When red and blue lights are mixed, the color produced is magenta. Magenta is a secondary color in the RGB color model, which is obtained by mixing two primary colors (red and blue).
How can you create red by blending colors?
That’s a common color dilemma. A high chroma orange-red (like Cadmium, Pyrrole or Naphthol red light) is the brightest light red you can get – without reducing saturation by adding white – and yet it still might not seem bright enough on the palette. Yup…a lot of reds turn pink (i.e. shift towards blue) in tints with white, so a touch of yellow will counteract this. But yup again…too much yellow and it turns peach. So add only as much white is needed. Sometimes you’ll have to darken or grey down the surrounding reds to make the pure red seem brighter. This can and does work, and can even improve harmony. You can also use subtle hue shifts to enhance the contrast of dark vs. light red.
October 27, 2012 at 12:34 pm #1173852
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I usually keep a tube of light red and a tube of darker red. That’s the only way I know how to do it. Good Luck!
October 27, 2012 at 12:54 pm #1173854
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There are quite a few color that could be called “light red” I think. A light red would just be a dark pink, almost red. Keeping it warm gives it that coral-tomato coloration. That is what I think of when I think light red. A dark coral color. But you may be thinking something else. What reds do you have to start? You might want to include Indian red in your mix but not as the only red… If you rely on Alizarin then you would need to warm it up because it is so violet it will tend to always look pastel when you get it light enough. I keep a warm red and a cool red on my palette most of the time and sometimes use them both in a mix for balance. A smaller amount of white plus something to tone it down would probably reduce the pinkishness–like adding some brown or a hint of green. I just keep pushing it around until I like it with a little of this and a little of that. How red or pink it looks will depend a LOT on what other colors are beside it in the painting. But no matter how you look at it you are trying to take it toward pink with some lightening without going too far. A brownish red could look like “light red” next to a green or cool deep browns, a darker pinkish orange color could look like light red next to lighter colors like pale blue.
October 27, 2012 at 3:10 pm #1173850
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If your red becomes too blue-ish when lightening it by the addition of white, add a bit of Cadmium Orange. Cad Orange contributes a very controllable amount of Yellow color to the mix, compared to merely adding some sort of Yellow. The Orange also contributes Magenta, but that is insignificant, simply because you already are beginning with red (a combination of Yellow and Magenta colors).
wfmartin. My Blog “Creative Realism”.
https://williamfmartin.blogspot.com
October 28, 2012 at 12:13 pm #1173853
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Thanks for the suggestions. I spent some time playing. Adding cad orange instead of yellow works quite well. Seems to give better control and a lighter, less peachy red. I also tried mixing cad orange and magenta without cad red. This gave a brighter red and a red that was ligher than cad red deep alone. I did not have a cad red medium to compare with.
Madtripper (Robert)
Author of www.GreatAcrylicArt.com
October 28, 2012 at 2:40 pm #1173851
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Thanks for the suggestions. I spent some time playing. Adding cad orange instead of yellow works quite well. Seems to give better control and a lighter, less peachy red. I also tried mixing cad orange and magenta without cad red. This gave a brighter red and a red that was ligher than cad red deep alone. I did not have a cad red medium to compare with.
GREAT!
:thumbsup: :thumbsup: Some times ya’ just can’t beat workin’ with the primary colors–or, at least working with the knowledge of the way in which they behave.;) (First, you just hafta’ know what the primaries are, of course.):D
wfmartin. My Blog “Creative Realism”.
https://williamfmartin.blogspot.com
October 28, 2012 at 5:39 pm #1173849
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I also tried mixing cad orange and magenta without cad red. This gave a brighter red and a red that was ligher than cad red deep alone. I did not have a cad red medium to compare with.
Cadmium Red Deep is the least chromatic of the Cadmium Reds…so it might be useful to compare your mix with Cadmium Red Light or Medium. But if it`s good enough for your purposes, it`s good enough! Cadmium Reds are one of the few reds which don`t shift to blue much at all when lightened with white…many people find this a very useful property.
November 9, 2012 at 2:49 pm #1173855
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I’m not sure if anyone already mentioned this, but one way of getting a lighter red and avoiding pink is to mix your red with a more transparent white. Titanium white is the strongest and most opaque so you would avoid it but other whites can be used. Zinc white, flake white, cremnitz white – and some companies even carry a transparent white.
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How Can You Mix Red and Blue?
In today’s article, we will try to answer several questions about mixing red and blue. We will tackle all the aspects individually to achieve the perfect mix. First, let’s discuss how you can mix these two colors.
Although it appears straightforward at first glance, there are a few considerations. Especially if you want to do this mix correctly.
First, you need to consider the medium in which you want to do the mix.
If we’re talking about color mixing, you’re definitely considering paint. This is the medium of choice for many of us. Even pastels are a great medium for color mixing. However, it is a more difficult choice for the inexperienced.
In terms of paint mixing, although you can predict the result in many cases, it may differ from the color you expect to achieve. That’s why the best lesson is the experience. And that comes with trial and error.
The easiest way is to play on cardboard or even a piece of wood. That way, you can try different shades of the colors you mix. But, of course, you’ll see that the shades you get differ depending on the types of paint you use.
Depending on what you are painting, you will use a different way of mixing colors. For example, a frozen lake will have different tones than a clear sky.
However, there are plenty of tools to get a perfect mix.
Now you know how to mix blue and red properly. Right? Let’s see what colors you can get from this mixture.
