inspires creative energy and joyful delight, so if you know how to use pink to its fullest, the possibilities
are endless. When you work with pink, you have access to so many different shades! This is why many
artists and decorators prefer pink to red when they want to create a modest and soothing atmosphere.

When we mix pink, we are actually just making a lighter shade of red. Therefore, the formula is: red +
white. Slowly add red dots to a blob of white until you get the shade you want and avoid making your
pink too dark. It will save you a lot of work and paint, because trying to lighten red by mixing it with
white is a lot of work. And if your pink still looks too sharp, you can lower the tone even more by adding
a complementary color. The classic option is to just add a dot of black, but you can also get a nice pink
hue by adding blue or green.

How do you make different shades of pink?

With so many different shades to choose from, you may be wondering what colors make pink and how
to blend this beautiful color from scratch. As you've seen, making pink is very simple. You can easily
adapt the same formula (red + white) to make a range of pink shades. The red you choose as a base will
determine what shade you end up producing:

- Scarlet red: Bright, vibrant pink.

- Rose red: Lighter, softer pink.

- Ruby red: Jewel-like, shimmering pink.

- Napthol red: Ultra-bright, neon pink shades.

- Crimson red: pink with hints of purple and blue.

- Cadmium red: orange-like pink tones.

- Chinacridon red: bright pink tones.

- Brick/Venetian red: natural-looking pink tones.

What colors go with pink?

Many people find that pink is an intimidating color because very few things in nature contain this color
or simply because it is a "loud" color. So pink not only attracts attention, but sometimes has a shocking
effect. This is one of the reasons why pink is a typical accent color, whether it is used in art, fashion or
decoration. Let's take a look at the colors that work best with this perky hue, shall we?

- When paired with muted pink tones, blue takes on a new level of vibrancy. Many people like to use
traditional "masculine" and "feminine" colors in one room.

- Green creates a very natural combination with pink that is reminiscent of the camaraderie between
flower and stem.

- Combined with a dusty pink, brown gives an earthy and healthy feel.

- Gray and baby pink create a relaxed and sophisticated combination.

- When pink accents are added to a yellow pattern, the whole thing takes on a tropical and festive feel.

- Gold tones and pink evoke Victorian high-society vibes.

The great conclusion is that pink is more versatile than you think. While pink's quirkiness can be played
up, it's not the only option. Pink can energize and empower a canvas if used appropriately in
combination with the above colors.

How to make black.

This achromatic color is made by mixing red, blue and yellow. This is the easiest way because you
already have these colors on hand. To get the best results, make sure that each color is mixed in equal
parts. When doing this, it is preferable to use the true primary colors, (i.e. no lighter shades of red, blue
or yellow), otherwise you will not get the desired black, but a brownish tint. This can be useful if you
need brown, but that's not the goal here. Just stick to the strongest shades of the primary colors and
you'll be fine.

How do you make gray?

Gray is somewhere in the haze between black and white, and is a calming hue. Like black and white, it is
an achromatic color (or neutral color), a color without a hue. This color is invaluable to any artist, and
learning how to mix the right shades of gray is essential to capturing the perfect emotional tone in
paintings and other works of art. The fascinating thing about gray is that it is considered a "conformist"
color with no personality. As a result, it usually takes on the character of the strong colors around it. But
of course the question is: how do you make gray? The easiest way to do this is to mix black and white.

How do you make different shades of gray?

Making shades of gray is pretty easy because you just have to mix black and white. You can make it
darker with more black, or lighter with more white. You can also mix in some yellow to make warmer
shades of gray, or blue to make cooler shades of gray. Now it gets really fun, because you know how to
make different shades of gray to bring your painting to life. Take a look at these formulas for specific
shades of gray:

- Greenish Gray (for rocks, clays and furs): Green + cadmium red + white

- Bluish Gray (for waves, fish scales and gray eyes): Ultramarine blue + cadmium red + cadmium yellow

- Mauve Gray (for storm clouds, plumes of smoke and rocks in the ocean): Violet + azo yellow

- Steel gray (for pipes, bullets and dolphins): Burnt umber + blue

- Charcoal grey (for metals and deep smoke): White + black + orange yellow

- Silver (for jewelry, stars and moonshine): Black + white + unburnt sienna (purple+orange)

Always have white on hand when developing your own gray tones, as you can always use more white to
enhance the grayness. On the other hand, black is also important when creating custom gray tones;
adding it can help darken your gray tone if you feel it is too light. Of course, be careful when adding
black and white, as it can cloud your blend and make it unusable.

Gray is a good choice to bring out the vibrancy of the colors around it. The most traditional way to use
gray is to edge it with white, which brings out the regal qualities of this neutral color. You can also
achieve this effect by experimenting with some non-traditional colors:

- Gold and copper tones can bring out the lushness of gray, creating a very enchanting, look.

- Purple and violet are also great for accentuating the charcoal-like qualities of gray.

- Pink is another color that works surprisingly well with gray, as it brings out the softness of gray.

The art of blending gray is a challenge. You will need to study and understand the balance between light
and dark so you can master it on canvas. When creating gray, keep in mind that even a small amount of
black can be overpowering, but the more gray you start mixing, the faster you will master the technique
and proportions.

Don't be afraid to experiment!

Your knowledge of the color wheel and the many combinations you can create with it can be a powerful
artistic tool. However, it can also be intimidating, as you realize that the wrong proportion can cause you
to spill paint. Either way, there are endless colors to experiment with!
By mixing your own colors instead of relying solely on ready-made products from the store, you can
create shades that are more unique and better suited to your artistic pursuits. You can also experiment
with color theory, and all the ways colors affect each other.

Whether you're mixing colors for work, or for your own interests, it's always fun to bring different
shades to life. It makes you feel like a true color wizard, able to mix a vibrant turquoise or violet with just
a few drops of paint. Of course, there's also a chance you'll stumble upon a color you hadn't even
thought of or discover a totally new shade of pink or orange. So grab your tubes of acrylic paint and
create a little magic!