When I encounter a situation like this, in my black mixture I will substitute Ultramarine Blue with Viridian. Viridian is a very cool green color that is lighter in value than Ultramarine. This works well because the lighter value of Viridian results in a black that is slightly lighter and a little more chalky than one make with Ultramarine. Also, if it’s a summer landscape, the green works a little better with the overall color harmony. I may also use a little less Transparent Oxide Red and a little more Alizarin Permanent so that my black doesn’t get too earthy depending on my subject.
What Does Red and Black Make? Color Mixing!
Hi! Today our color mixing chart exploits take a new turn as we tackle the question: What does red and black make when the two colors are mixed together? This is our first time swirling in black, so it opens a whole new door to… shades!
But first, some background. My name is Lillie and I’m an artist and teacher who delights in hands-on experiments to show what happens when pigments dance together. We’ve seen the answer to what red and green make, and even the surprising response to what orange and purple make.
Let’s start today’s process by observing how beautiful the primary color, red, and the neutral, black, look when combined together by my brush. Yes indeed, these two colors definitely go together — in a powerful, fiery way! (Much more spicy looking than orange and black together.)
Adding Black Creates Shades
Just as a beach umbrella creates shade from the sun, adding black to a color creates “shades” of that color: darker versions of it. Therefore, the answer to “What color do red and black make?” is: dark red, as shown in my illustration below.
The red result gets progressively darker as you add more black to the mix. But wait — we’re not done yet, because there’s a more fleshed out elaboration needed, regarding the specific color name.
Making Maroon, Burgundy, Merlot, and More
Now that we know that red plus black equals dark red, the question is: What is the name for dark red shades? The most fitting name for it is: maroon color. (Yes, this is similar to our result of what color red and brown make.)
Rich reds also remind me of wine-themed colors such as “merlot” or “burgundy” — but be a little careful here. Those wine shades are CLOSE to maroon or dark red, but they have a touch more purple in the mix (the color red and blue make), so they’re not exactly our result in this experiment. Throw a little blue or purple in the mix, however, and they’re yours.
Meanwhile, if you’re still wondering whether red and black go together in fashion, enjoy my illustration, below, that’s colored entirely using different versions of that color combination — including the dark red and maroon shades we’ve discussed. The combo gives off a vibrant, powerful, regal vibe — slightly Darth Maul scary, but also exciting!
What Does Red and Black Make?
Now you know that the answer to: “What does red and black make when the colors are mixed?” is shades dark red, or maroon color — ALMOST burgundy, merlot, or wine, but less purple or plum color. I hope this article and my illustrations have been helpful and entertaining. What color combos should I illustrate next? Do share!
Want more? Check out “What Does Red and Purple Make?” and the neon bright answer to the question, “What Does Green and Yellow Make When Mixed Together?”
To examine these colors in terms of their meanings, read up on the meaning of the red chakra, as well as the lesser-known Earth Star Chakra, which is the Black Chakra, connected with seeing a black aura. Its meaning is a beautiful one!
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!
What Colors Make Black Paint?
Black is actually and scientifically not a pure color, but a state of absorption of light. General users of paints prefer buying black paint tubes, but most of the well-known painters make their own black shades. Depending on their needs, they can change the shades from dark to darker.
Black paint can be achieved by mixing equal proportions of red, yellow, and blue. Lighter blue and red will create a brownish color. So, make sure to use darker shades of blue and red. To achieve more bluish shade in your black paint, consider adding some more blue paint.
You can also achieve black colors by mixing other secondary colors. The list includes purple with yellow, blue with orange, and red with green. A rich black paint can be attained by adding brown with blue.
For the first basic procedure, we suggest using Alizarin Crimson (red), Yellow Ochre (yellow), and Ultramarine Blue (blue). This combination will end up with the most expected black paint.
Read Next:
What Two Colors Make Black?
Mixing two colors can make black, though the shade can be different. A secondary paint with a primary paint can result in a nice black shade. Let’s take a look at some of the examples.
1. Mixing red with green will give a black shade. For a better result, use Phthalo Green and Naphthol Red in a controlled amount. By changing the amount, you can achieve a different black hue.
