Gray does not have to indicate doom and gloom in the dark and thunderous rain clouds, various shades of gray can produce feelings of comfort and peace. The color gray can also represent wisdom and other positive images. In conclusion, when painting with gray, even though some classify it as not being a color, it can help bring life and contrast to an image.
What Colors Make Gray? – A Guide on How to Make Gray
Although often overlooked by many, gray is an essential part of any color pallet. This soothing neutral shade offers a reassuring middle ground between light and dark, bringing out the best in the colors that surround it. As artists, we cannot simply settle for gray out of a tube when we have the world of color mixing at our fingertips. In this color mixing guide, we will show you how to create new and interesting gray hues from a range of colors, and give you a deeper insight into the many wonders of the color gray.
Table of Contents
- 1 Taking a Closer Look at Gray
- 1.1 The Importance of Neutral Shades Like Gray
- 1.2 Impressions of Different Gray Shades
- 1.2.1 A Sophisticated Shade
- 1.2.2 A Shade of Strength and Fortitude
- 2.1 The Influence of Color Bias
- 2.1.1 Why Is Color Bias So Important?
- 2.2.1 Downsides to Using This Method
- 2.3.1 What Colors Make Gray Warm?
- 2.3.2 What Colors Make Gray Cool?
- 4.1 How Many Shades of Gray Are There?
- 4.2 What Two Colors Make Gray?
Taking a Closer Look at Gray
Like all colors, gray can evoke a particular emotional tone when it is used in painting or design. The idea that gray is little more than a combination of black and white and evokes feelings of gloom and melancholy misses the mark. Just as in life, the gray area offers an expansive range of possibilities for emotional and symbolic expression. What you can evoke with a shade of gray depends on its hue and the colors that accompany it.
The Importance of Neutral Shades Like Gray
Vibrant colors like reds, oranges, and yellows can become overwhelming if they do not have a neutral to accompany and support them. Just as you cannot have light without darkness, joy without sadness, and peace without turmoil, neutrals and vibrant colors rely on each other. One of the most impactful ways of creating a sense of balance and harmony in any painting is knowing how to achieve the balance of bright colors and neutral shades like gray.
In some senses, gray can be seen as a conformist color, lacking a personality of its own and taking on the theme of the colors around it. If used right, however, gray can create dramatic scenes.
Perhaps the most interesting characteristic of neutral shades like gray, is that they tend to take on different qualities depending on which vibrant color they are paired with. If, for example, you pair a shade of gray with a bright red, the gray will tend to look a little more green. The same gray, when paired with a vibrant blue, will appear more purple. Perhaps the most amazing thing about making your own gray shades, is that you can achieve these different appearances without the vibrant colors!
Impressions of Different Gray Shades
When you know how to create varied shades of gray, you can use them in various ways to create emotional visual experiences. Darker shades of gray for instance can be moody, mysterious, or formal. In contrast, lighter shades of gray can glimmer with light and electricity.
A Sophisticated Shade
The most common impression of gray is one of seriousness and authority. Perhaps this impression stems simply from the context in which we normally see gray around is in the world, that of offices, suits, and concrete buildings. Gray is often seen as a sophisticated color, one that is silently smart but does not draw too much attention to itself.
Lighter shades of gray typically give this impression of formality and sophistication.
A Shade of Strength and Fortitude
When it comes to considering our emotional human reactions to different colors and shades, we need to consider the context that creates these impressions. There is a reason why yellow is seen as a bright and warm color, and there is a reason why darker shades of gray can create a sense of strength, morose, and fortitude.
In the natural world, the most common shades of gray that we experience are darker. We see these darker shades of gray in rolling thunder clouds and large imposing boulders. Just like the force behind these thunderstorms and the longevity of these boulders, darker shades of gray can create a sense of determination and strength in a painting.
So, What Colors Make Gray?
It is all very well and good knowing how to use different shades of gray in a painting, but the essence of this article is to show you how to make these different shades yourself. Once you know how to make gray paint in a variety of shades, the world is your oyster. There are three main methods that you can use to create different gray shades. The first involves simply combining black and white, the second involves using primary shades, and the third uses complementing colors to create a variety of gray hues.
We will discuss each of these methods, provide our favorite color combinations, and explore how to adjust the temperature and tone of your gray shades. First, however, we need to cover some of the basic principles of color theory.
The Influence of Color Bias
Many of you are certainly going to be familiar with the basic elements of color theory, like the primary colors and colors that complement each other. When it comes to creating a variety of shades of gray, it is important to understand the color bias. Color bias refers to the relative warmth or coolness of a color, with the warmest shade being bright red and the coolest being blue.
