Orange is a vibrant, warm color that evokes feelings of excitement, enthusiasm, and warmth. It’s a secondary color made by combining the primary colors red and yellow. While you can’t literally “make” the color orange, you can mix red and yellow pigments, dyes, paints, or light to create the appearance of orange. With some basic color theory and materials, you’ll be combining red and yellow in no time to make orange hues for any project or purpose.
Understanding the Color Wheel
To make orange, it’s helpful to understand some color theory. The color wheel is a visual representation of color relationships. It’s divided into primary, secondary, and tertiary colors.
The primary colors are red, yellow, and blue. These can’t be created by mixing other colors but are the building blocks for all other colors. Secondary colors are made by mixing two primary colors. For orange, this means mixing red and yellow.
Tertiary colors are made by mixing a primary and secondary color. Mixing red-orange with yellow-orange makes different hues of orange. Changing the proportions of the red and yellow alters the brightness, saturation, and exact hue.
Using Paint Pigments
One way to make the color orange is by mixing red and yellow paint pigments. The specific shades used impact the resulting orange hue. Here’s a step-by-step guide:
Materials
– Red paint pigment (crimson red, cadmium red, etc.)
– Yellow paint pigment (cadmium yellow, hansa yellow, etc.)
– Palette or mixing surface
– Paintbrush
Steps
1. Squeeze out a dab of yellow and red paint onto your palette. The amounts don’t need to be equal.
2. Use a paintbrush or palette knife to thoroughly mix the paint together. Blend until the color is uniform.
3. Add more red or yellow pigment as needed to adjust the color towards red-orange or yellow-orange. Mixing equal parts red and yellow will make orange.
4. Test the mixed paint on a practice surface until you achieve your desired orange hue.
5. Use the blended orange paint as you would any premixed paint. The lightness, saturation, and exact hue can be tweaked by adding more pigments.
Mixing Paints
Similar to paint pigments, premixed paints like acrylics or watercolors can be blended to create orange. Here’s a simple process:
Materials
– Red paint (crimson red, cadmium red, etc.)
– Yellow paint (cadmium yellow, hansa yellow, etc.)
– Containers for mixing
– Paintbrush
– Canvas, paper, or other surface for painting
Steps
1. Pour some red and yellow paint into a container for mixing. Start with approximately equal amounts.
2. Stir thoroughly with a paintbrush or stick until uniform in color.
3. Adjust the hue by adding more red or yellow paint as desired. Equal parts makes orange.
4. Test on a canvas or spare paper. Remix and adjust as needed.
5. Use a clean dry brush to apply the mixed orange paint onto your final surface. Blend with other colors for more effects.
The specific red and yellow paint shades will impact the resulting orange hue. Feel free to experiment with different combinations.
Using Food Coloring
Making orange food coloring is an easy kitchen experiment. All you need is red and yellow liquid food coloring. Here’s how:
Materials
– Red food coloring
– Yellow food coloring
– Teaspoon
– Small bowl or container
– Toothpick for stirring
Steps
1. Add 4-5 drops of yellow food coloring to the bowl.
2. Add 3-4 drops of red food coloring.
3. Stir thoroughly with a toothpick until the color is uniform.
4. Adjust the color by adding more red or yellow as desired. Equal amounts will make orange.
5. Continue mixing until you reach your ideal orange food coloring shade.
6. Use a clean toothpick to add drops of the homemade coloring to frostings, cake batters, or anywhere else food coloring is used.
You can substitute liquid watercolor or gouache paints for the food coloring to make larger batches. Varying the red-to-yellow ratio gives you control over the exact hue.
Mixing Colored Lights
Orange can also be made by blending colored lights. This applies to both paints that glow under blacklight as well as theater lighting gels.
Materials
– Red luminescent paint or gel filter
– Yellow luminescent paint or gel filter
– Blacklight or stage lighting instrument
Steps
1. Paint two adjacent sections with the red and yellow paints. Or place the red and yellow filters in front of two lighting instruments aimed at the same point.
