How to mix colors to make grey. How to get brown from secondary colors

Take paint. Any kind of paint will do - even those used on furniture or walls - but it's best (and cleaner) to practice with a few small tubes of oil or acrylic paint. First, let's see what happens if we mix just two colors - red and blue.

• Note: Black can be obtained by mixing the available colors. Black pigment, of course, exists, but its use is too conspicuous. It is better to get dark colors by mixing transparent primary colors: shadows also have shades depending on the time of day and other factors.
• Read the "Other Tips" section below for guidance on choosing the best magenta and cyan.

1. Mix red and blue. Everyone knows that red and blue, when mixed, make purple, right? Indeed, but this is not that bright, lively purple. Instead, they form something like this:

   • Not very pleasing to the eye, is it? This is because red and blue absorb more and reflect less spectrum, giving a dark, dirty purple instead of a vibrant, vibrant one.

2. Now try this: mix magenta with a little cyan and you will see the difference. This time you will get something like this:

   

   • Magenta is a shade of purple, cyan is a blue-green hue, often referred to as bright blue or turquoise. Along with yellow, they are the primary colors in the CMYK model, which is based on a subtractive color scheme (obtaining color by subtracting individual components from white). This scheme is used in printing, including color printers.
   • You can see that using the real primary colors - magenta and cyan - results in a much brighter and more vibrant hue. If you want a richer purple, add more blue. Add black for dark purple.

3. Mix pigments to get primary and secondary colors. There are 3 main color pigments: cyan, magenta and yellow. There are also 3 secondary colors obtained by mixing two primary colors:

   • Cyan + yellow = green
   • Cyan + magenta = blue
   • Magenta + yellow = red
   • Cyan + magenta + yellow = black
   • In subtractive color mixing, the combination of all colors produces black.

4. "See the information below. See the "Mixing Colors" section for more detailed tips on how to achieve a wide variety of shades, including light, dark, and greyish. The Tips section provides an extensive list of colors and combinations that can be used to get those colors on the palette.

   Light Blending: Additive Colors

   1. Take a look at your monitor. Look at the white areas on this page and get as close as possible. Even better if you have a magnifying glass. Bringing your eyes closer to the screen, you will see not white, but red, green and blue dots. Unlike pigments, which work by absorbing color, light is additive, that is, it works by adding up light fluxes. Movie screens and displays, whether it's a 60-inch plasma TV or the 3.5-inch Retina display on your iPhone, use additive color mixing.

      Mix light to get primary and secondary colors. As in the case of subtractive colors, there are 3 primary and 3 secondary colors obtained by mixing primary colors. The result may surprise you:

      • Mixing red + blue = magenta
      • Mixing blue + green = cyan
      • Mixing green + red = yellow
      • In additive color mixing, the combination of all colors produces white.
      • Note that primary additive colors are secondary subtractive colors and vice versa. How can it be? Know that the effect of subtractive color is a combined process: it absorbs some colors, and we perceive what is left, that is, the reflected light. The reflected color is the color of the light output that remains when all other colors have been absorbed.

   Modern color theory

   1. Understand the subjective nature of color perception. A person's perception and identification of color depend on both objective and subjective factors. While scientists can define and measure light down to the nanometer, our eyes perceive a complex combination of not only hue, but also the saturation and brightness of a color. This circumstance is further complicated by the way we see the same color on different backgrounds.

      Hue, saturation and lightness are the three dimensions of color. We can say that any color has three dimensions: hue, saturation and lightness.

      • Tone characterizes the position of a color on the color wheel - red, orange, yellow, and so on, including all intermediate colors, such as red-orange or orange-yellow. Here are a few examples: pink refers to a magenta tone or red (or somewhere in between). Brown refers to an orange tone because brown is a dark orange.
      • Saturation- this is what gives a rich, vibrant color, like on a rainbow or color wheel. Pale, dark and muted colors (shades) are less saturated.
      • Lightness indicates how close a color is to white or black, regardless of the color. If you take a black and white photograph of flowers, you can tell which ones are lighter and which ones are darker.
        • For example, bright yellow is a relatively light color. You can lighten it even more by adding white and making it a pale yellow.
        • Bright blue is naturally dark and low on the light scale, while dark blue is even lower.

