The primary colors are red, blue and yellow. When painters mix together the primary colors, the resulting color depends on the exact shades of the primaries and the proportions they are mixed in. The question arises: If you mix together red, blue and yellow, do you always get black? Or does the result depend on the specific colors used? Let’s take a closer look at color theory and mixing paints to find the answer.
How Primary Colors Work
In color theory, the primary colors are the three pigment colors that cannot be mixed from any other colors. All other colors are derived from combinations of the primaries. For subtractive color mixing with paints, dyes and inks, the primary colors are red, yellow and blue. When two primaries are mixed, they make a secondary color:
| Red + Yellow | Makes | Orange |
| Yellow + Blue | Makes | Green |
| Blue + Red | Makes | Purple |
Mixing all three primary paint colors together produces a dark brown or black color. But the exact shade depends on the specific primary pigments used.
Different Shades of Primaries
Each primary color actually contains a range of shades. There is no single, definitive “red”, “blue” or “yellow”. For example:
| Cadmium red |
| Alizarin crimson |
| Vermillion |
Are all reds, but they have very different properties. Same for the other primaries. So mixing together:
| Cadmium yellow |
| Ultramarine blue |
| Alizarin crimson |
Will produce a very deep, dark blackish brown. But change the blue to:
| Cadmium yellow |
| Phthalo blue |
| Alizarin crimson |
And you will get more of a dark purple color. The exact tones of the primaries have a big impact on the mixed result.
Tertiary Colors
When painting, color mixing often involves more than just the primary colors. Tertiary colors are made by mixing a primary with a secondary color next to it on the color wheel. For example:
| Red + Orange | Makes | Red-orange |
| Yellow + Green | Makes | Yellow-green |
| Blue + Purple | Makes | Blue-purple |
Adding tertiaries affects the darkness of the mixed color. Mixing:
| Cadmium red |
| Phthalo blue |
| Cadmium yellow |
Produces a very dark brownish black. But add some tertiaries:
| Cadmium red |
| Phthalo blue |
| Cadmium yellow |
| Purple |
| Green |
And you will end up with a lighter, grayer, muted black instead.
The Impact of White
Most acrylic and oil paints come in a range of colored tubes or pans. But painters also mix in white paint to lighten and tint the other colors. Adding white to a mix of the primaries produces lighter shades of brown or gray instead of true black.
For example, mixing:
| Cadmium red |
| Ultramarine blue |
| Cadmium yellow |
| Titanium white |
Makes a dark charcoal gray color rather than black. The more white added, the lighter the mix becomes.
Proportions of Paint
The proportions of each primary color used in mixing also impacts the tone of the resulting secondary color. Mixing equal parts red, blue and yellow makes a dark muddy brown. But if you use more of one primary than the others, the mix will be biased towards that color.
For example, mixing:
| 2 parts Cadmium red |
| 1 part Phthalo blue |
| 1 part Cadmium yellow |
Makes a reddish dark brown instead of a pure black. While mixing:
| 1 part Cadmium red |
| 2 parts Phthalo blue |
| 1 part Cadmium yellow |
Makes a cooler, bluer dark gray. Adjusting the ratios of the primaries changes the tone.
Mixing Color Wheels
One way to explore mixed colors is to create a color wheel with paints. This involves:
| – Painting separate blocks of each primary color (RYB) |
| – Mixing the primaries to paint the secondaries (OGP) |
| – Mixing the primaries with nearby secondaries to paint the tertiaries |
| – Mixing adjacent tertiaries to fill in the gaps |
When all the colors are mixed, the center of the wheel approaches a dark gray or black. But the exact shade varies based on the paint colors used. It takes experimentation to find the right primary colors that mix a perfect black.
Mixing Painting Mediums
Artist paints come in various forms that behave differently when mixed:
| – Oils | Slow drying, blend smoothly |
| – Acrylics | Fast drying, hard to blend |
| – Watercolors | Very fluid, translucent mixes |
| – Gouache | Opaque, flat finish |
Oils and acrylics are the best for mixing a true dark black, due to their opaque and blendable nature. Watercolors and gouache tend to make muted, translucent browns instead of a solid black.
Mixing Colored Pigments
Painters can also grind and mix their own pigments for color mixing:
| – Earth pigments | Red/yellow ochre, raw umber |
| – Mineral pigments | Azurite, malachite |
| – Carbon black | Soot, charcoal |
Mixing these colored powders together produces different results than premixed paints. Rich earth tones tend to make deep blacks. But mineral pigments create more greys and umbers. Carbon black pigment is crucial for mixing a complete true black.
Subtractive vs. Additive Mixing
It’s important to note that mixing paints is a subtractive color method. Combining paint colors together absorbs some wavelengths of light and reflects others. This is different from additive color mixing with light, as in computer monitors and TVs:
| Subtractive: RYB pigments | Additive: RGB light |
| Absorbs some wavelengths | Emits specific wavelengths |
| Reflects others | Combines wavelengths |
Additive RGB mixing of red, green and blue light makes white rather than black. This demonstrates the difference between these two color methods.
Black Paint Pigments
Another approach to making black paint is to use premade black pigments rather than mixing colors:
| – Ivory black | Made from burnt ivory |
| – Lamp black | Soot from oil lamps |
| – Mars black | Made from iron oxide |
These real black pigments produce the deepest, purest black paint. But they can be expensive compared to mixing primary colors. And the mixed blacks have more tonal variety.
Black Inks and Dyes
For coloring fabrics, black inks and dyes are convenient alternatives to mixing paints. Common black dyes include:
| – Logwood extract |
| – Iron gall ink |
| – Oil black dyes |
But these fabric dyes do not have the opacity of acrylic or oil paints. Mixing them tends to produce dark muted tones rather than a solid black.
Conclusion
In summary, mixing together the primary colors red, yellow and blue does NOT automatically make black paint. The specific shades of the primaries have a big impact, as do the mixing proportions and ratios. Opaque oil or acrylic paints make the best blacks. Watercolors and dyes tend to only produce dark umbers and greys.
To mix a true black, carbon-based pigments are needed, along with rich dark tones of the primary and secondary colors. Experimentation allows artists to find the right primary paints that combine to make a perfect black. But premade black pigments guarantee the deepest, purest black color.