2. Mix orange and blue, and get a vivacious black color. In this case, Translucent Orange and Cobalt Blue are the right color blends. If you need deep black, add more Cobalt Blue to the mixture.
3. Different types of blue and brown colors also provide a nice black hue. Mixing Brown with Ultramarine Blue will end up with a black shade. Mixing Blue with Burnt Umber Brown will offer quite a deeper black shade. For the darkest black paint, mix Prussian Blue with Brown.
4. The purple and yellow color combination also provides a black hue. Produce a mixture of 60% purple and 40% yellow for a strong black hue. Using Cadmium Yellow gives the perfect black shade.
How to Make Black Paint: 3 Different Ways & Step-by-Step Guide
There are several methods to create a black hue. We will discuss it one by one. The following is our first and of course, the basic method.
Necessary Ingredients:
- Red acrylic paint
- Blue acrylic paint
- Yellow acrylic paint
- Paintbrush
- Water
- Paper towels
- Paper plates
Step 1: Make an orange
Make sure you have six paper plates. First of all, keep red, blue, and yellow paint on three different plates. Now on a fourth plate, put some red paint. You should not use too much paint. It is important to fix how much paint you actually need. However, take the same amount of yellow paint on the fourth plate and mix the red and yellow paint properly. This will end up with orange paint.
Step 2: Make green
Take a new plate, which will be number fifth. Put a certain amount of yellow paint on the plate. Put the same amount of blue paint on that plate. Now mix them properly and you will achieve a green color.
Step 3: Make purple
Mix the same amount of blue and red paint on the sixth plate. This will make purple. Now, you have six plates that contain six different colors.
Step 4: Make black paint
Each of the six plates has six unique colors; red, blue, yellow, orange, green, and purple. Now take the plate that contains red. Put all other paints on this plate. Finally, mix all six paints and you will get your desired black paint.
Note: The process may seem a bit difficult, but this provides relatively better black paint. You can directly mix three paints; red, blue, and yellow but the result will not be to the painter’s expected level.
When following the above methods, use a clean paintbrush before collecting each of the paints. You can rinse the brush with water or use a different brush for different paint.
Read Next:
Different Color Combinations That Achieve Black
Many different color combinations will result in a black color. In theory, any colors that are a dark value and fairly opposite on the color wheel should result in black. Below are some examples of other color combinations that can acheive black.
Ultramarine Blue and Van Dyke Brown will make a fairly colorless black, but adding Alizarin will give it a dark, rust tone.
Thalo Turquoise can be mixed with Transparent Red Oxide and Alizarin Crimson (Permanent) for a deep black. The tinting strength of Thalo Turquoise will give your black a green hue in thin applications.
Very similar to my favorite mixture is Permanent Magenta, Ultramarine Blue and Transparent Red Oxide.
Essentially you can mix a convincing black from most any combination of colors that are dark and on opposite ends or form a triangle on the color wheel.
Mixing Black With Just Primary Colors
A number if years ago, I ditched all colors from palette expect for Titanium White, Cadmium Lemon, Cadmium Red, and Ultramarine Blue. This really helped simplify color mixing for me, but I was also surprised to learn I could mix a convincing black from just these colors (minus the white of course). Granted the blacks mixed from these three colors are not as deep and dark as other blacks and they tend to be a bit more opaque, but they still work just fine.
Mixing blacks from pure primaries will relay heavily on blue since that is the darkest of the primary colors. But I still end up adding just a touch of Cadmium Lemon to cut down on the lavender bias that Ultramarine Blue and Cadmium Red produce.
How to Use Manufactured Black
I want to emphasize that manufactured blacks such as Ivory Black are not to be considered anathema. Just be aware that when used by themselves they can appear dead when used in a painting that has color. One way many artists deal with this is to always mix a color with Ivory Black to give it some life. Personally, I like using Ivory Black or Gamblin’s Chromatic Black to tone down intense colors, especially greens. Beyond this I rarely use them, but that doesn’t mean you shouldn’t use them.