   Mixing paints

   1. Follow this guide to get any color you want. Magenta, yellow and cyan are the primary subtractive colors, which means that any other color can be obtained by mixing them, but they themselves cannot be obtained from other colors. Primary subtractive colors are used when mixing pigments such as inks, dyes and paints.

      

      Colors with low saturation (dim colors) come in three main types: light, dark and muted.

      Add white for light colors. Any color can be lightened by adding white to it. To get a very light color, it is better to add a little bit of the main color to white so as not to waste excess paint.

      Add black for dark colors. Any color can be darkened by adding black to it. Some artists prefer to add a complementary (complementary) color that is opposite the given color on the exact CMY/RGB color wheel. For example, green can be used to darken magenta and magenta can be used to darken green because they are opposite each other on the color wheel. Add black or complementary color a little at a time so as not to overdo it.

      Add white and black (or white and a complementary color) to get muted, grayish colors. By changing the relative amount of added black and white colors, you can get any desired level of lightness and saturation. For example: add white and black to yellow to get a light olive. The black will darken the yellow, making it olive green, and the white will lighten that olive green. Various olive green shades can be obtained by adjusting the amount of paint added.

      • To obtain a desaturated color, such as brown (dark orange), you can adjust the hue in the same way as for a bright orange - by adding a small amount of colors nearby on the color wheel: magenta, yellow, red or orange. They will make the brown more vibrant while changing its hue. But since brown is not a bright color, you can also use colors on the other sides of the triangle, such as green or blue, which will darken the brown while changing its hue.

   2. Get black. This can be done by mixing any two mutually complementary, as well as three or more equidistant colors from each other on the color wheel. Just don't add white or any color that contains white unless you want to get a shade of gray. If the resulting black leans too much towards a particular color, neutralize it by adding a little complementary color to that color.

      Don't try to get white. White cannot be obtained by mixing other colors. Like the three primary colors - magenta, yellow and cyan - you will have to buy them, unless, of course, you work with materials like watercolor, for which paper itself is used instead of white if necessary.

      Develop an action plan. Think about the tone, lightness, and saturation of the color you have and the color you want to achieve, and make adjustments accordingly.

      • For example, a shade of green can be brought closer to cyan or yellow - its neighbors on the color wheel. It can be lightened by adding white. Or darken it by adding black or its complementary color, namely purple, magenta or red, depending on the shade of green. You can tone it down by adding black and white, or make a desaturated green a little brighter by adding (bright) green.
      • One more example. You mixed red and white to make pink, but the pink came out too bright and warm (yellowish). To correct the warm tone, you will have to add a little magenta. To tone down a hot pink, add white, a complementary color (or black), or both. Decide if you want a darker pink (add only the complementary color), taupe pink (add white and complementary color), or just a lighter pink (add only white). If you're planning on adjusting the hue with magenta and muting the pink with green or cyan (complementary to magenta and red), you can try combining the two by using a color between magenta and cyan, such as blue.

   3. Mix paints and start creating a masterpiece! If all this seems impossible to you, you just need a little practice. Creating a color guide for your own use is a good way to practice using the principles of color theory. Even by printing it out from a computer, you will provide yourself with useful information while you still have no practice and you cannot work on an intuitive level.

