Which colors mix to make black?

Where mixing black with red gets you a warmer black, mixing it with blue gets you a cooler black.

What Colors Make Black? How to Mix Shades of Black

What colors make black? While you can buy black from a tube, many artists recommend mixing your own black paint out of other colors, to give it more dimension and to have more control of its underlying hue.

That’s why I’m going over a few different methods of how to mix black paint.

In order to give a better understanding of how to mix a large variety of blacks, ranging from warm to cold blacks and all the shades between.

In this post, I’ll talk about what colors make black, different methods to make black paint, what colors you can make with black, and more.

What color is black?

In many times and in many places, it has been said that black is not a color, but a shade.

That black is merely the absence of color.

But the true answer is a little harder to grasp.

When you are considering what color makes black, it depends on whether you are talking about additive or subtractive color mixing.

In additive color mixing, you get black in the absence of all light.

As an absence, black is truthfully not considered a ‘color’ carried by any specific light beam as an absence. Instead, it is what is lacking when no light is present.

In painting, almost the exact opposite is true.

This is because painting uses subtractive color mixing, where you get black when you mix all the primary colors in equal parts.

Black is what you get when many pigments are concentrated in one place.

Only in this case is enough light absorbed to ‘see’ the color black, appearing as the relative absence of light coming back to our eyes.

On a brightly light painting, black can only be perceived if there is a material that absorbs a relatively larger amount of the light being reflected on it.

In painting, the black paints used by most artists are not a true black but colors on the darkest end of their value scale without much perceivable color left.

However, it is always the value of some specific color, which gives it its relationship to the rest of the painting.

Therefore, black doesn’t need to be devoid of all color in the painting to work.

In fact, it is better most of the time if it is not a true black of this kind.

Finally, mixing just any three tubes of primary colors might not get you to a true black.

They can often end up brown if the pigments aren’t deep enough.

To get a black, you’ll need deeply pigmented primary colors.

A good selection for this is Alizarin Crimson, Ultramarine Blue, and Yellow Ochre, but others will work as well.

How to make black paint?

What colors make black paint?

There are three main ways how to make black paint.

Each method has different subtleties, giving you a different base value for your black.

If you can learn the differences in each, you’ll be able to manipulate different kinds of transition shades.

That means you’ll know what to do to get a dark green, blue, red, or otherwise for the specific painting you’re working on.

Method 1

Perhaps the easiest way on how to make the color black is to mix all three primary colors in equal parts.

You’ll eventually get a deep black by mixing blue, yellow, and red in equal parts. If you are still looking for more methods for how to make black, continue reading.

You can either use a palette knife or a brush to mix the three colors on your palette.

They should blend into a black within about 15 seconds of mixing.

If the black is leaning too much towards any particular color, add more of its complementary colors.

If it’s becoming gray, there may be too much tint in the primary colors you are using.

You’ll have to try others.

Method 2

Start from a blue base, then add other colors to reach what makes black.

This method tends toward a cooler black the more blue paint used.

You can mix Ultramarine Blue with Cadmium Orange to reach a deep black.

The bluer the mix, the cooler the black, whereas the more orange, the warmer the black.

This gives you a relatively tight range of control over the exact black you’ll get.

Method 3

Start from a green base, then add other colors to make black.

Green is made from yellow and blue, so you’ll get a black by adding red.

This black tends to be warmer the more red is used, and cooler the more green is used, giving a similar control range as the blue-based method.

Why make your own black?

The main reason is that black is the absence of all color, whereas most artists are representational, painting what they see.

Therefore, for black to work in harmony with other colors, it should have an underlying color that expresses some relation to the other colors on the canvas.

The subtleties of each of these methods give a different range of values to your black.

For example, depending on what you are using the black for, a blue hue is often great for the night sky, while a green hue is perfect for a pine tree at night.

In addition, adding a yellow hue is perfect for a piece of gold glinting in the dark.

Experiment with different values of each for a great range of blacks with their own distinct character.

How to Make the Color Black – Shades of Black Color Mixing Guide

Ever wondered why you do not mostly see a tube of black paint color in the Painter’s palette? That is because they make it on their own. The black color is prominent in every Painter’s or even a Non-Painter’s collection.

However, instead of buying a whole tube of it, they can mix it up! Not only can you save money on this, but it creates a color that is even best than the standard black color. Here, we will give a few examples of mixing different shades of color to make Black.

Not only will they bring out the exact shiny, blackish color you want, but it is aesthetically pleasing too, especially for Artists. An Artist or a Painter wants excellent colors because it is through that they showcase their work or art.