This understanding of color bias is surface level, because every color has an implicit temperature, depending on its composite colors. For example, you can have warm or cool purples, depending on the ratios of blue and red. It can get even more complicated when we consider the relative color bias of primary shades like red and blue. A red like coquelicot red is much warmer than magenta because magenta contains a touch of blue and therefore leans more towards purple. In much the same way, manganese blue is much cooler and appears greener than ultramarine blue which is more purple.
Why Is Color Bias So Important?
Color bias is not only something interesting to consider, but it has a direct effect on how you mix colors. You are probably aware of the fact that mixing all three primary shades will create a muddy shade of brown. Say we wanted to mix a purple (which is the base for one of our gray mixing methods) and we combined a warm red with a cool blue (that contains a little yellow). The result of this combination would be a muddy purple because we are inadvertently combining all three primary shades.
For a vibrant purple, the best combination would be a cool red and a warm blue, as both already lean towards purple and only contain red and blue hues.
Method One: How to Make Gray With Black and White
This first method is probably the easiest and most common way to create a shade of gray. If you want to know what two colors make gray, the answer is black and white. You simply need to combine equal parts of black and white paint, to create a lovely neutral shade of gray.
The 1:1 ratio of black and white is only the beginning of this method. You can alter the darkness of your gray by adding more or less black to your white paint.
If you are uncertain of how dark you want your gray paint to be, it is best to begin with your white paint and add small drops of black incrementally. As they always say, it is much easier to add more black than to take it away. Black is the stronger of the two colors, and you only need a touch of black to darken your gray significantly, but a lot of white to lighten it by a small amount.
Downsides to Using This Method
The gray you get from this method is very neutral, as it is neither cool nor warm. This may be ideal for some purposes, but overall this is not the most-loved method for making gray shades. Many artists prefer to use the other methods to create richer grays with different color biases, rather than using this rather flat and lifeless gray.
Another downside of using this method is that you are typically limited to the black or white you have in your palette, again reducing the variety of gray shades that you can make. Finally, many shop-bought black shades have base colors like green which can begin to show through when mixed with white. As a result, you have little control over the final gray shade when using this method.
Method Two: How to Make Gray Paint With Complementary Colors
Combining complementing colors is one of the most popular methods for creating muted colors. When it comes to the question of what two colors make gray paints that have unique color biases and underlying hues, your best option is to use combinations of complementary colors.
Depending on the complementary colors you use, you can control the warmth of your gray shades with ease.
When it comes to mixing the perfect gray shade for your unique painting project, nothing beats experimentation. We have two different methods for you, one for creating a warm gray and one for a cool gray, but you can explore different combinations and ratios to find your perfect shade.
What Colors Make Gray Warm?
The trick to making a warm gray is to use two warm colors. We find that we can create a lovely warm mauve gray by using purple and yellow. Of course, if you were to use a cool purple and yellow shade, you can make a cooler gray shade, but we are using a warm yellow and purple. The two shades that we suggest are:
Both of these colors are already slightly muted and lean towards gray to begin with, which makes them ideal for creating a light and warm mauve gray. Simply combine these two shades in equal parts and marvel at your beautiful shade of gray. You can use this gray for puffs of smoke, storm clouds, or pebbles. The possibilities are endless with this stunning warm gray. This gray is quite light, and you can make a dark grayish purple shade by using darker shades of purple and yellow. For example, you can substitute your complementing shades with these darker hues:
What Colors Make Gray Cool?
In contrast to making warm grays, there are a few more color combinations that you can use to make cool gray shades. The first combination we are going to discuss is orange and blue. You can experiment with using different shades of blue, but the best orange to use when making gray is cadmium orange. The best blue shades for making a cool blue with cadmium orange are:
Once again, combine your orange and blue in equal parts to produce a lovely cool and quite dark gray shade. Ultramarine blue is a little warmer than the other two, so the gray you will get from it and cadmium orange will be slightly more muted. If you want your gray to be even darker, use a darker shade of blue. If you want to lighten your gray, you can add a touch of white.
The second color combination that will create a cool gray shade is red and green. The best green for making gray is phthalo green, and you can combine this shade with a few different red hues for different results. Our favorite red hues for making a cool gray shade are:
This gray is quite a dark shade, so once again, you can lighten it a little by adding a touch of white paint.
Method Three: How to Make Gray With the Primary Colors
The final, and perhaps most popular method for how to make gray paint is to use a combination of all three primary shades. This method includes a lot of room for adapting and changing your gray shade significantly throughout. We find that the best colors to use with this method are:
Begin this mixing process by combining equal parts of your red and blue paint to create a purple shade. At this stage, you can decide whether you want your gray to be warmer or cooler. If you want it to be warmer, add a touch more red, and if you want it to be cooler, add a little more blue.
The crucial part of this method is adding your yellow. It is the addition of the yellow that turns your purple into gray.