   Color samples and how to get them

   • Choose the color you would like to receive and follow the instructions below. Each pattern provides a range of possibilities; you can adjust the amount of paint used to get exactly the color you want. For example, any light color can be lightened or darkened by adding more or less white. Complementary, or complementary, colors are colors located opposite each other on the RGB/CMY color wheel.
   • Red: Add some yellow or orange to the magenta.
     • Light red (salmon pink, coral): Add white to red. Use less white and more red to get coral.
     • Dark red: Add some black (or cyan) to red. Cyan is complementary to red.
     • Muted red: Add white and black (or cyan) to red.
   • Yellow: Yellow cannot be obtained by mixing other colors. You will have to buy it.
     • Light yellow: Add white to yellow.
     • Dark yellow (olive green): Add some black (or purple-blue) to the yellow. Violet-blue is complementary to yellow.
     • Muted yellow (light olive): Add white or black (or violet-blue) to yellow.
   • Green: Mix cyan and yellow.
     • Light green: Add white to green.
     • Dark green: Add some black (or magenta) to the green. Magenta is complementary to green.
     • Grey-green: Add white and black (or magenta) to green.
   • Cyan (turquoise blue): Cyan cannot be obtained by mixing other colors. You will have to buy it.
     • Light cyan: Add white to cyan.
     • Dark cyan: Add some black (or red) to cyan. Red is complementary to cyan.
     • Grey-blue: Add white and black (or red) to cyan.
   • Violet blue: Mix magenta with cyan or blue.
     • Light Violet Blue (Lavender): Add white to purple-blue.
     • Dark purple blue: Add some black (or yellow) to violet-blue. Yellow is complementary to purple.
     • Greyish Violet Blue: Add white and black (or yellow) to violet-blue.
   • Violet: Mix magenta with a little cyan, blue or violet blue.
     • Light purple: Add white to purple.
     • Dark purple: Add some black (or lime green) to purple. Lime green is complementary to purple.
     • Muted purple: Add white and black (or lime green) to purple.
   • Black: Black can be obtained by mixing any two complementary colors or three colors equidistant on the exact CMY/RGB color wheel, such as red, green, and blue. If you get a dark color instead of pure black, correct it by adding its complementary color.
   • White: White cannot be obtained by mixing other colors. You will have to buy it. To get a warm white (such as cream), add some yellow. To get a cool white, add a little cyan.
   • Grey: Gray is a mixture of black and white.
   • When mixing paints, add them little by little to control the color. You can always add more. This is especially true when working with black and blue, which tend to dominate other colors. Add a little at a time until you get the desired result.
   • To find out if a color is complementary, use your own eyes. It's an old trick: look closely at a color, then look away at a white surface. Due to the "color fatigue" of the eyes, you will see the opposite color.
   • Choosing primary colors when shopping can be tricky. Look for a magenta that is free of white and blue pigments (PW and PB). Violet and red pigments such as PV19 and PR122 work best. Good cyan PB15:3. PB15 and PG7 are also good. If you need art paints or glazes, you can try to match the colors with a printer. Print a sample from your computer to a printer to take with you to the store, or look for the primary colors on the sides of a cereal or cookie box.
   • You need one color triangle of colors that provide visual balance to the picture, and another color triangle to determine pairs of colors that cancel each other out, since complementary colors for these tasks are slightly different. So, ultramarine works well with lemon yellow and other beautiful yellows, but to darken these yellows, use purple. More information on this subject can be found online.
   • How many tubes of different paints do you really need to paint a picture? Jean-Louis Morell's book on watercolor painting shows how, using the cyan-yellow-magenta color triangle, to get almost any desired color from just four or five, but this can also be done using these three plus white (as white in watercolor painting protrudes paper)!
     • The best range of shades can be obtained by mixing colors that are close to the CMY primary colors, but to get a darker shade, one - or even better two - should be darker than these primary colors, for example, Persian blue or cobalt blue, crimson alizarin.
   • What are you writing? The colors you need depend entirely on what you're writing. For example, ultramarine, Neapolitan yellow, burnt sienna and white are useful for distant landscapes if bright greens and yellows are not needed.

   What will you need

   • Palette - disposable paper is well suited.
   • Palette knife (any size)
   • Watercolor paper or primed canvas (available from your local art supply store; ready-made primed canvas works well)
   • Containers with water or solvent for washing brushes
   • Synthetic brush of your choice (#8 round or #6 flat works well)
   • Spray bottle to keep water-based paints from drying out
   • Paper towels to remove dirt and clean brushes
   • Color circle
   • Paints
   • A bathrobe or an old shirt that you don't mind getting dirty
   • Gloves

Taking the first steps in working with decor, most artists are faced with the lack of many shades in standard paint sets. And in everyday life, the need to get different tones arises quite often: from choosing a color for painting the walls in a house to choosing the perfect eyeshadow. However, do not be upset if there is no necessary element in the existing arsenal of paints. Remember, with only three basic colors available: yellow, blue and red, you can get any shade that exists in nature. So, to get orange, you just need to mix two basic colors: red and yellow, and also get acquainted with some of the nuances that artists use when mixing paints.