Like Black, you can also create other shades of colors like White, Grey, Pink, Blue, Red, etc. Think of how much money you will save and how much creativity you will get after learning to mix colors.

However, mixing colors to create a new shade is not an easy task if you think mixing colors require practice, much like any other thing. If you are mixing colors for the first time, there is a significant chance that you will end up mixing more or less of one color and not get the proper shade you want.

You need to practice, keep on mixing the colors until you get the perfect shade, and then use them in your painting and leave others speechless. There are numerous ways you can make Black paint and White, Red, Blue, etc. Many painters come up with different ways of bringing out new colors every day.

Not only are these colors gorgeous, but they also are born at that time. This means you do not have to go to the market searching for that perfect shade when it is right there on your palette.

Below are some of the examples on How to Make A Black Color:

Primary Colors

You can make the Black color by mixing the primary colors altogether. The primary colors, which are Red, Blue, and Yellow, should be mixed.

For Blue, you can use either Teal Blue or Duke Blue. For Yellow, you can use Lemon Yellow, and for Red, you can use Bright Red.

Make sure to mix these colors appropriately so that you get the desired black color and not the shade of any other. Primary colors are the main colors to use when you want a quick shortcut to black color.

How to Mix – Put equal quantities of all three colors on your palette, and mix. Do not put less quantity of any color; otherwise, the desired black color will not be achieved, and some other color will come.

If you want a little bluish-black color, mix in a little bluer, and you will have it. After mixing it once, if you are not getting the desired color, add a little Persian Blue in the mixture and then mix.

Printing Colors

With the help of printing colors also, you can get a black color. Printing colors like Paradise Yellow, Indigo Blue, and Magenta Haze can make the Black color.

These colors are used in the printing machines, and you can also use this in your day-to-day painting.

Printing colors are just an example, and you can use your standard paint colors too.

How to Mix – Start mixing Indigo Blue and Magenta Haze, which will give you a purple color. To that, add a little of Paradise Yellow and neutralize it.

Because both the Blue and Magenta shade will create a dark purple color, the Yellow shade will neutralize. Add the Yellow shade little by little until you get the desired Black.

Yellow Purple

This is by far a unique shade of two colors that can result in a desired black shade. Using a dark purple shade and a light shade of yellow will give you the desired color. You can mix them up and test them on a piece of white paper.

If you are getting a light shade of black color, add the purple shade a bit more. If you want a slightly less light shade, then use more yellow or less purple. Whichever you chose, make sure to test it first before using it.

Using Blue Color

Besides the primary or printing colors, you can also make the black paint using other shades of color. Like Blue, mixing blue with different colors can produce a pure natural black color.

You can also try different shades of blue color by going ahead from the ones listed below. Use your creativity and test each color with the opposite color mentioned below and see which ones create which sort of color.

Let us see all those colors which when you mix with blue result in Black.

• The first one is mixing Indigo Blue color with Tangerine (a shade of Orange color) together.
• Mixing these two will give you a lighter shade of black color, like black, brown, but mostly black.
• For the places you want to use a light shade of Black, you can try this method.
• The next one is Dark Blue color with Burnt Umber/Burnt Sienna (both shades of Brown color).
• These two colors are quite common to appear on a palette, and if you do not know, mixing these two results in rich black color.
• When Dark Blue is mixed with Burnt Sienna, the result is a warm black color.
• Mixing these two will give you a light shade of Black color, unlike with Burnt Umber.

Using Green Color

Just like the Blue color, you can also make a Black shade using Hunter Green color too. Hunter Green, or Pthalo Green, or British Racing Green, all three are very dark and rich shades of green, even dark than the dark green itself.

Like Blue color, try different green color shades and see what each color mixed with the below-mentioned companions comes out to be.

You may never know how a mixture will turn out before you start mixing it. Just like Let us see the colors which when you mix with green result in Black.

• The first one is mixing Hunter Green with Indigo Purple/ Ripe Plum together.
• Both colors are dark, and coming together will result in a dark and rich black color shade.
• It is recommended to use a little less green color during mixing because out of the two, and the green shade has more darkness than purple.
• The second one is mixing Hunter Green with Light Red together. This mixture will result in a light black shade.
• Whenever you want to give a light, almost transparent touch to your painting, you can use this example.
• If you do not have a Light Red color, you can also use Candy Apple Red or Scarlet Red color.
• The third example is mixing Hunter Green with Dark Red or Burgundy or Blood Red color together. This will result in a dark rich black color.
• Make sure to use both the colors in an equal amount and mix, not put too much or too little of either color or lead to some other shade.

