What Color Does Red and Blue Make When Mixed?

When you mix blue and red, what color will you get? That is a lot more than just magenta. Let’s keep reading to uncover interesting combinations of blue and red.

You will learn the answer to the very common question, “What color do blue and red make when they are mixed?” in this blog post.

What typically springs to your mind when you think of the color red? An apple, a stop sign, power, or even a drop of blood are likely to come to mind.

So what about the color blue? What images usually come to mind when you consider the color blue? Do you usually have thoughts of the sky, water, or a sense of calm? All of these ideas come to mind.

Every one of those colors is vivid and strong on its own, but what occurs when the colors blue and red are combined? Does it produce another lovely color or something less appealing?

And now, let’s look at what happens when blue and red are mixed, as well as some color theories to help you understand more about how it all works. So, let’s get this party started.

The Tool to Mix Red and Blue

When you are in doubt the two color mixing, you can try the mixing tool online below to mix between red and blue with the percentage of 50/50. Plus, you can adjust the percantage by adjusting the center point or change red or blue into different colours:

Explore the captivating blend of red and blue with the Two Color Mixer Tool! Uncover the resulting color, its names, hex codes, and RGB codes. Discover the mesmerizing fusion of red and blue: Mix Red and Blue with our Mixing Color Tool.

In this chart, we explore various mixtures of red and blue, represented by their respective hex codes and percentage ratios. Here are some key points to note:

• Blue (#1a00e6): When 10% red and 90% blue are combined, we obtain a captivating shade of pure blue. It represents the essence of the blue color spectrum.
• Trypan Blue (#3300cc): With a mixture of 20% red and 80% blue, Trypan Blue emerges as a deep and intense hue. It showcases the harmonious blending of red and blue.
• Purple (#4d00b3) and Purple (#660099): By combining 30% red and 70% blue, we achieve two variations of purple. Each shade exhibits its unique character, with one leaning towards a reddish-purple and the other towards a bluish-purple.
• Mardi Gras (#800080): When red and blue are mixed in equal proportions (50% each), the captivating color of Mardi Gras is born. It represents a harmonious fusion of the two primary colors.
• Flirt (#990066): Blending 60% red and 40% blue results in the enticing hue known as Flirt. This color possesses a subtle balance between the warmth of red and the coolness of blue.
• Pictorial carmine (#b3004d): With a combination of 70% red and 30% blue, Pictorial carmine emerges as a vivid and intense shade. It captures the essence of red while showcasing a touch of blue undertones.
• Red (NCS) (#cc0033): When 80% red and 20% blue are mixed, the vibrant hue of Red (NCS) is achieved. This color leans heavily towards red, infusing energy and intensity.
• Spanish red (#e6001a): Finally, a mixture of 90% red and 10% blue results in the captivating shade of Spanish red. It showcases the dominant influence of red while incorporating a subtle touch of blue.

Mixing Paint Colors Principle in School

Consider your elementary school days for a moment. Do you recall your teacher talking about paintings and how to paint? You might be really happy to create your first work of genius.

So, to get started, your teacher showed you how to mix the colors on your color scheme to make new ones. She/He illustrated this by displaying a color wheel that included all tertiary, secondary, and primary colors.

Your teacher might have written this line on the board: red + blue = what color?

She most likely demonstrated in this illustrative example that combining red and blue results in purple (or violet). To some extent, this is correct since you must understand that this is only one part of the puzzle.

While using paint colors, blue and red combine to form purple. Having said that, do blue and red really combine to form another color? And here is a hint: it all depends on which color theory we are talking about. So, allow us to explain this in more detail.

Primary Color Model – RYB Color Model (Red, Yellow, and Blue)

To begin, you must have a solid understanding of how the color wheel really does work. One feature of the color wheel is that it adheres to the Primary Color Model (also known as RYB Color Model).

The Primary Colors include three major colors, which are Red, Yellow, and Yellow, as shown in the color wheel chart down below.

The primary colors and secondary colors are shown in the middle graph: orange, violet, and green.

The final color wheel demonstrates the Tertiary Colors. In general, tertiary colors are shades created by combining secondary and primary colors.

When demonstrated in this kind of pie chart or graph, the color theory is really simple to grasp.

However, it might still be perplexing for some people, especially those who are new to this. So, to better clarify, the color chart down below obviously demonstrates that when you mix the primary colors blue and red together, you will get the color violet, also known as purple, to some people.

As previously stated, this is only one piece of the puzzle. So, keep on reading to the next paragraph to learn more.

CMY (Cyan, Magenta, and Yellow) Color Model and RGB (Red, Green, and Blue): What’s The Difference?

If we are talking about paint, then blue combined with red will always create purple. Having said that, it is a completely different story when it comes to the light spectrum, which adheres to the CMY (Cyan, Magenta, and Yellow) Color Model. The primary colors in this model include yellow, magenta, and cyan.

Consider the last time you purchased printer ink. These shops sell RGB cartridges. You may have been perplexed since blue, green, and red were not taught as primary colors when you were in school.

Possibly now would be the ideal moment to show the disparity between subtractive additive colors. To put it simply, additive colors are colors that, when mixed, create the color white. See the graph down below for more detail. These are the colors blue, green, and red.

Subtractive colors, on the other hand, are created by mixing two additive primary colors, yellow, magenta, and cyan.

Your mobile phone, television, or printer can recreate a wide range of colors by mixing various subtractive and additive colors. This allows them to regenerate the colors as closely to nature as possible.

However, what would that need to do with the colors red and blue, you might ask? The solution is based on subtractive and additive colors. Cyan is formed by combining green and blue. When you combine red and green, you will get the color yellow. However, what colors do blue and red make in the RGB color model?