First, let's prepare everything you need. You need to bring:

1. surface for mixing (for example, a palette);
2. yellow and red paint;
3. brushes;
4. canvas or other work surface on which the resulting material is planned to be applied (watercolor paper, pastel paper, etc.).

In order for the final color to turn out perfect, before starting work, make sure that the surface is free of foreign particles (lint, dust particles, brush hairs, etc.). You also need to immediately decide which of the ways you plan to get the desired orange tone. If mixing is done on paper, the final hue is obtained by overlapping the tone after applying one layer of composition to another. If you mix colors on a palette or b cans, you get a separate new tone as a result.

Receipt process

To get orange by combining shades on paper, you first need to decide what you want to get in the end. Since if you apply yellow on top of red, the final tone will be darker than if you apply red on top. It is also important to ensure that the blending brush is free of foreign tints, as the presence of a paint brush of a different color on the hairs of a brush can give a completely unexpected result.
The same rule must be followed if you plan to get the necessary orange color in dry painting. Just layer red and yellow on top of each other and then rub. The resulting shade will entirely depend on what color layer was applied on top: if the last layer was yellow, then orange will be lighter, if red, a red-orange tone is formed.

When mixing paints on a palette, the situation is somewhat simpler. You need to apply a little of one paint base and another on it, and then mix it with a palette knife (a special small spatula). A regular brush will work too, but again make sure the brush is free of other paints.

Completely different mixing rules should be followed if you are working with oil paints. To make the final color orange, you need to apply yellow and red strokes very close to each other, then, moving a little distance away, you will see that you have achieved the desired effect.

Correct Proportions

The proportions of red and yellow paints depend solely on what shade you want to get as a result. So when mixing paints in the same proportions, you will get a classic orange color as a result. In order for the final orange to be more golden or yellow-orange, the yellow paint must predominate. While more red should be added to get a saturated fiery orange. You can also soften the resulting shade of orange by adding a little bit of white paint, then you get a lighter, pastel tone. But to darken the tonality, it is better not to use black, since it does not so much darken as it drowns out the color spectrum. To get a darker shade of orange, it is recommended to apply a little dark gray.

Conclusion

The principle of obtaining orange paints is quite simple, it is enough to know the RGB model and the principles of mixing to make the most stable composition. From the type of work, whether it is drawing or room decor, the method of obtaining orange flowers does not change.

Aspiring painters and designers often wonder how to mix paints to get the right color. There are basic shades, when combined, a new original version can come out. In some situations, such a challenge arises when one paint runs out and can be replaced by mixing several options. Two or more can be used for this purpose.

How to mix paints to get different shades?

I would like to note that such a task is difficult, since some paints, after combining with each other, provoke reactions, which ultimately negatively affects the result, for example, the color may become dark or even lose its tone and become gray.

Understanding what colors can be mixed, it is worth saying that it is impossible to obtain yellow, red and blue colors by combining other colors, but they are actively used in different combinations.

Learn how to mix paints to get some colors:

1. Pink. To get this color, you need to mix red and white in equal quantities. By varying the proportion of white paint, you can get shades of different saturation.
2. Green. To get this color, mix blue, cyan and yellow in equal proportions. If you want to create an olive shade, then combine green, yellow and add a small amount of brown. A light shade is obtained by mixing yellow, green and white.
3. Orange. This beautiful color is obtained by combining red and yellow. The more red in the end, the brighter the final shade will turn out.
4. Violet. In this case, you need to mix the following paint colors: and blue, and in equal proportions. If you change the proportions and add white, you can get different shades.
5. Grey. There are a huge number of options, so to get different shades, you should mix black and white in different proportions.
6. Beige. This color is often used, for example, when painting portraits. To get it, you need to add white to brown, and then, to improve the brightness, use a little yellow.