Cool Colors

Making your black color means you can mix it with any color you want and have the exact shade you want. In this example, you can mix some of the cold/dark colors with black color to create a unique black shade, one that you want in your painting.

Colors like Indigo Blue, Hunter Green, Indigo Purple, Burnt Umber are the coolest colors, mix them with black color and create a whole new Black shade. While mixing, add a little less of these colors, so the shade does not come out as pure Black but a mix of both.

For better results, try it out first on a plain white sheet to confirm your desired color. If you do not get it right at once, you can try doing it again and again.

Warm Colors

When you want a dark and cool spot in your painting, you sometimes want a warm and light shade. This color, like Light Red, Burnt Sienna, Tangerine, can be used in this example to create a warm shade for your painting. You can either get a cool red, warm Red, chocolate, or warm orange shade from them.

Using equal amounts of orange or yellow with Black might not result in a warm black shade, so it is recommended that you use the natural light colors in a little less amount and the black color more to create the warm black shade you want.

While mixing warm colors, you must make sure that the lighter shades are more incorporated in the mixture than the black color so that the result has more of, letting us say, red and less of Black.

Shades of Black

The color Black is not just Black. Like every other color has tons of shades similarly, even black color has many shades, some are light, some are dark, some are transparent, some are cool, and some are warm. The cool shades usually have a hue of blue or green or purple in them, whichever you used to create a cool color.

Similarly, for warm shades, whichever bright color you use will also have some hue in the black shade. Light shades of Black are used where you want just a touch of Black but want to keep it transparent too, and where you want a deep, dark, and rich shade of Black, you combine dark colors.

All the color schemes mentioned above can be used to create any black shade you want.

Conclusion

Do not be limited to just these types of colors mentioned above. If you are a painter, or even if you are not one, you should always explore yourself and create new Black shades. Who knows, maybe you can come up with a new shade that is unique and precisely the one you want?

Sometimes, you randomly start mixing the light and dark shades of color, and you end up with the result that you did not even imagine can be there, and when you use it in your painting, it creates such a unique effect you use it every day.

It does not matter if you are a non-painter. You can still explore your creativity, play with colors, and invent new ones. It is aesthetically pleasing too, saves money, and gets what you want, which is the main thing. For painters, this is like a blessing, and this is like giving them a whole new palette filled with new inventions which they cannot wait to try on their board and make masterpieces.

So, it does not matter who you are, what your background is. What matters is how creative you are. Making your shade of color gives you the confidence to create even more colors, and the main thing is that you save so much money because having white and black colors are the basic in a color palette.

And these colors form both the basic and the finishing, so you always end up buying them two-three times a week, thereby costing a lot of money on these two colors only and not on others. So, the examples mentioned above are perfect for when you want just a little bit of the black shade with a hue of other colors or without.

How to Mix Black and Brown Colors

In the previous Video Lesson, we promised to show you Tertiary Colors. Now, we will see how to mix your own Tertiary Colors as Browns, Greys and Blacks using Primary and Secondary Colors.

Tertiary Colors are formed by mixing Primaries and Secondaries in different combinations.

Let’s see what to mix in order to achieve a completely different category of Colors. And after that, we will discuss what we have achieved and what kind of conclusions we can make from that.

So, we need Worksheet #14; here it is. We outline the guidelines on the support. In our case, it’s an Unstretched Canvas, and we use Masking Tape to seal the areas we want to keep untouched. Also, we can make temporary tags over the Masking Tape.

Squeeze three Primary Colors on your Palette – these are Red, Yellow and Blue Colors. Place a little sample of each Primary Color above the Chart. We will always know how the original Colors that we are going to mix look when they are straight from the tube.

Now, we mix three Primary Colors – Yellow, Red and Blue, in more or less equal proportions. We apply the mixed Color on the Canvas as we usually do – starting with thickly applied strokes, then gradually reducing the thick coat of Paint to a very thin film, to see how the Paint looks in thick and thin layers. To better understand the visual qualities of this mix, we apply a glaze layer, too. For that, we use Liquin as a Glazing Medium.
We apply the thinned Paint with a Brush, then smooth out the layer with a flat soft Brush.

Then, we divide the remaining Paint mix into three parts and add to each part of mixed Paint the same amount of each Primary Color. As a result, we have three more mixes of Red, Yellow and Blue. But now, they are mixed in different proportions: here, Red will dominate over Yellow and Blue. In this sample, Yellow is a dominating Color, and in the last sample, the Blue Color is a dominant Color. We apply all mixes in the same way we applied the first sample – a thin coat of Paint first, then a Glazing layer.

