When it comes to color mixing, the combination of violet and orange can produce a variety of different hues depending on the exact shades used and the proportions they are mixed in. Violet is a secondary color made by combining the primary colors red and blue. Orange is a secondary color made by mixing the primary colors red and yellow. By blending these two secondary colors together, some interesting tertiary shades can be created.
The Color Wheel
To understand what colors violet and orange make when combined, it helps to visualize the relationship between colors on the standard color wheel. The color wheel arranges colors in a circle according to their hue, with primary colors red, yellow, and blue forming an equilateral triangle in the center. Secondary colors like violet and orange appear between the primary colors.
On the color wheel, violet sits between red and blue, while orange is located between red and yellow. This means violet contains both blue and red wavelengths of light, and orange contains both red and yellow wavelengths. When different proportions of these two colors are mixed, the resulting color will be a tertiary blend situated between violet and orange on the wheel.
Color Mixing Basics
When mixing any two colors of paint or light, the resulting color is determined by the specific wavelengths of light that are present. With pigment-based paints, mixing occurs by the blending of different pigment particles on a physical level. When working with light such as on a computer or TV screen, mixing occurs by combining various wavelengths of colored light.
In both cases, the mixture of violet and orange results in new blended hues depending on the exact proportions used. Since violet contains blue and red, while orange contains red and yellow, a violet and orange blend will contain wavelengths from all three primary colors. By adjusting the ratios of violet to orange, different shades of tertiary colors can be created.
Mixing Violet and Orange Paint
When mixing artistic paint colors, blending violet and orange will make brown, beige, or tan shades. Violet paint contains blue and red pigments, while orange paint contains red and yellow pigments. When these two are blended, the resulting color contains all three primary color pigments.
If more violet paint is used in the mix, the color will appear closer to a brown with subtle purple undertones. With more orange paint, the blend will look more like a warm tan or beige. Equal parts violet and orange result in a balanced tertiary shade somewhere between tan and brown. The exact hue depends on the specific paint shades used.
| Violet to Orange Ratio | Resulting Color |
|---|---|
| More violet | Brown with purple undertone |
| Equal violet & orange | Tertiary beige-brown |
| More orange | Beige tan |
For example, mixing a deep purple violet with a bright orange will make a darker, grayish brown. Mixing a light lilac violet with a muted peach orange will create a softer beige-tan instead. The exact resulting hue depends on the specific pigments used and their relative proportions in the blend.
Mixing Violet and Orange Light
When beams of colored light mix, the same general color theory applies. Violet light contains blue and red wavelengths, while orange light is a blend of red and yellow wavelengths. Combining beams of violet and orange light results in various brown, beige, or tan hues depending on the ratios used.
With more violet light in the mix, the resulting color appears closer to a purple-brown. A higher proportion of orange light makes the blend more of a warm tan. Computer screens, TVs, stage lighting, and other displays can simulate millions of different colors by blending different intensities of red, green, and blue light. By adjusting the relative intensities, many shades between violet and orange can be created.
Mixing Violet and Orange Paint vs. Light
An important distinction between mixing paints versus light is that paints use a subtractive color method, while light mixing is additive. With paint, the mixture absorbs or subtracts some wavelengths, so adding more colors together eventually produces black. But when mixing light, shining more wavelengths together produces lighter and brighter colors up to white.
This means mixing violet and orange paint makes darker browns and tans, since more color pigments absorb more light. But mixing violet and orange light produces brighter versions of tan, as more wavelengths are added. So the same principles apply, but the results appear darker with physical pigments versus beams of light.
Mixing Violet and Orange Dyes
The same color theory applies when mixing dyes for fabrics, markers, food coloring, and other applications. Since dyes function by absorbing and transmitting specific wavelengths, they behave similarly to paint pigments when blended. Violet dyes absorb green and yellow light, while orange dyes absorb blue light.