It is worth noting that the closer the colors are to each other on the color wheel, the similar their tone, which means that the result will be more pure and saturated.

In this article, we will look at what needs to be mixed to get brown in paints.

Such a noble and calm color as brown has always dominated the clothes of rich and noble representatives. By the way, its main characteristic is stability and sustainability. But often there is no such color or its necessary shade in the palette. Yes, and young or even experienced artists should be able to select the right colors in order to independently create the colors of the brown spectrum. And our recommendations will help in this aspect.

How to get brown when mixed: 3 ways

Before rushing to color and brushes, you need to remember what colors are. They are divided into two groups - basic and additional. Two more subgroups are also distinguished - composite and complex. All of them make up the construction of four groups of basic colors.

Remember - primary colors cannot be obtained by combining any palettes. By the way, it is they who become the basis for creating other colors. Moreover, having black and white on hand, you can extract absolutely any color.

IMPORTANT: Brown belongs to the group of complex colors.

We offer three basic ways to get brown.

Green (blue+yellow) with red

• Even schoolchildren know that brown comes out if you mix two colors together - green and red. This is the case if we talk about the primary and secondary color.
• But the task is still to make a green tint. As easy as pie! Take two primary colors - yellow and blue.
• You need to take an equal number of different shades. But take into account your wishes.
  • If you want to get a darker color in the end, then add a little more blue, but already in the finished green color.
  • If, on the contrary, you want to make a more transparent shade, then initially take a little more yellow.
• After obtaining the secondary color, we proceed to the manufacture of the tertiary. In the green color that you have turned out, you need to add a little red tone.
• It is important to introduce red paint, and not vice versa! After all, it is the main tone that regulates the degree of darkness and saturation of the brown tint. If you add too much red coloring, then you get more of a brick shade.
  • But also keep in mind that red makes brown so warm (in large quantities it can even create a rusty effect), but green, on the contrary, will even make it a little grayish and cold.

Orange (yellow + red) with blue

• The first step is to take the red color. And add yellow to it. By the way, it should be introduced gradually and in small amounts.
• On average, yellow should be only 10% of the volume of red. It is important to get a dark orange. But keep in mind that a lot of red color will create a reddish brown color.
• Blue paint will need even less - 5-7% of the total volume. You also need to add it gradually, in small portions and stirring the components well.
• Of course, adjust the hue and saturation of the brown with a blue tint.

Violet (red + blue) with yellow

• Red and blue color should be taken in equal amounts. Then you can get a noble, and even a royal shade of purple, which will have the desired saturation and warmth.
• Then, you need to introduce a little yellow. It will lighten the resulting purple, so keep an eye on the amount. If there is predominantly a yellow color, then the brown color will come out lighter and warmer. Violet tone acts in the opposite way.

IMPORTANT: Too much yellow paint will create an ocher tint.

How to make a light brown color from paints, gouache when mixing?

To get a light brown color, you need to give the predominance of yellow. But! We repeat that too much of it will make the color look like ocher. And, of course, it all depends on the desired lordship.

• To whiten the brown color, you need add white. Yes, it's that simple. The more you add, the lighter the final color will be.
• But do not overdo it, brown is a warm color, and white will neutralize this characteristic. Therefore, enter very carefully, gradually and in small portions (literally, 1% of the total mass of paints).
• Although adding the previous color will help correct the situation.

How to get a dark brown color when mixing paints, gouache?

In terms of previous blending options, more blue or green will make a darker brown. But they will also bring their own shade. There is another, simpler and faster way to get a dark brown color.

• Just add black paint. But you need to work with it extremely carefully, since a small dose of excess paint will simply turn it into black.
• Therefore, introduce paint in tiny portions and take note of one rule - experiment with a small amount of paint.

• By the way, in order not to miscalculate with the right color, mix a little black with white. But leave the predominance of the first shade. Just make it a little softer as it can quickly "eat" the brown.

How to get chocolate when mixing paints, gouache?

To create a chocolate color, you need to tinker a little. The most unencumbered scheme is to choose the right tones of orange and blue. But there is another possible option.

