These two colors, blue and orange remind me of a childhood painting of the sunset. I used to give blue color to the sky and orange to the sun. With age, I have realized that you can see a mesmerizing palette of various colors, including reds, purples, pinks, and oranges. Even though I only used two colors to capture the essence of the sunset, it really created an attractive combination. Why is it so?
Blue and orange complement each other as they take place on opposite sides of the color wheel. As a result, these two colors create an attractive and lively combination. But what does blue and orange make when mixed together? It’s obvious that you can not expect a pleasant color when mixing two complementary colors. The outcome also depends on the medium and the type of colors, you are using. So, let’s discover and understand what colors does blue and orange make.
What Does Blue and Orange Make?
In both RGB and RYB color models, blue is a primary color. Therefore, you can not create a blue color by mixing different colors. However, orange is a secondary color which is the product of the mixture of red and yellow. Therefore, when you are mixing blue and orange colors, you are actually creating a combination of blue, red, and yellow. So, what do blue, red, and yellow make together when mixed? These three primary colors in the RYB color model create a brown color. Therefore, blue and orange also make a brown color when mixed.
However, the mixture of blue and orange can give you different shades of brown color and even green color depending on the type of colors in the mixture. For instance, if you mix a bright and vibrant blue color with a vibrant orange color, you will get a brown color. On the other hand, if you take lighter tints of blue and orange in the mixture, this will give you a green color.
Blue and Orange in the RYB Color Model
The primary colors of the RYB color model are red, yellow, and blue. When you mix these primary colors in various combinations, you get secondary colors, orange, green, and purple. When you mix a primary color with any of these secondary colors, the outcome is a tertiary color.
As blue and orange are opposite to each other in the RYB color wheel, they are considered complementary colors. Interestingly, when you place complementary colors next to each other, they create a vibrant-looking visual contrast. But when it comes to mixing the complementary colors, they can diminish each other’s intensity to a certain extent, resulting in a soft shade of brown color.
How to Make Different Shades of Brown?
If you want to have a proper brown color, it’s better to mix three primary colors, red, yellow, and blue with the same proportion, instead of mixing blue and orange. While the mixture of blue and orange can give you a misty color, the combination of an equal amount of red, yellow, and blue will create a proper brown color.
Despite the fact that the brown color is not very pleasant, this color has significant applications in artworks. So, if you are an artist and want to create different shades of brown color for your artwork, then consider the following two tips.
Creating Lighter Tints of Brown Color:
When you add white to a pure hue, you get tints of that color. Therefore, adding white to the mixture of red, yellow, and blue will give lighter tints of brown color. The more you add white to the mixture, the more it becomes lighter. Therefore, depending on the outcome you want, you should determine the amount of white color needed to add.
Creating Darker Shades of Brown Color:
Adding black to a proper color will give you shades of that color. If you add a little amount of black to the brown color, you can get a darker shade of brown. However, as a little extra black can turn the whole mixture into black, you have to be very careful while using black. Another useful way to get darker shades of brown color is to increase the amount of blue in the mixture.
What Does Blue and Orange Make with Additive Color System?
The additive color model involves mixing lights of different colors. Red, green, and blue are the primary colors of the additive color model. This is why this color model is also known as the RGB color model. In the RGB color model, if you mix red and green lights, it will give you a yellow light. Mixing red and yellow lights further will give you an orange-colored light. Therefore, orange is a tertiary color in this color model.
Mixing orange and blue in the RGB color model is very much like mixing three primary colors in lights. If you put the colored lights, red, green, and blue on a screen, you will see a white color. Therefore, mixing blue and orange lights will give you a white color.
Does Blue and Orange Make a Good Combination in Painting?
When you know the answer to what blue and orange make is brown, now it’s up to you whether you like the brown color or not. Therefore, it’s a subjective matter whether mixing blue and orange together is a good combination or not. However, brown color is significantly useful in various art and design projects, because of its warm and earthy tones.
Brown color gives a sense of reliability, comfort, and stability. This is why people often use brown color in home décor and furniture. Also, to give a vintage look to artworks, brown color is useful. You can also create different shades of brown color by adding colors like white, dark blue, and black. However, you should pick the right shade of brown color for your project to have a pleasant effect on your artwork. Hopefully, this article will help you understand what colors blue and orange make and how to create different shades of brown color.