Mixing violet and orange dyes produces tertiary colors between brown and tan depending on the ratios. A dye mixture with more violet results in purple-browns, since more green/yellow light is absorbed. A higher proportion of orange dye absorbs more blue light for warmer tan shades. Equal amounts of the two dyes make balanced beige-browns by absorbing a moderate amount of green, yellow, and blue wavelengths.
Complementary Colors
Looking at the color wheel, violet and orange are roughly complementary colors located opposite each other. Complementary colors contain wavelengths that effectively cancel each other out. This makes equal mixtures of complements both visually neutral and lower in saturation. Mixing precise complements makes gray, but violet and orange are not exact complements so their blend maintains some color.
The brownish tertiary hues created by mixing violet and orange are generally lower in saturation than either parent color. Using one color as an accent to the other provides more contrast and vibrance. But blended together in equal amounts, violet and orange combine to make more neutral and muted tones.
Color Temperature
Another way to understand violet and orange mixtures is by looking at color temperature. Violet falls on the cooler end of the color spectrum, while orange is considered a warm color. When blended, these mix to create intermediate temperatures of color.
Adding more warm orange shifts the balance toward tan or beige with yellow undertones. Increasing the proportion of cool violet moves the blend closer to purple-brown hues instead. The relative amounts of the warm and cool colors determine the temperature of the final mixture.
Uses and Examples
Knowing how to mix violet and orange allows artists to intentionally create a wide range of useful tertiary colors between brown, tan, and beige. Here are some examples of how these color combinations are used:
- Painting – Mixing orange and purple oil or acrylic paint to generate natural earth tones for landscapes.
- Dyeing – Adding violet and orange fabric dyes together to color clothing or textiles different shades of brown.
- Cooking – Blending food coloring or icing dyes to decorate cakes and sweets in custom neutral tones.
- Printing – Combining cyan, magenta, and yellow ink to produce various tan, brown, and beige tones for color printing.
- Digital art – Using painting software to mix digital orange and violet colors when designing custom browns and tans.
- Stage/venue lighting – Producing warmer or cooler shades of brown by gelling lights with varying degrees of orange and purple.
Brown and beige shades are very common for aesthetic and practical purposes across many different mediums. Adjusting the ratio between violet and orange components provides control over the exact tone.
Advanced Color Mixing
When working with paints, dyes, inks, lighting, and digital applications, even more colors can be accessed by mixing additional hues beyond just violet and orange.
For example, adding a small amount of cyan blue to a violet-orange blend mutes it towards a cooler gray-brown. Mixing in a touch of yellow greens the blend towards an olive tan. Using white makes the mixture tint lighter, while black shades it darker. With more colors, the possibilities expand greatly.
Understanding the basics of mixing violet and orange provides the foundation for adjusting browns and tans in endless ways by tweaking the color proportions. Mastering color theory allows artists to bend the blend towards warmer beiges, cooler browns, or customized neutral shades.
Psychology of Violet and Orange
Color psychology provides another perspective on why violet and orange work well together. Violet is associated with qualities like spirituality, nostalgia, and luxury. Orange evokes energy, happiness, and enthusiasm. Combining these colorful qualities makes balanced, earthy tones.
Too much bright orange can feel overwhelming, while excessive violet seems overly fanciful. But when blended, these two intensities balance each other. Browns keep orange grounded, while beiges add sophisticated subtlety to violet. Used together, violet and orange color energy harmonizes.
Conclusion
Mixing the secondary colors violet and orange makes tertiary blends ranging from brown to beige based on the specific ratio used. Adjusting the proportions shifts the mixture through a spectrum between the parents while retaining elements of both.
Understanding how to blend violet and orange allows for nuanced control over neutral tones for painting, dyeing, design, lighting, and more. Combining color qualities also produces visually harmonious and psychologically balanced hues. While the specific resulting colors depend on many factors, the foundational color theory remains the same across all mediums.
So whether working with paints, dyes, light, or digital tools, blending violet and orange provides access to a wide range of beautifully muted tones full of potential. Use this guide to confidently mix custom tertiary colors between purple, red, yellow, and blue.