Essentially, this method is a slightly longer route to get to the same point as using purple and yellow, but you have a lot more control over the final shade because you are starting from the absolute baseline. You can create the perfect tone of gray by adjusting how much yellow you add. For a darker gray, you simply need to add less yellow, and more for a lighter gray shade.
History of Gray
In the past, many peasants and other poorer people used to wear undyed wool which is gray. Sticking with fashion, black, gray, and white became popular during the Renaissance and Baroque periods, specifically in Italy, Spain, and France. During this time, gray was also used in paintings. A painting technique named grisaille stands out in this case as it involves working with gray monochrome colors, mostly in intimate sculpture pieces. Gray was and is also used as a background color for skin tones, used to create highlights.
Later, during the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries, gray was particularly common in dresses and waistcoats. Eventually, the gray business suit made an appearance, utilizing both the lighter and darker gray shades according to the season. This also became popular later on in the twentieth century after the war. Unfortunately, during the nineteenth century, in factories, the color gray was usually the uniform color of choice. Gray is also a less visible color, and so became popular as military uniforms. Consider the confederate army during the civil war in America, which was gray. During the years, many artists like James McNeill Whistler created a gray background for the famous painting of Whistler’s Mother.
In general, gray is an unassuming color, not attracting attention and allowing other colors to stand out more. Today, many would say that gray is more sophisticated and classic in appearance. You can either create a more calming feeling with lighter grays, while darker gray can produce a feeling of strength. These colors and shades of gray are widely used in the design and décor industry to create the perfect atmosphere in a room.
Gray does not have to indicate doom and gloom in the dark and thunderous rain clouds, various shades of gray can produce feelings of comfort and peace. The color gray can also represent wisdom and other positive images. In conclusion, when painting with gray, even though some classify it as not being a color, it can help bring life and contrast to an image.
What Two Colors Make Gray?
Black and white are technically not colors as they are used to create shades and tints of various other colors. A basic neutral gray is the combination of equal amounts of black and white. The shade can be determined by the amount of black or white. For example, more white will create a lighter shade of gray and vice versa. Using this neutral gray, you can also influence the color temperature by adding a little bit of red to create a warmer hue and blue for a cooler shade.
Besides using black and white, you can also create gray by combining your complementary colors. These colors can be seen on opposing sides of what is known as a color wheel. For example, red and green, blue, and orange or yellow and purple. Whenever these colors are mixed, it will create a form of gray that will keep some of the qualities of both colors used. There is also the primary gray you can create by combining all three primary colors. You can adjust the form of gray by altering the amounts added.
When mixing colors, color bias plays an important role as many of the pigment-based mediums may not be true primary colors and lean towards a color bias. This can ultimately affect the outcome of your color and painting. To understand what a color bias is, look at a color wheel that has all primary, secondary, and tertiary colors. You will notice that red sits between the orange and purple tertiary colors. So, now you can create a color hue that leans towards your warmer orange or orange-red. On the other hand, you can create a cooler red hue if you lean towards purple, a red-purple. These color biases can also affect the outcome of your gray color. It might be a good idea to create a color palette to test out the colors to see what colors you can create.
The Best Gray Combination
Black and white colors combined do make a gray and are known as neutral gray. However, this does tend to make a dull and flat, basic gray. Sometimes, the simple addition of white and black can create a muddy and less appealing gray color. So, what colors make gray brighter and cleaner? Try adding orange and blue for a warm and cool hue.
But what happens if you add too much of one color, for example, blue. Simply add in colors that lean towards warmer or lighter colors. Add in identical, tiny amounts of white and orange to your blue-gray paint. The orange will make it brighter, while the white will lighten the color.
Scientific Hex Codes for the Color Gray
Above, we have looked at how to make gray, the foremost method being, creating gray from black and titanium white. While you can mix many shades using this method, you are restricted as to intensity and flexibility, when you only use black and white blends. Mixing colors is not only found on canvas but also on computers as well as other digital screens.
In this case, the amount of red, green, and blue (RGB) is used to determine the colors. When it comes to printing, the system uses a four-color process and is referred to as CMYK (cyan, magenta, yellow and black). The hex code or hexadecimal code is a shortened version of the RGB codes, which helps to identify colors for computer use. The code is made up of a hashtag followed by six letters and numbers, the initial two represent red, the next is green, and the final two are blue. There are millions of combinations and colors. Below are a few popular gray colors with their hex codes.
Color Name Shade of Gray Hex Code RGB CMYK Gray #808080 128, 128, 128 0, 0, 0, 50 Dark Gray #A9A9A9 169, 169, 169 0, 0, 0, 34 Cool Gray #9090C0 144, 144, 192 25, 25, 0, 25 Charcoal #36454F 54, 69, 79 32, 13, 0, 69 Battleship Gray #848482 132, 132, 130 0, 0, 2, 48 Ash Gray #B2BEB5 178, 190, 181 6, 0, 5, 25 Gunmetal #2A3439 42, 52, 57 6, 9, 0, 78 Light Gray #D3D3D3 211, 211, 211 0, 0, 0, 17 Medium Gray #BEBEBE 190, 190, 190 0, 0, 0, 25 Silver #C0C0C0 192, 192, 192 0, 0, 0, 25 Stone Gray #928E85 146, 142, 133 0, 3, 9, 43 Storm cloud #4F666A 79, 102, 106 25, 4, 0, 58 
How to Make Gray With Acrylic Paints?
