What Colors Make Black? What Two Colors Make Black

Are you curious what colors make black? Or want to know what 2 colors make black? In this blog post we’re going to share with you what colors you can combine to make black.

Black is probably the most common and popular color for any occasion. However, sometimes you might be in a situation where you need the color black, but it’s not readily available.

This article presents an easy-to-follow, step-by-step guide which details what colors you can mix to make black.

Let’s get started.

One disclaimer… it might not be possible to create an absolute “perfect black” color.

But we’re going to get you close to true black as possible, and you still will love the quality of your black color when you follow this guide, and you will find the whole process creative and enjoyable.

We call the resultant color “your black” because you can choose different color quantities to mix to determine how your black color will look like.

What colors make Black?

We will cover several color combinations on how to make the black color.

The first combination entails blue, yellow, and red mixed in equal proportions. The second combination includes mixtures of secondary colors like purple and yellow, green and red, or orange and blue. The third combination is made up of a mixture of brown and blue to give you a rich black color.

First Method (Mix Red, Yellow, and Blue to Make Black)

As you can see from this diagram below you can mix the primary colors to make black. For ease of explanation, we will assume you’re trying to mix paint in the instructions below…

Here is a step-by-step process on how to make black paint.

Step one: Collect yellow, blue, and red colors

Although black is the darkest color, it is possible to make different blackness degrees. The particular yellow, blue, and red color shades you use substantially control the hue of the resultant black. When mixing paints, you are free to use your preferred oil, acrylic paint, or watercolor.

• Using Cobalt Blue, Rose Madder Genuine, and Aureolin results in a softer black color while Winsor Blue, Permanent Alizarin Crimson, and Winsor Yellow yield a bold black color.

• Whatever yellow, blue, and red shades from a basic paint set will ultimately give you the color black.

Step two: Dab or squeeze some amount of each color in separate spots on a palette

We recommend putting each color dab at a time before mixing them. Ensure that the paints are placed about 1.3cm
apart. If you desire a basic black color, ensure that you use equal color amounts.

• You will achieve different looks of your black color by using slightly more of 1 or 2 colors.

• When using a paintbrush in dabbing paint onto your palette, remember to use different brushes for different colors to avoid mixing the color before they are all on your palette.

• It is unlikely that you will make a similar quality of black from time to time. Therefore, prepare enough black color once to last all your needs.

Step three: Mix the three colors

We recommend that you mix your paint colors using a paintbrush. A palette knife might also be used as it mixes certain paint colors better. Move the paint colors around for around 15 seconds to ensure that your mixture is characteristic of a single full color without any bits of individual color leftovers.

Step four: Adjust the hue and quality of your black color

The way you would love your black to look is determined by the use into which you intend to put the
resultant color. For instance, adding a dab of white color will be vital in lightening the black, while a black color similar to a black night sky can be achieved by adding a dab of blue.

• We recommend that you experiment with your black color if you have paint colors and time to spare.

• You won’t get an exact black color if you mix your paint colors using your hands. However, it is likely that the
resultant black might have more character compared to a pure black color.

Here is a video that demonstrates this process as well.

What Two Colors Make Black

It is possible to make black by mixing secondary colors with primary colors as well.

Here are some examples of what two colors you can mix to make black.

The first secondary and primary color combination entails green and red.

Mix Green + Red = Black

Paint colors occupying opposite positions on the color wheel create black when mixed.

Are you wondering what could be the logic behind this scenario? Well, when these colors are mixed, they tend to cancel out the color properties of either color; thereby yielding a dark hue.

Select any shade of green or red depending on your desired black hue. A simple black hue can result from a mixture of Naphthol Red and Phthalo Green.

The second combination is a blend of orange and blue.

Mix Blue + Orange = Black

A blue paint dab like Cobalt Blue and another orange
paint dab like Translucent Orange will result in a vibrant black color. If your resultant black color is not dark enough, you may add a dab of blue paint to the mixture.

The last secondary color combination uses purple and yellow colors.

Mix Yellow and Purple = Black

We recommend that you create a blend of 40% yellow and 60% purple, although you can adjust this ratio accordingly to yield a desirable quality of black. If you have to use violet, then you should blend it with Cadmium Yellow.

As you can see there are many color combinations you can use to get to black by mixing primary and secondary colors together.

Here is a diagram that displays what we just explained above.

What Colors to Mix To Make Black

The last method that I’m going to show you is that you can

Mix Brown with Blue = Black

If you’re mixing paint there are probably different variations of colors for you so we will share with you some different options.

First option: Ultramarine Blue and Brown

Use a small Ultramarine blue dab with brown to make it black. Ensure that close to half of the mixture is blue.

Second option: Burnt Umber Brown and Blue

Add a dab of burnt umber near your blue dab, and then swirl the two colors gently to yield black. You can adjust the amount of either color to create your desired shade of black.

Third option: Brown and Prussian Blue

Lastly, you can blend brown with a Prussian blue dab. This type of blue is specifically necessary in darkening and deepening your black. Adding this dab to your black is a sure way of ending up with a black similar to a night’s darkness.

In conclusion, we shared multiple combinations of colors that you can use to create a dark and exciting color version of black. The trick here is blending a warm color with a cool one. Try out the above approaches to create different interesting shades of black.

Hope you enjoyed this step-by-step guide on how to make black colour and what colors to mix to make black. Cheers!