2. Turn on the blacklight or stage lights to illuminate the paints or filtered lights.
3. Adjust the ratio of red to yellow by making one section larger until you achieve the perfect orange. Equal areas lit will make orange.
4. Use the homemade orange luminescent paint or gel anywhere you need glowing orange effects.
You can also mix red and yellow spotlights, lamps, or holiday lights to cast an orange glow. Simply shining the lights together blends the colors.
Digital Color Mixing
You can digitally mix colors using photo editing or design software. While you won’t have a physical orange sample, this is useful for mockups and digital projects.
Materials
– Design program like Adobe Photoshop, Illustrator, etc.
– Color selection tools
Steps
1. Add a red shape, line, or text box. Set the color to a bright red hue.
2. Add a yellow shape next to the red one. Set this to a vivid yellow.
3. Select both items and click the “Merge” tool to combine them. This will digitally mix the red and yellow to create orange.
4. Adjust the hue by increasing the size of the red or yellow shape before merging. Equal sizes makes orange.
5. Use the color picker tool to sample your blended orange color. You can now apply that exact hue to other elements.
6. Save your mixed orange as a swatch for easy access later.
You can repeat this process in any design software that allows color mixing. Use the safety of digital editing to play with mixing different reds and yellows.
Mixing Colored Dyes
Red and yellow fabric dyes can be combined to dye fabrics and clothing orange. Here’s an overview of the process:
Materials
– Red fabric dye
– Yellow fabric dye
– Stovetop dye pot
– Fabric for dyeing
– Gloves, apron, mask
Steps
1. Fill the pot with enough water to submerge the fabric. Add the fixative and stir.
2. Mix the dyes together in a jar first. Use equal amounts to make orange. Adjust to change the hue.
3. Add the mixed dye to the pot. Stir well to dissolve and distribute.
4. Submerge your fabric in the dye bath completely. Stir periodically.
5. Simmer for 30-60 minutes until the fabric soaks up the dye. Test a corner for color.
6. Remove dyed fabric and rinse well in cold water. Wash in mild soap then air dry.
7. Your fabric is now vibrant orange! Use the dyed textile for quilts, clothes, upholstery or anything you like.
You can dye natural fibers like cotton, wool, and silk to become orange this way. Try using other household items like spices as homemade dyes too.
Mixing Colored Markers
Many children learn to mix colors using markers. Overlapping red and yellow markers creates orange. Here’s a simple approach:
Materials
– Red marker
– Yellow marker
– Paper
Steps
1. Color an area of the paper red using the red marker. Use broad, solid strokes.
2. Overlap the red area with yellow using the yellow marker. Allow the markers to blend.
3. Adjust the overlap until the area turns orange. Use more red or yellow as desired.
4. Fill in any white paper to solidify the orange color.
5. Use the homemade orange marker area to color in drawings, labels, posters, and more.
6. Combine with other homemade colors by overlapping additional markers with the orange zone.
The hue will depend on the specific shades of red and yellow markers. Varying the overlap amounts controls the orange tone too.
Mixing Colored Chalks
Chalks like pastels or sidewalk chalk can be overlapped and blended to make orange too. Here’s a simple chalk-mixing process:
Materials
– Red chalk
– Yellow chalk
– Paper or pavement surface
Steps
1. Make a solid red mark with the red chalk on your surface.
2. Overlap the red area with yellow chalk. Blend together.
3. Adjust the overlap until the blended area becomes orange.
4. Fill in any white space to make a solid orange zone.
5. Use the homemade orange chalk area for coloring, writing messages, art, games, and more.
6. Combine with other hues by overlapping the orange with additional chalk colors.
More red makes the tone redder and more yellow makes it yellower. Use softer pastels or harder sidewalk chalks.
Using Colored Construction Paper
For a fun arts and crafts project, mix colored construction paper cutouts to make orange. Just overlap red and yellow paper.