• Combine yellow and blue paint for a dark green color. In another bowl, combine red and a dash of yellow to create orange.
• Now combine the two received colors. And in the end you get the color of grass green or grass green.
• Now you need to create a blood red color. To do this, combine the same orange and red palette.

• In conclusion, it remains to combine the two complex colors obtained.
• And as a result, we get the color of real chocolate.
  • If you want milk chocolate, then add a drop of white paint
  • A mixture of white and yellow will give an additional golden hue to the color.
  • Dark chocolate is obtained again by adding black paint
  • But the yellow color with chocolate will help to get a beautiful and even brown color.

How to get coffee when mixing paints, gouache?

• Coffee color can be obtained by adding the same black gouache. Also, you need to mix according to technology - orange paint plus blue. In this case, you can achieve the desired tone.

• Alternatively, you can achieve the desired color with a combination of purple and orange paint. If necessary, add a drop of black.

Color mixing: table

For visual perception, we want to provide you with a table that will show all possible versions of the derivation of brown color and its range. To get a brown color, you need to mix the composite colors, adding the main shade to them. True, there are other options where the composition includes not just secondary colors, but even complex palettes.

Everyone knows that by combining 3 primary colors (red, yellow and blue), you can achieve any other color. This theory was developed by Leonardo da Vinci in antiquity. The conclusion from the theory can be drawn such that it is impossible to obtain primary colors by mixing others. But what to do and, for example, how to get red? To resolve the issue, let's approach it from a practical point of view and consider how red is made in a printing house, how artists get it, and what needs to be done for this.

The red color in the printing house is made by mixing other primary colors. The CMYK color model is used here. All the difference in the colors of the model used is made by mixing the desired base colors:

• blue - cyan
• Magenta (violet) - magenta
• yellow
• black

As in other color models, you need to take at least 2 colors, and in our case, red on printed products is made by a combination of 2 process colors: purple (magenta) and yellow. This method is also used to make color engravings. If you get these paints, you can make not only red, but also achieve its shades by adjusting the ratio of yellow and purple (violet). The range of red colors will be from pale purple to rich orange-red.

Mixing yellow and purple makes red

Info: In addition to printing, the CMYK model underlies most printers. It is also used in professional painting of cars, decoration of interiors and facades of buildings, in fabric production.

natural red

In addition to artificially obtaining color, it can easily be made from natural materials. So bedstraw flowers allow you to color objects in bright red. To prepare such a paint, the flowers are dried and boiled with alum for half an hour. Safflower and St. John's wort flowers are also suitable for making red dye by boiling water until thick. Cherry paint, similar in color, is made from orange lichen. You need to finely chop the lichen and mix with baking soda (it is better to use a solution), wait 3-4 minutes and you can use it.

In nature, red color can be found quite often. Therefore, its various shades are sometimes named after their natural hosts: fruits, minerals and berries. Among them you can find such names as: raspberry, pomegranate, cherry, coral, blue, wine, burgundy. All such colors form the red scale.

Red shades in painting are made on the basis of pigments of warm and cold shades. Ruby or purple quinacridone should be classified as cold, light cadmium, orange sienna (natural and burnt) as warm.

RGB and CMYK color models

Interaction with other colors

Many people wonder if it is possible to make red from other colors, for example, pink. Our answer is no! If you replace purple with pink and mix with yellow, then you will not see red, there will only be its likeness.

Burgundy from red is obtained by mixing with black. Depending on the types of paints, the ratio can be up to 2:1 (you need 2 parts red and 1 black). By changing the concentration, you can make different shades of burgundy.

Another question, what happens if you mix red and yellow? Answer: get orange.

The most popular question is: “what do we get when we mix red and blue paints?”. To clarify, let's look at the RGB (red, green, blue) color model, where you can clearly see that using blue in combination with red, we get purple.

Conclusion

The base colors for red are yellow and magenta (violet). To make the desired color when mixing, it is not necessary to take artificial paints, you can use natural ones. Red is the base color in the RGB model and must be mixed with green and blue to make other colors.

We offer you to watch an interesting video