Green and purple are both secondary colors on the visible spectrum. When mixed together, they make a tertiary color that is a blend of the two. The specific resulting color depends on the shades of green and purple used. Lighter tints make a lighter blended color, while deeper shades make a deeper, darker blended color. With some basic color theory knowledge, it’s easy to predict the color that green and purple make when combined.
The Color Wheel
The color wheel is a useful tool for understanding how different colors mix together. The wheel arranges colors by hue in a circle. Opposite colors are complementary colors that create grays and browns when combined. Adjacent colors on the wheel are analogous colors that create vibrant secondary colors when mixed.
On the color wheel, green is located between yellow and blue. Purple is located between red and blue. This makes green and purple analogous colors since they sit side-by-side on the wheel. When analogous colors are combined, they make a vibrant tertiary color located between the two hues.
For green and purple, this tertiary color is a shade of blue-violet. The exact hue depends on the green and purple shades used. Mixing a yellow-green and red-purple will make a more violet combo. A blue-green and blue-purple will be more blue. But in general, combining any greens and purples makes a vivid bluish purple.
RYB vs. RGB Color Models
There are two main color models to consider when mixing paints or digital colors:
| RYB (Traditional) | RGB (Digital) |
|---|---|
| Used in painting, art | Used on screens, digital formats |
| Primary colors: red, yellow, blue | Primary colors: red, green, blue |
| Purple made from red + blue | Purple made from red + blue |
| Orange made from red + yellow | Orange made from red + green |
The traditional RYB color model is used for painting and art. It has primary colors of red, yellow, and blue. On the other hand, the RGB model used for digital formats has primaries of red, green, and blue.
While purple is the same mix in both models, oranges differ. Mixing red and yellow makes orange in RYB, while red and green make orange in RGB. This affects some secondary mixes.
Mixing Paints vs. Digital Colors
When physically mixing paints, dyes, or inks, the colors follow the RYB model. Mixing green and purple paint will make a tertiary blue-violet shade. The specific hue depends on if you use a blue-leaning green like viridian or a yellow-leaning green like sap green. Similarly, mixing a red-leaning purple like mulberry with a blue-leaning purple like lilac will change the resulting color. But the general result will be a vibrant purple with both blue and red undertones.
Digitally mixing colors for web or print design follows the RGB model. While a true purple here is mixing red and blue light, software tools let you mix a green and purple shade. This makes an electric purple hue leaning towards magenta. Adjusting the green and purple used will shift the tone and brightness. A blue-green and red-purple makes a vivid neon purple. A yellow-green and blue-purple makes a softer, muted violet.
Predicting the Resulting Color
It’s easy to predict what color green and purple will make by looking at a color wheel. Find where green and purple sit on the wheel. The resulting color will be located between them. Green and purple are equidistant between the primary colors they each contain.
For example:
| Red | Purple | Blue |
| Green | Blue-Violet Result | Yellow |
Here, purple is halfway between red and blue. Green is halfway between yellow and blue. The blue-violet result is halfway between purple and green.
You can also think about the primary colors that make up green and purple:
| Yellow + Blue = Green |
| Red + Blue = Purple |
| Blue + (Yellow + Red) = Blue-Violet |
Green contains yellow and blue, while purple contains red and blue. Mixing the two combines yellow, red, and blue to make a blue-violet.
Understanding these color relationships helps you predict resulting hues. Use a color wheel if you need a visual reference.
The Effect of Color Ratios
Varying the ratios of the green and purple colors changes the end result. Mixing equal parts green and purple produces a vivid, balanced tertiary. Adding more green mutes the color towards green and teal shades. Extra purple pushes the mix towards eggplant and magenta tones.
Refer to a color triangle to see these variations. The three points of the triangle represent the three primary colors. Mixing two primary colors at the corners makes the pure secondary color halfway along the edge. The center is a perfect tertiary mix. Moving closer to one corner shifts the balance towards that primary.
| Yellow | Green | |
| Blue-Violet | ||
| Red | Purple |
More green to purple makes bluer tertiaries. More purple to green makes redder/pinker tertiaries. Balanced portions of each makes vivid blue-violets.
Tinting with White and Shading with Black
Adding white or black to a color creates tints and shades without changing the base hue. With green and purple mixes, tinting with white makes soft pastel violets. Shading with black makes deep, muted blue-violets trending towards black.
Tinting and shading both mute and gray out the resulting color. But the relative green and purple quantities still impact the end result. Here’s how tinting with white may shift the tone:
| Tint with white: | More Green: | Balanced: | More Purple: |
| Lighter green teal | Pale blue-violet | Lavender |
And shading with black may result in these deeper tones:
| Shade with black: | More Green: | Balanced: | More Purple: |
| Deep teal | Dark blue-violet | Eggplant |
So while white and black mute the vibrancy, they don’t fundamentally change the relationship between the green, purple, and resulting color.
