Quick Answer
Mixing red and green pigments or light results in brown. This is because red, green, and blue are the primary colors of light. When you combine red and green light, it lacks blue light, which our eyes perceive as brown. Similarly, when mixing red and green paints or dyes, they combine to make brown pigment. So the quick answer is – brown comes after mixing red and green!
The Science Behind Mixing Colors
To understand what happens when we mix red and green, we need to first understand the basics of how color works.
There are two main ways we perceive color:
1. Additive Color Mixing (Light)
This involves mixing colored lights. The primary additive colors are red, green, and blue. This is because all other colors can be created by combining these three colors of light.
Computer and TV screens use the additive color model. Pixels on the screen emit different amounts of red, green and blue light to create all the colors we see.
When you mix red and green light, you are getting a combination of two primary colors, but lacking the third – blue. Our eyes perceive this combination as brown.
2. Subtractive Color Mixing (Pigments)
This involves mixing pigments, dyes or paints. The primary subtractive colors are cyan, magenta and yellow. This is because pigments absorb certain wavelengths of light and reflect others.
For example, cyan paint absorbs red light and reflects blue and green. When multiple pigments are mixed, they combine to absorb more wavelengths, reflecting less back to our eyes.
The secondary subtractive colors are green, purple and red. Mixing two primary colors creates the secondary colors.
So when mixing red and green paints or dyes, they combine to absorb more wavelengths, creating a brown color that reflects less light overall.
The Color Wheel
The color wheel is a useful visualization of how colors mix together. It arranges colors in a circle according to their hue.
| Primary Colors | Secondary Colors | Tertiary Colors |
|---|---|---|
| Red | Orange | Red-orange |
| Yellow | Green | Yellow-green |
| Blue | Purple | Blue-purple |
Opposites colors on the wheel complement each other. Mixing any two complementary colors results in a shade of brown.
So when looking at the color wheel, we can see that red and green are opposite each other. This means mixing them results in a brown color, as the complements cancel each other out.
Examples of Mixing Red and Green
Here are some examples of what happens when you mix red and green in different contexts:
Light
– Stage lighting – Mixing red and green colored gels or filters will create a brown lighting effect on stage.
– Holiday lights – Christmas lights with red, green, and sometimes blue bulbs combine to produce a festive white or warm golden light.
– TVs and computer monitors create brown by displaying more red and green pixels than blue.
Paint and Dyes
– Mixing red and green paint – This creates a muddy brown color. Artists might do this to shade or dull down a color.
– Tie-dyeing – Adding both red and green dyes to a white t-shirt will turn it brown when mixed together.
– Printing – Overlaying cyan, magenta and yellow inks on paper creates black. Mixing just magenta and yellow makes a brown.
Nature
– Leaves changing in autumn – The green chlorophyll starts breaking down and the remaining pigments are yellow carotenes and orange and red anthocyanins. The mix creates shades of brown.
– Flower petals and plants – Some appear brown when they contain both red and green pigments.
– Animals and birds – Feathers and fur can appear brown when containing both melanins and carotenoid pigments.
Food and Drinks
– Mixing green and red icing – This makes a brown colored icing, like for camouflage cakes.
– Blending red and green juices or smoothies – You get a brownish muddy color.
– Browning fruit – As green fruits like apples and pears ripen, the chlorophyll breaks down and they turn brown.
– Rusting metals – As the metal oxidizes, the layer of rust contains both red and brown rust pigments.
Why Brown? The Science of Color Perception
So why does mixing red and green always result in brown, specifically? This has to do with the way our eyes and brains perceive color.
There are color receptor cells called cones in our retinas that detect different wavelengths of light. There are cones most sensitive to red light, green light and blue light.
All other colors are perceived by the relative stimulation of these three cone types. The brain combines and interprets these signals into all the colors we see.
When only the red and green cones are stimulated, with little blue stimulation, the brain perceives this as a shade of brown.
So when mixing light sources that emit red and green wavelengths, or pigments that absorb blue wavelengths, we are left with a brown color lacking blue components.
Interestingly, more shades of brown can be distinguished by the human eye compared to any other color. This is possibly because being able to perceive minute differences in brown hues was evolutionarily useful.
Applications and Uses
Understanding color mixing allows us to purposefully create shades of brown for various applications:
Dyeing and Textiles
– Mixing natural dyes or fabric paints to achieve different earthy brown tones
– Tie-dyeing shirts using red and green dyes
Painting and Art
– Mixing paints on a palette to create new customized shades of brown
– Painting brown shadows by layering red and green
Printing and Photography
– Altering RGB color balance to adjust brown tones in photos
– Combining cyan, magenta and yellow pigments to create black and brown
Stage Lighting and Theater
– Using red and green gels to spotlight actors with a brown hue
– Creating a moody brown atmosphere for dramatic scenes
Holiday Decorations
– Stringing red, green and sometimes blue holiday lights to give a warm brown glow
– Making brown ornaments by mixing red and green paints or dyes
Conclusion
When red and green light or pigments are combined, they produce shades of brown. This stems from the science of how our eyes perceive color through the additive and subtractive color mixing models.
Interestingly, brown is the color we can distinguish most shades of, likely an evolutionary adaptation. Mixing red and green allows us to purposefully create earthy brown tones for applications like dyeing, painting, lighting, printing and more.
So in summary, the answer to “what comes after mixing red and green?” is brown! Both visually on the color wheel, and scientifically due to the absorption and reflection of specific light wavelengths.