Gray is a neutral color, but it can add so much to a painting, bringing new dimensions with light, dark, and shadows. Black can easily obscure details, however, gray can represent darkness and nighttime scenes without covering up other details. We have already gone over the different ways you can create gray.
- Neutral (true) gray combining black and titanium white
- Complementary gray with complementary colors
- Primary gray with all three primary colors, for example, cadmium yellow and red, with ultramarine blue. Then slowly add white to create varying shades
You can also purchase gray paint, which you can then adjust by adding more white or black. Below are more examples of how to make gray paint. Using different types of colors will produce different grays that are either warmer, cooler, lighter, or darker. When trying to create different shades of gray, make sure to keep a record or palette of what you are doing so that you can repeat the process in the future.
- Blue with orange, this can be any combination of the different types of colors, for example, cobalt blue or ultramarine blue and cadmium orange
- Green and red to create gray and add a little white to create more shades of gray. For example, add cadmium red to phthalo green, and to this add small amounts of white
- Yellow and blue or purple with added white, for example, cadmium yellow and cobalt blue. You might have to adjust the ratios to get the gray you are looking for
- Ultramarine blue mixed with a burnt umber, then add white in different ratios
You can combine the various colors, excluding the white for the moment. Start with equal amounts of paint and place these onto your palette. Mix the colors thoroughly and you should get a form of gray paint from dark grayish purple to other hues, depending on what colors you chose. You can bring in some white to lighten the paint, or you can add a little black to darken. This affects the shade of gray while adding more of another color will affect the hue. When adding paint, always work with small amounts each time. If you created a gray with complementary or primary colors, you could change the hue by adding more of the colors you originally used. When working with a neutral gray, creating various tints can be done by using almost any color.
How to Make the Color Gray
Making gray truly from scratch begins by mixing blue and red pigment in equal proportions. This should bring you to a nice purple . Next, you can decide if you want to warm up or cool down the purple you’ve created. To warm it up, add more red. Adding blue will bring you to a cooler shade. It’s now time to finalize your formula to turn it gray.
The purple you’ve just created can be transformed to gray by adding yellow pigment. This is a crucial point for deciding the specific shade of gray you want because the amount of yellow you add ultimately determines how light or dark your shade of gray will be. For lighter gray, add more yellow. You’ll need to be very conservative with your yellow if the goal is to create a darker gray.
Mixing Different Shades of Gray
This is where the real fun begins because you can now make a wide variety of shades of gray to bring to life everything from the fine furs on a wild wolf to the blemished led on a smoking bullet. Take a look at color mixes for specific shades of gray:
Greenish Gray (Use for Stones, Clay and Fur):
Green + Cadmium Red + WhiteBluish Gray (Use for Waves, Fish Scales and Gray Eyes):
Ultramarine Blue + Cadmium Red + Cadmium YellowMauve Gray (Use for Storm Clouds, Puffs of Smoke and Ocean Rocks):
Violet + Azo YellowSteel Gray (Use for Pipes, Bullets and Dolphins):
Burnt Umber + BlueCharcoal Gray (Use for Metals and Deep Smoke):
White + Black + Orange-YellowWhite is always an important color to have on standby as you’re developing your own custom shades of gray. That’s because you can always blend in more white to enhance the grayness of whatever shade you create using other colors.
Black is also an important balancing tool when you’re creating custom shades of gray. Adding black can help to darken your custom shade of gray if you feel that you’ve gone too light. Of course, it’s important to be gentle when dabbing black paint into your mixture because black can quickly overpower your color work to create a murkier tone that hides the nuances you’ve carefully created through blending.
Using Gray With Other Colors
Gray is a wonderful choice for bringing out the vibrancy of the colors around it. The most classic way to use gray is to border it with white. This really brings out the regal qualities of gray. However, playing with some nontraditional colors can bring out the hidden vivaciousness of gray in surprising ways.
Gold and brass tones can bring out the richness of gray to create a very glamorous, high-society look. Purples and violets are also great for accentuating the charcoal-toned qualities within gray. Pink is another surprising color that works well with gray because of the way it brings out gray’s softness.
To bring out the soothing qualities of gray, pair it with another neutral tone. Gray paired with beige or tan creates a very soft, neutral look that allows the textures of the colors used to shine. There is also room to layer light grays and dark grays to create a very neutral, calming effect.
