Again, it won’t warm up the blue as much but will create a somewhat dark, warm blue.
Blue and Yellow Make What Color When Mixed?
Both blue and yellow are primary colors in paint, so when they’re mixed together, they form one of the three secondary colors. What is that resulting color they make when combined? The answer is: green! Yes, THIS is the classic answer to the question: “What two colors make green?”
What are the other secondary color formed by the pairs of the primary colors, red, yellow, and blue? Well, red and blue make the secondary color purple, and red and yellow make the secondary color orange.
If you want to get crazier, combine one primary and one secondary color to form a tertiary color. For example, yellow and green make chartreuse, and green and blue make teal. Trios of colors next to each other like these on the color wheel are called analogous colors.
Different Shades of Green
Now, while it seems simple that blue and yellow make green when the colors are combined, the answer in reality is more complex. Why? Because there are SO MANY different shades of green that can be formed, depending on what type of blue or yellow you use in the mix, and if you add black or white — everything from chartreuse to viridian color!
My illustration, below, shows how to make green in different shades, based on the “ingredient” color choices. For example, if you use a light azure blue with a sunny yellow, you get the clear and vibrant light green shown in the middle row. If you use more of a purple-blue or yellow-orange, however, you get a muddier olive green — similar to our answer to the question, “What does orange and blue make?”
How to Make Olive Green
What is the reason that some of the greens formed are more muddy, brownish greens? In other words, what is the answer to how to make olive green? We’ve also seen it when asking “Black and yellow make what color?”
Well, the back-story is that you get brown or black whenever you mix all three primary colors: red, yellow, and blue. Therefore, if your ingredient yellow and blue shades have any tinges of red in them (as with a blue-purple or yellow-orange), your green will have more brown in it, and thus be more olive colored.
Blue and Yellow Make What Color?
Now you know the answer: the primary colors blue and yellow make green, however they form different shades of green, depending on what type of “ingredient” colors you use. Picking a yellow or blue paint with more red will yield a browner, more olive green result. Happy color mixing!
Want more? Check out “Yellow and Purple Make…” and learn about a green aura meaning!
The author and artist, Lillie Marshall, is a National Board Certified Teacher of English who has been a public school educator since 2003, and an experienced Reiki practitioner since 2018. All art on this site is original and hand-drawn by Lillie. She launched DrawingsOf.com Educational Cartoons in 2020, building upon the success of her other sites, AroundTheWorldL.com (established 2009), TeachingTraveling.com (founded 2010), and ReikiColors.com. Subscribe to Lillie’s monthly newsletter, and follow @WorldLillie on social media to stay connected!
How to Make the Color Blue?
If you’re trying to discover what colors make blue in order to make pure blue, please note it is impossible to make pure blue through color mixing.
It’s a primary color.
You can mix blue with different colors to change the temperature and shade of the blue you are using.
This is an important skill, as knowing how to make different shades of blue is crucial to getting light and shadows right on the canvas.
Using the color wheel and some basic color theory, we’ll be able to learn how to make a variety of different blue hues.
However, knowing which colors to use for each shade takes color theory, so we’ll dive into that now.
Color Bias and the Color Wheel
Learning how to mix different shades of blue will be quite easy if you understand color bias.
Color bias is a theory that comes from what happens when you mix a color with other colors on the color wheel.
Paintings use these concepts from color theory to help blend the different colors and make sure the colors on the canvas work together when they devise their color palette.
The color wheel reveals the relationships between all the colors of the visible light spectrum.
Different color charts have different levels of depth, showing more or less secondary and tertiary colors.
Basic color wheel diagrams tend just to have primary and secondary colors.
Fundamental shades of color are called primary shades, which are foundational shades to the rest of the color wheel.
Mixing any two primary colors will make a secondary shade.
Likewise, a secondary and primary shade together will make a tertiary shade.
Thus, you can make different shades for the color blue by mixing in a bit of one of the other primary or secondary colors.
Putting just enough of these other colors without changing the color to something outside blue is called color bias.
Color bias towards red shades is a warm color bias, whereas color bias towards yellow and green is referred to as cool colors.
We’ll look at how mixing different colors with blue affects it using knowledge from the color wheel.
That way, you can see a model of color theory at work.
How to Mix Darker Shades of Blue
If you’re trying to discover what colors make dark blue, then you might not want to rely on adding black.
Darkening blue with black doesn’t always keep the integrity of the blue saturation of the pigment.
Most artists use a mixture of purples, greens, and reds to create a dark color with their blues while maintaining a high saturation of the blue itself.
Ultramarine Blue is a naturally dark shade of blue paint, so that’s often a good place to start.
If trying to find out how to make different blue shades, here are a few colors you can mix it with to get different darker shades of blues.
Dioxazine Purple
If you know what colors make dark blue then you can get some really great deep blue colors.
Dioxazine Purple is a great purple shade that creates a deep blue when mixed with Ultramarine Blue.
The purple shading adds a hint of red for a dark blue in the same way crimson is to red.
If combined with Cobalt Blue, it will make a more muted blue.
Pthalo Green
If you add Pthalo Green to the mixture of Dioxazine Purple and blue you already have, you’ll have a bit of each primary color, making for a more true blue, as it contains hints of both yellow and red through the purple and green.