Light vs. Pigment Mixing
Mixing colored light, like on a computer screen or theater lighting, follows different rules than mixing pigments. Light combines by adding colors together. Pigments mix through subtraction, absorbing some wavelengths and reflecting others.
This means mixing green and purple light makes a bright white. The green light reflects green and blue wavelengths. Purple reflects red and blue wavelengths. Together, they reflect all visible wavelengths making white.
But mixing green and purple pigments absorbs all but the blue-violet wavelengths, subtractively making a darker tertiary instead of light. The pigments behave as described above. Only mixing light is additive and makes white.
The Psychology of the Green and Purple Mix
The resulting tones from mixing green and purple have some interesting psychological and symbolic associations:
– Blue-violet shades are quite rare in nature and visually striking. They can symbolize imagination, spirituality, wisdom, and depth.
– Lavenders represent femininity, grace, and elegance. Soft lavenders bring a sense of calm.
– On the other hand, purples like fuchsia and magenta feel energizing and playful. They are whimsical colors that boost moods.
– Darker eggplant or wine purples are luxurious and sophisticated. They suggest richness and royalty.
The green hue also adds some natural, balanced qualities. Green is the color of growth, health, and renewal. Combining green with purple creates an organic, earthy version of purple that still feels evolved and visionary.
So while the specific color meaning depends on the shade, in general green and purple mixes combine the stability of green with the creative energy of purple.
Uses for Mixed Greens and Purples
There are many uses for the tertiary colors created by mixing green and purple, both traditionally and in modern contexts:
– **Art**: These shades work beautifully when painting landscapes, florals, or abstract purple flowers emerging from green foliage.
– **Interior Design**: Consider an elegant lavender accent wall against sage green furnishings, or deep blue-violet kitchen cabinets with mint green backsplashes.
– **Events**: Vibrant magentas or fuchsias make bold, exciting wedding colors when combined with emerald green shades.
– **Website Design**: Digital violet-blues pair nicely with green call-to-action buttons to stand out on websites.
– **Logos**: Many spas, wellness, or spirituality related brands use these colors to convey natural balance.
– **Fashion**: Blue-violet hair continues to be a hot trend, often as a colorful highlight on brunettes.
– **Makeup**: Eyeshadow and lipstick in harmonious greens and purples is a go-to trendy, yet wearable look.
– **Food/Beverage**: Creative chefs make blue-violet sauces over greens like kale to delight diners with an unexpected color combination.
The color possibilities are truly endless! With some thoughtfulness, you can incorporate mixed green and purple shades into almost any context.
How Different Lighting Affects the Perceived Color
The lighting conditions when viewing a color can impact how our eyes perceive it. Different types of light change a color’s appearance.
Here’s how different lighting affects green and purple mixes:
| Light Source | Color Perception |
|---|---|
| Sunlight | Most accurate representation of the true color |
| Incandescent | Warms and intensifies purple tones |
| Fluorescent | Dulls and flattens the colors |
| LED | Cools down purples and makes greens pop |
| Candlelight | Mutes saturation into soft and hazy tones |
Daylight is always best for assessing colors accurately. Incandescent bulbs exaggerate purple tones by adding warm yellow/orange. Fluorescent lighting has poor color rendering that distorts vibrancy. LED emphasizes greens while cooling off purples. Candlelight softens everything into a romantic haze.
Take these factors into account if colors appear off. The most flattering light for green and purple mixes is natural daylight or well-balanced dimmable LEDs. Incandescent flatters the purples, while fluorescent should usually be avoided.
10 Examples of Green and Purple Color Combinations
Here are 10 examples of gorgeous color combinations featuring green with purple:
| Green Shade | Purple Shade | Mood & Uses |
|---|---|---|
| Mint green | Lilac purple | Fresh, soft, springtime colors |
| Sage green | Wisteria purple | Spa-like tranquility |
| Emerald green | Royal purple | Luxe, gem-like tones |
| Forest green | Eggplant purple | Earthy, organic depth |
| Lime green | Fuchsia | Vibrant, tropical fun |
| Olive green | Plum purple | Rich autumnal shades |
| Seafoam green | Orchid purple | Whimsical, magical colors |
| Avocado green | Grape purple | Retro, psychedelic pop |
| Neon green | Neon magenta | Futuristic, sci-fi vibes |
| Jade green | Violet purple | Mystical, spiritual energy |
Play around with different green and purple shades to create a palette that conveys your desired style and mood!
Conclusion
When combined, green and purple make a vibrant tertiary color that retains elements of both hues. On the traditional RYB color wheel, they blend towards blue-violet shades. In digital RGB, they mix to electric purples. The exact resulting color depends on the green and purple variants chosen and their ratios in the mix.
Tinting with white makes soft pastel purple variations. Shading with black results in deeper, muted tones. Both green and purple have strong symbolism and psyche impacts that come through in the blends. Be aware of how different lighting changes color appearance, and experiment freely with green and purple mixes across all kinds of creative applications.
So embrace this dynamic, imaginative color combo! Green and purple create something beautiful together.
