What Colors Make Yellow?

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Using color theory to make yellow paint or mix light to create yellow
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Have you ever wondered if you can mix two colors to get yellow? Yellow is a primary color which means you can’t mix other paints or pigments to get it. However, when it comes to mixing light, red and green light can make yellow! We'll explain everything you need to know below. Plus, we spoke with Figurative Artist Veronica Winters and Professional Painter Jeanine Hattas Wilson to find out how to create different shades of yellow paint.

How to Make Yellow by Mixing Colors

Yellow is a primary color, which means you can’t make yellow paint or pigment by mixing other colors together. However, you can make yellow by mixing light—combining red and green light cancels out the other hues out so only the yellow is visible.

Section 1 of 5:

Making Yellow Paint

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  1. Yellow, red, and blue are the primary colors for inks, dyes, and different types of paints, like acrylic, watercolor, and oils. Primary colors are mixed to make other paint colors. Yellow, red , and blue are also called traditional primary colors because they were identified before modern scientific color theory discovered hues that mix to create more vibrant colors. However, traditional primary colors are still used in art and art education. [1]
    • Modern primary colors are yellow, cyan, and magenta. Cyan is a form of blue, and magenta is a form of red.
    • Cyan is often referred to as “process blue” and magenta as “process red” because they are used as part of the process for printing photos and color images. [2]
    • When you mix all three primary paint colors together, you get black.
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Section 2 of 5:

Making Yellow Light

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  1. When working with light, the primary colors are red, green, and blue. Televisions, computer monitors, and smartphone screens mix these primary colors to create all of the colors you see. When you layer red and green filters over white light, the resulting color is yellow because the red and green are balanced. [3]
    • Your eye captures all of the color wavelengths and interprets them as a new color instead of two (or more) separate colors. [4]
    • Mixing all the primary colors of light together creates a white light.
Section 3 of 5:

Mixing Paint to Create Shades of Yellow

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  1. Yellow pairs naturally with reds and oranges to make bright, warm colors. Many colors – like gold – are a complex mixture of warm hues with a few hints of cooler hues, like black or brown.
    • Winters advises, “In general, the color gold consists of some brown paint – burnt sienna, burnt umber, yellow ochre or raw sienna – and white. All other colors, like cadmium yellows or reds, could be added depending on the reflections. Raw umber or ivory black could be added to the mix in the shadows.”
    • Mix equal parts of red and yellow to create orange.
    • Add more red to make the color a reddish-orange and more yellow to make the color a brighter orange. For example, mixing 2 parts of red to 1 part of yellow makes vermilion, and mixing 2 parts of yellow to 1 part of red makes amber.
  2. Yellow is notoriously difficult to mix with other colors. It’s such a warm, bright color that it’s very easy to add a little too much blue, and the nice, vibrant yellow turns a dull green or brown if there’s any other warmer color in the mixture. [5] Start with a yellow that leans to the cooler side of the spectrum when mixing with blues and greens.
    • Mix equal parts of yellow and blue to make green.
    • Combine 2 parts yellow to 1 part blue to make chartreuse, and 1 part yellow to 2 parts blue to make teal.
  3. Mixing paint colors takes practice and some trial and error to get the exact color you want. It’s not always as simple as adding one color and mixing it with another. For example, white and black lighten or darken a color, but they will also make it more dull or muted, Hattas Wilson cautions.
    • Mixing equal parts white and yellow will give you a lighter, less intense yellow color. Adding too much white will create a color that is almost white. For example, white paint with a small dab of yellow makes a smooth cream color. [6]
    • Mixing equal parts yellow and black will most likely result in a dark olive-green color. However, a very small amount of black paint can darken yellow.
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Section 4 of 5:

Understanding Color Theory

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  1. This theory arranges colors in a wheel to help predict the result of mixing two or more colors to create a third. “There are three primary colors: red, yellow, and blue. And then there are the value colors white and black. If you have those five colors, you can pretty much mix most colors,” advises Hattas Wilson. It’s also used to help determine what colors look pleasing when grouped together. Traditional color theory is most often used artistically in situations that are more subjective, such as art, interior design, or fashion design. [7]
    • Primary Colors: In traditional color theory, red, blue, and yellow are mixed to create secondary colors. Additionally, Hattas Wilson tells us that mixing all three colors together makes black.
    • Secondary Colors: Mixing 2 primary colors in equal parts creates secondary colors. The secondary colors are orange (red + yellow), green (blue + yellow), and purple (blue + red).
    • Tertiary Colors: These colors are made by mixing equal parts of a primary and a secondary color. The tertiary colors are vermilion (red + orange), magenta (red + purple), violet (blue + purple), teal (blue + green), chartreuse (yellow + green), and amber (yellow + orange).
    • Complementary Colors: Complementary colors are directly across from each other on the color wheel. When placed next to one another, they create a high contrast that enhances the overall intensity. For example, red and green, purple and yellow, and orange and blue are all sets of complementary colors.
    • Analogous Colors: These colors are next to each other on the color wheel. They are soothing and aesthetically pleasing when put together. Examples of analogous colors are yellow, amber, and orange or blue, violet, and purple.
Section 5 of 5:

Making Homemade Acrylic Yellow Paint with Turmeric

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  1. In a small bowl, combine 2 tbsp (80 g) of talcum powder , 1 tbsp (14.87 mL) of white glue , and a pea-sized dab of white toothpaste . [8] Add a splash of water to help mix the ingredients if necessary.
    • The proportions are more important than the order you mix in the ingredients. You may find it easier to mix the powders together first and then add the wet ingredients.
  2. Turmeric is a golden-yellow color. When you add the white glue and toothpaste, the color becomes lighter. Start by mixing in ½ tbsp of turmeric powder . If you want a more vibrant yellow, gradually add more to intensify the color.
  3. Water thins the mixture to make it easier to paint with. This makes the paint more transparent, similar to watercolor paint. Start with 1 US tbsp (15 mL) of water and add more to get your preferred consistency. If you make the mixture too thin, add more glue or talcum powder to help thicken it again. When you have the consistency and color you want, the paint is ready to use or store in a sealed container. [9]
    • Mix well to incorporate all of the ingredients.
    • Remember, adding more white ingredients will lighten the color, so you may need to add more turmeric to get a truer yellow color. [10]
    • Homemade turmeric paint can last up to 2 years if kept in a sealed container and not stored in extreme heat or cold.
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      References

      1. ↑ https://online.maryville.edu/liberal-arts-degrees/the-art-of-color/
      2. ↑ https://www.ferrum.edu/downloads/academics/programs/school_of_art_divisions/dept_visual/art-color-systems-handbook.pdf
      3. ↑ https://www.ndsu.edu/pubweb/~rcollins/242photojournalism/colortheory.html
      4. ↑ https://isle.hanover.edu/isle2/Ch06Color/Ch06ColorMixer.html
      5. ↑ https://www.color-meanings.com/what-color-black-yellow-make-mixed/
      6. ↑ https://www.color-meanings.com/what-color-yellow-white-make-mixed/
      7. ↑ https://online.maryville.edu/liberal-arts-degrees/the-art-of-color/
      8. ↑ https://youtu.be/zvn2fk27Wbc?t=28
      9. ↑ https://youtu.be/zvn2fk27Wbc?t=132
      1. ↑ https://youtu.be/zvn2fk27Wbc?t=88

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