Materials
– Red construction paper
– Yellow construction paper
– Scissors
– Glue
Steps
1. Cut red paper into rectangle strips. Make them about 1 inch wide.
2. Cut yellow paper into strips the same size.
3. Alternate gluing down red and yellow strips onto a backing paper.
4. Allow some overlap between the strips to blend the colors.
5. Adjust the placement until the overlapping areas become orange.
6. Trim into fun shapes or use to color in outlines as desired.
7. Use the homemade orange paper for cut-outs, arts, banners, collages, and more.
Making the paper pieces wider or thinner will impact the orange tone. Get creative with striping patterns and color mixing.
Mixing Colored Play Dough
For younger children, mix together red and yellow play dough or modeling clay. Here’s a simple play dough color mixing activity:
Materials
– Red play dough
– Yellow play dough
– Wax paper
Steps
1. Tear off a small piece of red dough and a small piece of yellow dough.
2. Roll and knead each piece into a ball. Make them equal size.
3. Press the dough balls together firmly to join them.
4. Knead and fold until the red and yellow combine into a uniform orange color.
5. Pull pieces from each ball to adjust the color lighter or darker.
6. Use the homemade orange dough to sculpt shapes, make prints, or create imaginary food.
7. Store any leftover dough in an airtight container to use again.
Encourage young children to observe how the colors mix together. Adjusting the dough amounts changes the orange tone.
Using Colored Crayons
Crayons provide an easy avenue for children to explore color mixing. Overlapping red and yellow crayon rubbings makes orange.
Materials
– Red crayon
– Yellow crayon
– Paper
– Textured surfaces like coins, leaves, etc.
Steps
1. Peel any paper wrapper off the crayons to expose the tips.
2. Rub the red crayon tip over the textured surface laid on the paper. Apply pressure and color the entire area.
3. Repeat with the yellow crayon, overlapping part of the red rubbed area.
4. Allow the colors to blend where they meet, creating orange.
5. Adjust the amount of overlap to control the orange hue.
6. Use orange crayon rubbings to make decorative cards, stationery, or art collages.
Mixing crayon shavings together can also produce orange for coloring book touch-ups. Just shave red and yellow crayon bits together.
Using Colored Pencils
Pencils offer another fun option for hands-on color mixing. Overlapping red and yellow pencils makes orange.
Materials
– Red colored pencil
– Yellow colored pencil
– Paper
– Pencil sharpener
Steps
1. Sharpen the red and yellow pencils to fine points.
2. Draw a shape on paper with the red pencil. Outline and fill it in.
3. Color over part of the red shape with the yellow pencil. Allow the colors to blend.
4. Adjust the overlap until the area turns orange.
5. Use the orange zone to color in drawings, doodles, sketches, and more.
6. Continue layering colors to create additional blends.
Varying the pressure controls how the pencils mix. Using softer or harder lead pencils impacts the effect too.
Using Colored Modeling Clay
For another tactile option, mix together red and yellow modeling clay. Here’s a simple clay color mixing activity:
Materials
– Red modeling clay
– Yellow modeling clay
– Work surface
Steps
1. Pinch or cut off a piece of the red and yellow clay. Make them equal size.
2. Press and knead the lumps together until well blended.
3. Continue mixing until the clay becomes uniform orange color throughout.
4. Pull off extra red or yellow pieces to adjust the hue lighter or darker.
5. Use the homemade orange clay to sculpt objects, make prints or clay jewelry.
6. Store any leftover clay in sealed bags or airtight containers.
The finished orange tone will depend on the original clay shades. Adjusting the clay amounts allows you to control the exact hue.
Conclusion
While orange pigment doesn’t occur naturally, you can mix red and yellow tinted mediums to create orange yourself. Adjusting the ratio of red to yellow allows you to control the exact shade and saturation of orange needed for any project. Experiment with blending techniques using paint, paper, fabric, and more. Understanding color relationships helps you unlock the secrets of making and using this vibrant secondary color.