The next part is dedicated to mixing Tertiary Colors from Secondaries. We have to prepare them on our Palette first. As we remember, the Secondary Colors originate from mixing two Primary Colors. We mix Yellow and Red to create Orange; Yellow and Blue to make Green. When we mix Blue and Red Oil Paints, it’s practically impossible to get a Violet Color, which, in theory, should appear. On practice, we can achieve a very Dark, near Black Color with a hint of Violet. As an alternative, you can use any Violet from the tube for this exercise.

Well, we do everything as we did with the Primary Colors – we place a small dab of each Secondary Color above the Chart. Then, we take equal amounts of each Secondary Color and intermix them evenly into one Color; then, apply as usual – thinly first, then in the form of Glazing. Next step – we divide this mix into three parts and add to each part the same amount of each Secondary Color. We will end up with three new mixes. In one mix, the Orange is a dominant Color; Violet comes in second; and finally, in the third mix, Green is the dominating Color. We apply them as always.

Now, it’s time find out what kind of Colors can we get by mixing Opposite Colors. As Opposite or Complementary Colors, we call a pair of Primary and Secondary Colors that is located just opposite of them (non-adjacent Secondary Color).

Let’s place the samples of Primary Colors first – Red, Yellow and Blue. Then, place their Opposites: Green to Red, then goes Violet next to Yellow, and Orange to Blue. We mix the two Opposites Red and Green together in equal parts and apply them to the Canvas, reducing the thickness of the layer from Impasto to a Glazing. After that, we have to mix the same Opposites, but in different proportions – in one, Red predominates over Green; in another sample, Green is bigger in proportion to Red.

Our next Opposite Colors are Yellow and Violet. First goes the mix of Yellow and Violet in equal parts. Then, Yellow dominates the mix; and in this part, Violet dominates. Then, follow with Blue and Orange, Opposite Colors. And we repeat the procedure as for previous Opposites – equal parts; dominate Blue; dominate Orange.

The time has passed, the glazed layers are dry.

After that, we can remove the Masking tape, revealing the Canvas between samples of Colors. It takes quite a lot of time for all swatches to become dry because Paint in Impasto layers takes longer than glazed layers thinned with fast drying Liquin. When the Paint is touch-dry, we will write all of the identifications. This is how the completed Swatches look.

Now, let’s analyze what we can see here. All Tertiary Colors we see here are made using these three Primary Colors. Depending on what kind of Primaries you choose, the result Colors (the Tertiary Colors) could vary from Reddish Brown to near Black.

Let’s have a look at what we got by mixing all Primary Colors in equal proportions: they cancel each other out, creating a pleasant Brown Color. When we mixed all Secondary Colors in equal proportions, we created the same kind of Brown Color. Why is that? Because Secondaries are derived from Primary Colors, so it’s literally the same mix together of Primaries. By varying the proportions of Colors in the mix, we have the result of different nuances of Brown.

Mixing Opposites in equal quantities also creates Brown Colors. But we understand that Opposite Colors contain one Primary and one Secondary Color that is made by mixing two other Primaries; so, Opposite Colors also contain all three Primaries.

Maybe it sounds a bit confusing, but once you got it, you will look at it as an ingenious simplicity. Yes, it is ingenious indeed – all these Tertiary Colors, as we see on this Chart, contain just these three Primary Colors – Red, Yellow and Blue.

For example, let’s analyze which Primaries are in this brilliant Tertiary Color that looks so very much like Yellow Ochre. Let’s disassemble this mix into Primary components:
We need Yellow and a Violet Color that contains equal parts of Red and Blue. We mix them together. Then, we take this mix and add the same quantity of Yellow to it. So, what does this mix contain? One part of Red, one part of Blue and six parts of Yellow. All Primary Colors.

The next one – a dominating Violet over Yellow – also has a combination of all three Primary Colors, but in different proportions.

As you can appreciate, when we know how Colors work, it’s possible to create rich and colorful artworks having just these three Primary Colors. Even when they are pretty dark when applied thinly, we can effectively use them in Glazings. Just look at the variety – Blue, Yellow, Red, Purple, nuances of Brown Colors. I’m so excited when I see all this brilliance!

So, make your own tests, and keep them at your side for reference. Color Theory and Colors potential is so important that you will discover new combinations of Colors through all your creative life.

What you need for the task:

• Worksheet #14
• Prepared Support – Canvas, Canvas Board or Oil Painting Paper A3
• Masking tape
• Any Yellow, Red and Blue Colors
• Hog or/and Synthetic Brushes + Wide Flat Synthetic Brush for smoothing
• Palette Knife
• Liquin Original