What Color Do Red and Blue Make With Paint Pigments?
When blue and red colors are mixed, the color produced is purple. Purple is a secondary color created by mixing an equal ratio of two primary colors (blue and red).
Purple is generally a cool color that has many shades, such as violet, lavender, lilac, mauve, or amethyst.
Furthermore, purple is situated between blue and red on the color wheel.
Why Do Red and Blue Make Purple?
When you mix red and blue pigments or dyes together, you’ll get purple.
This happens because of the way the pigments absorb and reflect different wavelengths of light.
This process is also called subtractive color mixing and refers to how dyes and pigments are made.
Red paint absorbs green light and reflects red and blue wavelengths. On the other hand, blue paint absorbs orange and yellow light and reflects blue and some red light.
When you mix two pigments or dyes, the colorants in each pigment or dye will interact. For example, the colorant in one pigment will absorb some of the wavelengths of light that the colorant in the other pigment reflects.
Therefore, depending on the types of blue and red, you can get a different shade of purple.
When mixing red and blue pigments, red will absorb some of the blue wavelengths of light that the blue colorant reflects, and blue will absorb some of the red wavelengths of light that red reflects.
This results in a mixture that reflects a reduced amount of red and blue light and therefore appears purple to your eyes.
Are Red and Blue a Good Combination to Mix?
The colors come in cool and warm tones, and the red and blue combination includes both.
Red is a warm color associated with passion, strength, and action.
Blue is generally a cool color, conveying feelings of tranquility, relaxation, trust, and loyalty.
So red and blue are a great combination to mix together.
While blue reminds us of cold, water, and mist, red makes us think of the power of the sun and warm weather.
However, color temperature is relative. Thus, each of them can have a color bias. For example, you can use a warm yellowish red or a cool bluish red. Similarly, you can mix a cool greenish blue or a warm reddish blue.
But how are they located on the color wheel?
When it comes to traditional art (the RYB color model), red, yellow, and blue are primary colors.
By mixing the primary colors (red, yellow, and blue), you get the secondary colors (purple, orange, and green). These are situated between the primary colors on the color wheel.
Mixing the primary colors with the adjacent secondary colors produces the intermediate colors.
Can You Mix Red and Blue From Scratch?
Both red and blue are primary colors in the RYB color space. So, it is said that primary colors cannot be created by mixing other colors.
However, the CMYK subtractive model shows that red can be created by mixing cyan and magenta. On the other hand, blue can be produced by blending magenta and yellow.
So by mixing the primary colors of the CMYK color model (cyan, magenta, and yellow), you get the primary additive colors of the RGB color model (red, green, and blue).
Why Mixing Blue and Red Does Not Always Make Purple
Manufacturers make their paints in a different way. Thus, many types of blue and red paint are on the market. Unfortunately, while some mixes produce a perfect purple, others can fail and produce muddy or dull purples.
For example, some variations of blue or red contain very little yellow. Combining all the primary colors will produce brown. But not just any brown, but rather a muddy brown.
That’s why it’s important to make sure you buy colors that are as pure as possible. Even a small amount of yellow in the composition of one of the two colors will affect the mixture.
Another critical factor is the medium you are using. For example, you can get different shades of purple using acrylic paints, oil paints, or watercolors.
A perfect purple can be produced by mixing Alizarin crimson with Ultramarine blue. This is due to Alizarin’s blue undertones, which make it a cool red.
If you want to get violet, mix Permanent rose with Cerulean Blue paint.
Purple is a Combination of Red and Blue
As an artist or designer, knowing as much as possible about the colors you’re mixing is beneficial.
Purple is a color associated with royalty, luxury, creativity, and wisdom. It is an uplifting color that illuminates, being closely linked to spirituality.
Furthermore, purple is the color of mystery and magic, combining the energy of red with the serenity of blue.
Purple is also said to uplift, inspire and encourage you to be yourself. But on the other hand, it is associated with immaturity and hypersensitivity. It is also said to symbolize pride and extravagance.
Purple vs. Violet
Purple
Hex: #800080
RGB: 128, 0, 128
CMYK: 0, 100, 0, 50
Violet
Hex: #8F00FF
RGB: 143, 0, 255
CMYK: 44, 100, 0, 0
Purple and violet are used interchangeably, but only a few know they are two different colors. However, there are some differences between purple and violet.
Purple is a non-spectral color, while violet appears on the color spectrum. In addition, purple is an equal mix of blue and red, while violet contains more blue.
Violet has the shortest wavelength and is located at the lowest end of the light spectrum. On the other hand, purple does not appear on the color spectrum, being a range of colors between blue and red.
To make violet, mix Ultramarine blue with Quinacridone magenta using a 1:2 ratio. If you want to lighten up the resulting color, add a little Titanium white.
If you want to make a deep purple, mix Cerulean blue or Ultramarine blue with Alizarin Crimson.
Purple vs. Indigo
Purple
Hex: #800080
RGB: 128, 0, 128
CMYK: 0, 100, 0, 50
Indigo
Hex: #4B0082
RGB: 75, 0, 130
CMYK: 42, 100, 0, 49
Indigo is a shade of purple that contains more blue than red, as opposed to purple, which is an equal mix of the two colors. Furthermore, indigo is a dark purple color that appears on the spectrum, unlike purple.
If you mix indigo paint, use a light blue as a base and add a little red paint until you reach the desired indigo color.
Indigo is used in painting to draw nightscapes.
