Are There Two Colors One Can Mix to Make Red?
According to the typical color wheel, no two colors can be blended together to create red, as red is a primary color and is one of the sources, or backbones, of other colors. However, you can make red from mixing colors together from a different type of color wheel, or you can make varying hues of red by mixing color. Read on to learn more about primary, secondary, and tertiary colors, and how to match a shade of red with other colors.
What Are Primary Colors?
Primary colors are the source of all the other colors found in nature, and when you mix them together, you can form secondary colors. Primary colors are red, yellow, and blue. These three colors cannot be created from mixing two secondary or tertiary colors together, however, you can form them by mixing different hues or tints together.
What Are Secondary Colors?
Secondary colors are made by mixing two primary colors together. The secondary colors are orange, green, and violet (purple). You can mix red and yellow together to make orange, blue and yellow together to make green, and red and blue together to make violet or purple. You can create different hues, tints, tones, or shades by adding more or less of one color, or by adding neutrals, such as white, grey, or black.
What Are Tertiary Colors?
Tertiary colors are the third realm of colors and are made by mixing primary and secondary colors together. They are blue-violet, red-violet, blue-green, yellow-green, yellow-orange and red-orange. Just as with tertiary colors, you can make different shades or tints by adding different amounts of colors or adding neutrals in.
What Is Subtractive Color Mixing?
Technically, you can make the color red if you use
subtractive color mixing instead of additive color mixing (which goes by the color wheel). Subtractive color mixing goes by the subtractive color wheel, and its primary colors are magenta, red, yellow, blue, cyan, green, and black. If you go by this color wheel, you can mix magenta and yellow together to “make” red. You can also make black by combining cyan, magenta, and yellow, and black cannot be mixed on the typical color wheel.
What Are Neutral Colors?
Neutral colors are also known as earth tones and do not show up on a typical color wheel. However, you can use these colors to make tints or hues of primary, secondary, and tertiary colors. Neutral colors include white, black, gray, and often brown. If you mix these with other colors, you can create colors such as pink (by mixing red and white together). Neutral colors do not appear on the color wheel, with the exception of black, which appears on the subtractive color wheel.
What Are Complementary Colors?
To find a color’s direct
complementary color, you would look directly opposite on the color wheel. For example, red’s complementary color is green because it is directly opposite on the wheel. When these two colors are portrayed side by side, they will stand out and be more prominent. If you are matching color for fashion or for home decor, however, you can pair red with just about any color. Red is a versatile hue that can add more warmth to earth tones or brightness when paired with other colors. Blue and yellow’s complementary colors are orange and purple/violet, respectively.
