When it comes to color mixing, knowing what colors are created when combining primary colors can be very useful. The primary colors are red, blue, and yellow. When you mix two primary colors together, you get a secondary color. For example, when you mix red and blue you get purple. When you mix red and yellow you get orange. So what color do you get when you mix yellow and green?
The Color Wheel
To understand what color yellow and green make when combined, it helps to visualize the color wheel. The color wheel arranges colors in a circle to show their relationships. Opposite colors on the wheel are complementary colors. These pairings include red and green, blue and orange, and yellow and purple. Colors that are next to each other on the wheel are analogous colors.
On the color wheel, yellow is located between green and orange. Green is between yellow and blue. When two analogous colors are mixed, they create the color between them. So mixing yellow and green results in a color between yellow and green, which is yellow-green.
Mixing Paints
When mixing paints, such as watercolor or acrylic, combining yellow and green paint will make the color yellow-green. More specifically, mixing equal parts yellow paint and green paint will create a balanced yellow-green. The more yellow paint you use compared to green paint, the more the color will shift towards yellow. Conversely, adding more green paint than yellow paint will result in a bluer yellow-green.
Here is a table showing example ratios of yellow paint to green paint and the resulting color:
| Yellow Paint | Green Paint | Mixed Color |
|---|---|---|
| 2 parts | 1 part | Yellowish yellow-green |
| 1 part | 1 part | True yellow-green |
| 1 part | 2 parts | Greenish yellow-green |
As you can see, adjusting the proportions of yellow and green paint affects the yellow-green outcome. Equal parts yellow and green paint mixes to a balanced yellow-green.
Mixing Light
When it comes to mixing colored light, such as stage lighting or pixels on a computer screen, combining yellow and green light makes yellow-green light. This is due to the additive color system, where the wavelengths of light combine to create new hues.
In additive color mixing, yellow light mixed with green light produces yellow-green light. The more yellow light compared to green light, the more yellow the result. With mostly green light, the mix leans toward a bluer yellow-green.
Here is a table showing example ratios of yellow light to green light and the resulting color:
| Yellow Light | Green Light | Mixed Color |
|---|---|---|
| 80% intensity | 20% intensity | Yellowish yellow-green |
| 50% intensity | 50% intensity | True yellow-green |
| 20% intensity | 80% intensity | Greenish yellow-green |
With light mixing, equal intensities of yellow and green light create a balanced yellow-green. Adjusting the intensities shifts the mix towards either yellow or green.
Mixing Pigments
When mixing colored pigments, like in ink or dye, combining yellow and green pigments makes a yellow-green color. The subtractive color system applies when mixing pigments, where wavelengths are absorbed to create new hues.
Mixing together yellow dye and green dye will create a yellow-green dye. More yellow dye in the mix yields a more yellow yellow-green. With mostly green dye, the color leans toward a bluer yellow-green.
Here is a table showing example ratios of yellow dye to green dye and the resulting color:
| Yellow Dye | Green Dye | Mixed Color |
|---|---|---|
| 2 parts | 1 part | Yellowish yellow-green |
| 1 part | 1 part | True yellow-green |
| 1 part | 2 parts | Greenish yellow-green |
When mixing pigments, equal amounts of yellow and green dyes result in a true yellow-green. Adjusting the dye proportions shifts the mix toward yellow or green.
The Chemistry of Yellow and Green
On a chemical level, mixing the pigments that create yellow and green produces a yellow-green color. The specific pigments that make yellow and green depend on the medium, but typically include:
- Yellow pigments: cadmium yellow,
Hansa yellow, diarylide yellow, benzidine yellow - Green pigments: phthalocyanine green, chromium oxide green, viridian, emerald green
Combining a yellow pigment with a green pigment chemically produces a yellow-green color. Cadmium yellow mixed with phthalocyanine green paint makes a yellow-green paint, for example. The exact hue depends on the pigment ratio.
In plants, yellow color comes from carotenoid pigments like lutein and zeaxanthin. Green color comes from chlorophyll. The combination of carotenoids and chlorophyll creates the yellow-greens found in plant leaves, especially in the spring and fall when chlorophyll breaks down.
Mixing a yellow carotenoid solution with a green chlorophyll solution would also chemically produce a yellow-green pigment blend.
The Psychology of Yellow-Green
In color psychology, yellow-green has both the optimism of yellow and the balance of green. Yellow is cheerful and uplifting. Green is calm and stabilizing. Together as yellow-green these traits create an energizing yet mellow mood.
Yellow-green is associated with springtime and renewal as new plant growth returns. It represents the merging of the happiness of yellow with the tranquility of green. At the same time, because it falls between yellow and green, yellow-green contains some ambiguity.
Yellow-green can have different psychological effects depending on where it leans on the spectrum:
- Yellowish yellow-greens are cheerful, youthful, and dynamic
- True yellow-greens are relaxing, natural, and harmonious
- Greenish yellow-greens are mellow, gentle, and reticent
Overall, yellow-green promotes creativity, refreshment, balance, and growth. It has a rejuvenating effect on the mind and emotions.
Examples of Yellow-Green
Here are some examples of places you can encounter the yellow-green color:
- Nature – new leaves, lichen, limes, CAM plants
- Food – avocados, honeydew, Bartlett pears
- Minerals – beryl, jade, quartz
- Man-made – fluorescent lights, tennis balls, traffic lights
- Symbols – John Deere tractors, Fender guitars, Oakland A’s
Yellow-green arises anywhere yellow and green combine in the natural or human-made world. It especially occurs in vegetation as chlorophyll degrades revealing underlying carotenoids.
Conclusion
In summary, mixing yellow and green colors, whether it’s with pigments, dyes, lights or paints, results in a yellow-green color. The specific hue – more yellow or more green – depends on the proportions of the components.
On the color wheel, yellow-green sits between the primary colors yellow and green. In color theory, combining analogous colors like these creates the blended color between them.
Yellow-green is an energetic yet mellow color embodying optimism and tranquility. It promotes creativity and harmony. You can find it in nature, man-made objects, and anywhere yellow and green mix together.
