Black is a very common color that can be found in nature, art, design, fashion, and many other places. But black is interesting because it is not considered one of the main primary colors. The three primary colors are red, yellow, and blue. So how do you make black from primary colors? The answer is that you need to mix together all three primary colors in order to create black.
The Primary Colors
The three primary colors are red, yellow, and blue. These are considered the main primary colors because they cannot be created by mixing other colors together. All other colors are derived from some combination of these three primary colors. Here is some more information about each primary color:
Red
Red is associated with warmth, fire, anger, passion, excitement, danger, and blood. It has the longest wavelength of visible light. In design, red commands attention and draws the eye. It is a bold, energetic color. In printing, red is one of the three secondary colors along with yellow and blue. The complementary color of red is green.
Yellow
Yellow is associated with sunshine, happiness, optimism, idealism, imagination, hope, and curiosity. It is considered the brightest color to the human eye. In design, yellow commands attention but not as strongly as red. It represents freshness, joy, and energy. In printing, yellow is one of the three primary colors along with magenta and cyan. The complementary color of yellow is purple.
Blue
Blue is associated with depth, trust, loyalty, wisdom, confidence, stability, and intelligence. It has a calming effect. In design, light blues are tranquil and relaxing while dark blues are more sophisticated and serious. In printing, blue is one of the three primary colors along with red and yellow. The complementary color of blue is orange.
How the Primary Colors Mix
When you mix the primary colors together, they create secondary colors as follows:
| Primary Colors | Secondary Color |
|---|---|
| Red + Yellow | Orange |
| Yellow + Blue | Green |
| Blue + Red | Purple |
As you can see, mixing two primary colors together creates a new secondary color. For example, mixing red and yellow makes orange.
So what happens when you mix all three primary colors together?
Mixing All the Primaries Makes Black
When you mix red, yellow, and blue together in equal amounts, the result is black. This is because the combination of all the primary colors absorbs all the light wavelengths, creating what we see as black.
For example, when you look at a black shirt under white light, the shirt is absorbing all the colors of light and reflecting none of them back to your eyes. This absence of reflected light is what we perceive as the black color.
In printing specifically, the primary colors are cyan (a light blue), magenta (a light reddish purple), and yellow. When you overlay these three colors in printing, the combination absorbs all light and creates black.
The Scientific Reason Behind This
The scientific reason that a mix of all the primary colors creates black has to do with the additive and subtractive color mixing models.
There are two main color models:
- Additive – Used for light colors like on a computer screen or digital projector. The primary colors are red, green, and blue. Combining all the colors makes white.
- Subtractive – Used for pigment colors like paint or printer ink. The primary colors are cyan, magenta, and yellow. Combining all the colors makes black.
Additive Color Mixing
The additive color model is based on mixing colored lights. With colored lights, the primary colors are red, green, and blue. When you combine these colored lights, adding more and more light, eventually the result is white light:
| Additive Color Mixing | Result |
|---|---|
| Red light + Green light | Yellow light |
| Green light + Blue light | Cyan (light blue) light |
| Blue light + Red light | Magenta (purple) light |
| Red light + Green light + Blue light | White light |
So additive color mixing starts with darkness, and combining the primary lights results in white light. This model is used for electronic devices like televisions, computers, and phones.
Subtractive Color Mixing
The subtractive color model is based on mixing pigments. With pigments, the primary colors are cyan, magenta, and yellow. When you combine these colored pigments, absorbing more and more light, eventually the result is black:
| Subtractive Color Mixing | Result |
|---|---|
| Cyan paint + Magenta paint | Blue paint |
| Cyan paint + Yellow paint | Green paint |
| Magenta paint + Yellow paint | Red paint |
| Cyan paint + Magenta paint + Yellow paint | Black paint |
So subtractive color mixing starts with a white canvas, and combining the primary pigments results in black. This model is used for physical materials like paint, ink, and dyes.
Therefore, the key difference between additive and subtractive mixing is that with lights, combining primaries makes white, while with pigments, combining primaries makes black.
Black & White are Absence of Color
Another way to understand the subtractive model is that white occurs when all wavelengths of light are reflected off a surface, while black occurs when no wavelengths are reflected.
For example, a white surface bounces back all the colors to your eyes, while a black surface absorbs all the colors. So white and black are not really colors themselves – they represent the presence or absence of all visible colors.
When you combine cyan, magenta, and yellow pigments, they absorb more and more of the color spectrum until no light is reflected anymore, creating black.
Practical Examples of Mixing Colors to Make Black
Here are some practical real-world examples of mixing different primary colors together to create black:
Painting
In painting, you can mix together the primary colors red, yellow, and blue to create black paint. Start with equal parts of vivid red, yellow, and blue oil or acrylic paint on a palette. Mix them together thoroughly with a paintbrush or palette knife until the blend creates a deep black color.
Printing
For printing processes that use cyan, magenta, yellow, and black (CMYK) inks, overlaying all three colored inks will create black. Cyan, magenta, and yellow are the primary subtractive colors in printing. When combined together on paper, they absorb all light and create black.
Lighting
In theater lighting, there is a technique called RGB mixing, which uses red, green, and blue colored lights. Pointing three floodlights or spotlights colored red, green, and blue at the same position on stage will mix to create white light. Dimming all three lights equally to zero intensity will create a blackout effect.
Pigments
Mixing together pigments or dyes in cyan, magenta, and yellow will also create black. This could be done by mixing fabric dyes, colored glazes for ceramics, or other types of pigments. When used in full saturation, the combination absorbs all light waves.
Digital Design
In digital design applications, you can mix 100% cyan, magenta, and yellow on a virtual canvas to make black. This mimics the real-world print process by applying the subtractive color model. Design programs like Adobe Illustrator, Photoshop, and InDesign use this CMYK color mixing.
Conclusion
In summary, the primary colors that make black are cyan, magenta, and yellow. These three colors represent the subtractive primary colors used in pigment and printing. When combined, they absorb all wavelengths of light, creating what we see as solid black. This model is the opposite of additive light mixing, where combining red, green, and blue makes white light. So the essential takeaway is that all the primary colors together make black in the world of pigments and inks, while they make white in the world of light and illumination. Understanding these core concepts of color theory helps explain the science behind mixing different colored mediums.