Black and Blue Mixed! What Color Does Black and Blue Make

In this article, we are going to answer the question, “What color do black and blue make?”

As an artist, color mixing is part of your job. The creative process involves combining different colors and brainstorming which shades work best for your project.

Expanding your knowledge when it comes to color mixing helps to make your design and artwork better.

The best way to mix colors is by using watercolor and acrylic paint. By using equal amounts of two colors, a new hue can be formed.

In this case, we are going to combine the colors black and blue. These two colors create a darker shade, which you will discover momentarily.

Now, before we discuss what new color will be formed by the combination, let’s dive into some other aspects of color mixing.

Primary vs. Secondary Colors

In the color wheel, colors are organized in a way that differentiates light colors from dark ones, and those hues are related to each other.

Basic color knowledge includes distinguishing primary, secondary, and tertiary colors.

Primary colors serve as the core of the color wheel. Colors red, blue, and yellow are considered primary colors, which when mixed together, form secondary colors.

In theory, the primary colors exist naturally and can’t be broken down. However, in practice, secondary and tertiary colors can make primary colors.

Secondary colors, on the other hand, are the result of two tones mixed evenly. With this, you can reduce these colors into individual components and see how they are made.

The secondary colors in the color wheel are orange, violet, and green.

Mix Primary Colors to get Secondary Colors

As we all know, orange is the product of combining yellow and red; violet is a result of mixing red and blue; and green is a combination of blue and yellow.

Now, for the tertiary colors, you can mix the primary and secondary colors to get red-orange, yellow-orange, yellow-green, blue-green, blue-violet, and red-violet.

Depending on the ratio of the mixture, tertiary colors can turn out darker and muddy.

Neutral Colors

The colors that don’t usually show up in the color wheel are neutral colors. This includes black, white, and gray. Sometimes, even brown and beige are considered neutral colors.

The method for creating neutral colors depends on whether you’re using additive or subtractive colors.

With paint, you can make black by mixing all the primary colors. Combining black and white will create shades of gray.

What Color Does Black and Blue Make

Now that we’ve reviewed color mixing, let’s dive into what color blue and black make.

With your knowledge of the color wheel, you probably have a picture in your mind of what happens when you combine blue and black…

When combined, you get a darker version of blue, which is called navy blue.

This new color is quite common and looks like blue but deeper in shade.

As mentioned, blue is a primary color and black is formed by mixing primary colors.

So, if you mix two colors but black or blue dominates the other, the end result will be different, not exactly navy blue.

Therefore, it is important to use equal amounts of blue and black to get the desired color.

Navy Blue: Color and Design

Navy blue is composed of 49.8% black and 50.2% blue. In RGB, the color has a code #000080.

This color looks closer to blue than black, but you can easily distinguish the black element in it.

When it comes to design, navy blue is a good hue because it complements other colors such as white, brown, and gold.

Most of the time, the color navy blue looks grand on walls, flooring, and accents to some interior details. It denotes elegance and sophistication but appears manly.

In-home magazines, navy blue sets a good tone for dining and living rooms. With washed countertops and wood flooring, navy blue walls stand out.

Meanwhile, in psychology, navy blue can be viewed as a calming color, defining serenity.

The darker shade indicates power and authority, which brings out confidence.

In addition, navy blue is also associated with intelligence and a lack of emotion.

Bottom Line

When looking at what colors black and blue make when mixed, illustrates how colors react and interact with each other.

While blue is a primary color, black is formed when the primary colors red, blue, and yellow combine.

This is helpful information in case you are working on an art project that requires color mixing.

The next time you run out of ideas for making different shades of blue, you can always add a dab of black to make navy blue.

Thanks for joining us and we hope you learned something today.

Cheers!