Orange is a secondary color that is made by mixing the primary colors red and yellow. When red and yellow light are mixed together, the result is orange light. When red and yellow pigments are mixed together, the result is orange paint or crayons. So yes, orange can be considered a mixture of the two primary colors red and yellow.
The color wheel
The relationship between red, yellow, and orange can be seen on the color wheel. The color wheel shows the set of primary, secondary, and tertiary colors and how they relate to each other. The primary colors are red, yellow, and blue. These are called primary colors because they cannot be created by mixing other colors – all other colors are derived from some combination of these 3.
The secondary colors are orange, green, and purple. Each secondary color is made by mixing two adjacent primary colors. Orange is made by mixing red and yellow, green is made by mixing yellow and blue, and purple is made by mixing blue and red.
Finally, the tertiary colors are made by mixing a primary color with an adjacent secondary color. For example, red-orange is made by mixing red and orange, and yellow-orange is made by mixing yellow and orange. This demonstrates how orange is a transitional color between red and yellow.
Light and pigments
The same color relationships that appear on the color wheel apply to both light and pigments. With light, the primary colors are red, green, and blue light. When beams of red and yellow light are overlapped, the result is orange light. So with light, orange is a mixture of red and yellow wavelengths.
With pigments like paint and crayons, the primary colors are red, yellow, and blue. When red and yellow pigments are blended together, the result is orange paint or crayon color. So with pigments, orange is a mixture of red and yellow pigments.
| Medium | Primary colors | Mix red + yellow to get… |
|---|---|---|
| Light | Red, green, blue | Orange light |
| Pigment | Red, yellow, blue | Orange paint/crayon |
This table summarizes how orange is created by mixing red and yellow, whether with light wavelengths or pigment particles.
The RGB and RYB color models
The way red, yellow, and orange relate can also be seen in two common color models used in digital displays, design, and art:
- RGB – This stands for red, green, blue. This is an additive color model where the primary colors are red, green, and blue light. When red and green light are combined, the result is yellow light. Mixing red and yellow light produces orange.
- RYB – This stands for red, yellow, blue. This is a subtractive color model where the primaries are red, yellow, and blue pigments. Combining red and yellow pigments makes orange paint or crayon color.
Both of these widely-used color models demonstrate that mixing red and yellow produces orange, whether with light or pigments.
Absorption and reflection of light
On a deeper level, the reason combining red and yellow makes orange has to do with the physics of how color works.
Red objects appear red because they absorb most visible wavelength light, except for red wavelengths, which are reflected. Yellow objects absorb all wavelengths except yellow, which is reflected. When a material contains pigments or dyes of both red and yellow, it will absorb most visible light except reflect both red and yellow.
Our eyes perceive this combined red+yellow reflection as orange. So orange appearance is the result of blending two sets of reflected wavelengths, red and yellow light.
Pigment and dye mixing
In paints, colored pencils, and other pigmented mediums, orange is literally created by mixing pigments of red and yellow. Pigments are powdered materials that exhibit a particular color by reflecting only some wavelengths.
Common red pigments include cadmium red, made from cadmium sulfide, and madder lake, made from the madder plant root. Common yellow pigments include cadmium yellow, made from cadmium zinc sulfide, and Hansa yellow, made from synthetic organic dyes. By blending powders of red and yellow pigments, orange paint is created.
Similarly, dyes dissolve in water to color fibers and fabrics. Common red dyes include azorubine or carmoisine, made from azo compounds. Yellow dyes include tartrazine, derived from coal tar. Mixing suitable red and yellow dyes results in orange fabric color.
So with both pigments and dyes, orange is physically produced by mixing particles or molecules of red and yellow colorants.
Computer and TV screens
On digital displays like computer monitors and TV screens, orange is made by combining outputs from red and green pixels. Pixels on screens emit red, green, and blue light. These RGB pixels can make orange by turning on both the red and green sub-pixels to various brightnesses.
Televisions and other displays have additional yellow pixels alongside the red, green, and blue ones. The red and yellow sub-pixels can be turned on together to produce orange pixels directly.
So screens make orange light by blending outputs from red and yellow or red and green sub-pixels in each pixel. This again demonstrates orange being a mixture of red and yellow light.
Printing inks
In four-color process printing using CMYK inks, orange is made by layering halftone patterns of magenta and yellow inks. Cyan, magenta, and yellow are the subtractive primary colors in printing.
Magenta ink absorbs green light while reflecting red and blue. Yellow ink absorbs blue light while reflecting red and green. Overlaying dot patterns of magenta and yellow inks results in an ink film that reflects both red and yellow light, which is perceived as orange.
Special orange inks are also sometimes used in spot color printing. These orange inks are pre-mixed pigments absorbing most non-orange wavelengths while reflecting orange. Again, the blending of reflected red and yellow produces the appearance of orange.
Natural pigments
In nature, orange coloration comes from plant, animal, and mineral pigments that reflect a mix of red and yellow wavelengths. Some examples of natural orange pigments include:
- Carotenoids – Plant pigments like carotene found in carrots absorb blue and green light, leaving a reflected mix of mostly red and yellow.
- Porphyrins – Red pigments from inorganic and organic compounds that reflect red and yellow light.
- Papiliochrome II – A pigment found in some swallowtail butterflies.
- Cinnabar/Vermilion – Mercuric sulfides found near hot springs and volcanic deposits that reflect yellowish-red light.
By absorbing non-red non-yellow wavelengths, these pigments all selectively reflect back a combination of red and yellow light that creates their orange coloration.
Conclusion
In summary, orange is universally created by mixing red and yellow – whether with light waves, pigment powders, dye molecules, or reflected wavelengths. Red and yellow are adjacent primary colors that combine to form the secondary color orange in the center of the color wheel.
So yes, the color orange can be considered a mixture of the two primary colors red and yellow. This fundamental color relationship applies to all media including light, paints, dyes, and nature. The appearance of orange is the result of blending and reflecting back wavelengths of red and yellow light to the eye.