Burnt Umber
Discovering a ‘true’ dark blue can be difficult unless you know what colors make dark blue.
Another way to accomplish a more ‘true’ dark blue is to add Burnt Umber.
It makes for a more muted overall dark blue.
We’ll look at muted blues in a later section.
If you want a dark blue with less saturation, this is a good choice.
Pthalo Green and Alizarin Crimson
If you mix Pthalo Green and Alizarin Crimson it will make a deep, almost true black color.
Thus, adding this to Ultramarine Blue will make for a deep, dark blue color. It’s one of the darkest blues one can make.
What Color Do Blue and Green Make When Mixing Lights?
In the world of physics and light, the RGB color model is used instead of the RYB and CMYK color models used in pigments and paints.
In contrast to the CMYK color model, which is a subtractive model, the RGB color space is an additive color model.
When you mix blue and green lights, you get cyan, which is a secondary color on the RGB color wheel. Cyan is a bright greenish-blue that sits between blue and green on the color wheel.
Moreover, cyan is also one of the primary colors of the CMYK color model.
Blue and Green Make the Same Color in the CMYK and RGB Models
If we are talking about physics and lights, we use the RGB color wheel. When it comes to the printing industry, we use the CMYK color wheel. At the same time, we use the RYB color model when painting colors.
The RGB color model uses additive color mixing. This means that combining different amounts of red, green, and blue light produces a variety of colors that can be displayed on any digital display. But, of course, the more light added, the brighter and more saturated the resulting color.
The CMYK color model, on the other side, uses subtractive color mixing. This means that blending different amounts of cyan, magenta, yellow, and black ink produces a variety of colors.
In subtractive color mixing, “subtractive” refers to selectively absorbing or subtracting specific wavelengths of light from white light. When light shines on a colored object, the object absorbs some wavelengths of light and reflects others. The reflected light then enters our eyes and creates the perception of color.
The more ink added, the darker and more saturated the resulting color. In contrast to additive mixing, where white is the sum of all colors, white in subtractive mixing is the absence of color (no ink).
In contrast to the paint color wheel (RYB), the CMYK color wheel uses cyan, magenta, and yellow as primary colors (black representing the K or “Key” in the acronym is used to efficiency the printing process).
Thus, the RGB color wheel is an additive color model, unlike the RYB and CMYK, which are subtractive.
What are the RGB Tertiary Colors?
Tertiary colors in the RGB model are created by mixing a primary color light with a secondary color light.
Just as primary and secondary colors vary from one color model to another, so do tertiary ones.
Tertiary colors in RGB and CMYK models are spring green, chartreuse, orange, rose, violet, and azure. On the other hand, the tertiary colors in the RYB model are teal, chartreuse, vermilion, magenta, violet, and amber.
Even though teal and azure, orange and vermilion, pink and magenta, and orange and amber appear to be the same, they are not. In the case of the four colors listed above, the tertiary colors in the RGB and CMYK color models differ from the RYB model.
Unveiling the Secret: Can You Create Blue and Green by Mixing Colors?
When it comes to painting, blue and green make teal. However, in the case of light or ink, blue and green make cyan.
But what colors can be mixed to create blue or green?
In the basic color theory world, it is commonly stated that primary colors cannot be created by blending other colors.
However, we could never print blue using the CMYK color model, which uses cyan, magenta, and yellow as primary colors.
But this is not the case because blue and green can be created by mixing other colors.
For example, when mixed, magenta and cyan make blue. On the other hand, green can be created by blending cyan and yellow.
Also, green in traditional art is made by mixing blue and yellow.
Is Cyan a Type of Blue-Green?
Cyan is a color often described as a blue-green or greenish-blue color. In reality, cyan is a tint of blue-green, which means a lighter variation of blue-green.
Cyan is an inspiring and calming color that brings to mind crystal-clear waters. Moreover, it is associated with tranquility, youthfulness, freshness, and liveliness.
Cyan is sometimes confused with turquoise, another blue-green color. Turquoise is slightly greener and more saturated than cyan.
Decorating with Blue-Green: Teal or Cyan
Teal or any other blue-green shade creates a welcoming and calming atmosphere in any space. The lighter the shade, the more calming the effect. For a more vibrant look, you can choose bolder shades.
Teal is located opposite vermillion on the color wheel. This means that vermillion is the complementary color to teal.
Colors that go with teal include gold, white, black, beige, charcoal grey, navy blue, mustard yellow, rose gold, and pink.
If you want a contrasting color palette, use the complementary color scheme and pair teal with vermillion – a red-orange.
Cyan is a refreshing color that creates a calm atmosphere in any design. What’s more, it can give a sense of cleanliness.
Cyan best pairs with red, its complement. Moreover, cyan goes well with yellow and magenta. If you want a more conservative look, pair cyan with deep blue or cool gray shades. On the other hand, if you want a warmer vibe, pair it with a more subdued shade of orange.
Last Words on What Color Blue and Green Make
The answer to “What do blue and green make?” is green-blue, a bright and happy color similar to teal.
In the world of light, however, combining blue and green lights creates cyan.
Depending on the color model you work in, blue and green make teal (RYB) or cyan (RGB and CMYK).
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