The primary colors are colors that cannot be created by mixing other colors together. The three primary colors are red, blue, and yellow. When you mix two primary colors together, you get a secondary color. The secondary colors are green, orange, and purple. Mixing two primary colors is a fun way to explore color theory and art. In this article, we’ll look at what happens when you mix the two primary colors red and blue, red and yellow, and blue and yellow.
What Does Red and Blue Make?
When you mix the primary colors red and blue together, you get purple. Purple sits between red and blue on the color wheel. It combines the excitement of red with the calm of blue.
To make purple, you need to mix equal parts red and blue paint, dye, frosting, or whatever medium you are working with. If you mix a lot of blue with just a little red, you will end up with a blue-purple. Mixing a lot of red with a little blue will give you a red-purple. Mixing perfectly equal amounts results in a nice rich purple.
The Color Wheel
Looking at a color wheel helps explain how the primary colors mix. On the wheel, red, blue and yellow are equally spaced around the circle. Mixing two colors that are next to each other results in the secondary color between them. For example:
| Primary Colors Mixed | Make Secondary Color |
|---|---|
| Red + Blue | Purple |
| Blue + Yellow | Green |
| Red + Yellow | Orange |
So red and blue blend to make purple neatly between them on the color wheel.
Paint Mixing
You can see this purple mixing in action by blending red and blue paint. Start with a blob of pure crimson red paint and a blob of true blue paint. Use a brush to swirl them together. As you mix, the color will become a gorgeous royal purple.
You can lighten the purple by adding white paint. Mix in a little white to get a nice lavender purple. Add more white for a pale lilac shade.
Darken the purple with black paint. Blending in a touch of black will give you an eggplant or wine colored purple. Adding more black will darken it to a deep plummy purple.
Light and Pigments
On a technical level, mixing red and blue paint makes purple because of the different wavelengths of light the pigments absorb and reflect.
The crimson red pigment absorbs green and blue light wavelengths. It reflects back the longer red wavelengths to our eyes.
The blue pigment absorbs orange and red wavelengths. It reflects back shorter blue wavelengths.
When you mix the two paints, the combined pigments absorb green, orange, and some blue and red wavelengths. The wavelengths that aren’t absorbed are blended together. Our eyes see this combination as purple light.
So red and blue pigments combined make the secondary color purple by reflecting a mix of their two primary colors to our eyes.
What Does Red and Yellow Make?
When you mix the primary colors red and yellow, you get orange. Orange is the lively secondary color that sits between red and yellow on the color wheel.
Mixing equal parts red and yellow paint, dye, or other medium will give you a bright orange color. The more red you use compared to yellow, the redder the orange will appear. The more yellow you use, the more yellow the orange will look.
The Color Wheel
Again, looking back at the color wheel, we can see how red and yellow blend seamlessly to make orange:
| Primary Colors Mixed | Make Secondary Color |
|---|---|
| Red + Blue | Purple |
| Blue + Yellow | Green |
| Red + Yellow | Orange |
The warm excitement of red combined with the cheerful optimism of yellow makes vivid orange.
Paint Mixing
Blending red and yellow paint shows how the primary colors mix to form orange. Start with blobs of yellow and red paint. Mix them thoroughly with a brush. The paint will quickly turn into a delicious tangerine orange color.
Add white paint to lighten the orange to peach or mango shades. Mix in black paint to deepen the orange to a burnt orange or earthy terracotta.
Light and Pigments
On a technical pigment level, red and yellow mix to make orange through the light they reflect.
The red pigment absorbs bluish-green light and reflects longer red wavelengths. Yellow pigment absorbs violet-blue light and reflects back yellow wavelengths.
When combined, the red and yellow pigments absorb greens, violets, and some blues. The remaining wavelengths of light bounce off the paint as orange to our eyes.
So red and yellow pigments together reflect a vibrant orange secondary color by mixing the wavelengths of their two primary colors.
What Does Blue and Yellow Make?
When you mix the primary colors blue and yellow, you get green. Green is the cool, refreshing secondary color between blue and yellow on the color wheel.
Mixing equal parts blue and yellow will give you a nice grass green. More blue mixed with yellow makes a bluish-green, like aqua or teal. Lots of yellow with a little blue makes yellowish-greens, like chartreuse or lime.
The Color Wheel
The color wheel shows how blue from one side and yellow from the other combine to create the secondary color green:
| Primary Colors Mixed | Make Secondary Color |
|---|---|
| Red + Blue | Purple |
| Blue + Yellow | Green |
| Red + Yellow | Orange |
Blue’s sense of calm mixes with yellow’s cheerfulness to create a satisfying green.
Paint Mixing
You can mix green firsthand by blending blue and yellow paint. Start with separate blobs of blue and yellow paint. Mix them together with a brush to watch the green color emerge.
Mix in white paint to lighten the green to a mint or seafoam shade. Add black paint to get deeper forest and olive greens.
Light and Pigments
On a scientific level, blue and yellow paints combine to make green through their interaction with light.
The blue pigment absorbs oranges and reds and reflects back blue wavelengths. The yellow pigment absorbs violets and reflects yellows.
When blended, the two pigments absorb oranges, reds, and violets. The remaining unabsorbed wavelengths combine to be seen as green light.
So by mixing the wavelengths of blue and yellow light, the pigments reflect a crisp green secondary color to our eyes.
Mixing Primary Colors is Creative Fun!
Mixing two primary colors together provides an excellent way to learn color theory basics. It’s also a fun, creative way to explore working with color.
Combining red and blue makes purple. Red and yellow makes orange. And blue and yellow makes green.
You can watch these secondary colors emerge by mixing red, blue, and yellow paint. Adjusting the amounts of each primary color gives you shades of each secondary color.
On a technical level, the pigments selectively absorb certain light wavelengths while reflecting others. The reflected wavelengths combine to create the resulting secondary color we see.
Understanding primary and secondary colors is key for artists, designers, scientists, and anyone who wants to better understand the fundamentals of color. Have fun exploring primary color mixing and see what hues you can create!