So, What Color Do Red and Blue Actually Make?

Magenta is created by combining the colors blue and red on the RGB color wheel. Isn’t it perplexing?

You must be detailed about the color theory you are discussing. If you are still wondering how to combine primary paint colors, as previously stated, blue and red make purple or violet.

However, when it comes to the RGB color spectrum, as previously stated, combining blue and red results in magenta.

So now you understand this, you might be beginning to wonder why schools are teaching that the primary colors typically include yellow, blue, and red. Well, the simple answer is just that your first awareness of color theory is not through the light spectrum but through coloring materials such as paint or crayons.

Whereas the light spectrum creates shades by either subtracting or adding light, the pigment spectrum is based on light frequencies that typically rebound off the exterior and into your eyes. Furthermore, combining paint is much easier than subtracting or adding light.

But why does combining blue and red not always result in purple?

These days’ the issue with color mixing is that there is a wide range of different shades of blue and red. When some blues and reds are combined, they create the perfect purple. Others produce a dark, unappealing color that is far from what you assumed.

So, if your purple looks dreary or undesirable, it might be because some blue and red paints have a trace of yellow. As purple and yellow are combined, they produce a brown color. As a result, even a trace of yellow blended in with the blue or red might cause the purple to become distorted.

As you are looking for perfect combining colors, select pure blue or red paint with no surprising colors blended in. Anything other than that, regardless of how hard you try, you will never be able to create a bright purple. In addition, it might be useful to experiment with different blues and reds to see what kinds of purples you will actually get.

It is worth noting that the sort of paint you use may affect your outcomes. Because oil paints, watercolor, and acrylic, watercolor are all distinctive in consistency, some may be simpler to combine than others.

So, What Kinds of Paints Should You Use?

Assume you are attempting to create purple utilizing “ultramarine blue.” When you use “alizarin crimson,” a profound red, the mixture turns gray rather than purple. This is because the red is far darker and already contains a glimpse of blue.

A lighter red, for instance, “permanent rose,” will produce a far superior purple combination. Having said that, if you really want a lighter or softer purple tone, try substituting “cerulean blue” for ultramarine blue. You will get a lovely violet in the end.

The paint names, as some of you might know, are not always coherent, but regardless of what kind and brand of paint you are using, you will probably find a broad range of reds and blues to work with. In the end, it is always worth taking the time to test all of the blue and red combinations since it might help you see all of the purple options. You can then consider adding shades or tints to your purple.

How to Combine Various Shades of Purple

A real purple color can be obtained by combining blue and red, but this is not always the desired color. In certain situations, you will want to create either darker or lighter shades of purple. So, here are some easy ways to create both light and dark shades of purples.

Ways to Create Lighter Shades of Purples

You will have to make unique shades, tints, or highlights of your purple color to depict the effects of light and its vastly differing depths. Basically, purple is an innately darker color. As a consequence, you would most likely have to brighten up it frequently to obtain the look or color you actually want on an artwork. 

Generally speaking, there are several options as follows. The simplest way to brighten up your purple is to add a little bit of white color. You might wonder if it is the best way to generate a light purple without adversely impacting the tint when trying to add white to purple. To put it differently, you will be making a lighter variation of your initial pure base violet or purple.

Another option is to use a light yellow color. We have already talked about how yellow can brighten up a vivid purple. As a result, using a light yellow could really innately help to generate a lighter and softer and lighter purple hue. For the optimum quality, we recommend cadmium yellow and cadmium lemon yellow. If you want to create a lighter purple tint, cadmium lemon yellow is usually considered the first and might be the best option. In general, it is just an individual preference when making various shades of purple or any other color. So, in order to achieve the desired color, you may need to experiment to achieve the desired color shade.

Ways to Create Darker Shades of Purple

As previously stated, purple is a normally darker color. So darkening it should not be too difficult. The darker purple color helps to create dark spots and add depth to the works of art. Generally speaking, the purple shade required is determined by the complexity of your composition; you may need to make various shades of dark purple color. It is suggested that when painting, you make different types of dark and light shades of your base color. And there are several options to deal with this.

The most effective and clearest method to darken purple is to add black. Nevertheless, this is not considered the best method because pure black paint pigments are generally difficult to obtain. Plenty of the black tubes consist of a variety of black pigments with a green pigment base. To check this, take some black paint and combine it with a little bit of white color. If you look really closely, the generated color does have a green tint to it instead of being a pure gray color.

When using the black color to darken the purple color, inappropriate color shades may result. To darken your purple the easiest way, we suggest using burnt umber. As mixed with purple, this reddish-brown and dark color produces a gentle deep purple. Because burnt umber is generally a warmer color, it will produce a warmer purple shade. 

Besides, you still have another choice, which is to use phthalo green to make a dark and rich purple color. What’s more, you can even mix this green with alizarin crimson to make a dark black. This black shade could then be combined with your base purple to produce the darkest purple possible.

Light Purple Paint: Basic Mixing Guide

Take your soft purple mixture and add a little bit of white color this time. The more white color you add, the more pastel tone the color becomes.

To brighten up the purple paint, consider adding a minuscule portion of Cadmium Lemon Yellow. It will give you a far less pastel appearance. You should use the Lemon Yellow because other yellows will produce a gloomy, toned down grayish purple.

You can also get a light purple pain when mixing Dioxazine Purple with white color. 

How to Generate Muted Purple

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To obtain muted purples, simply combine the complement of purple, also known as yellow, which is contrary to the color spectrum. 

In particular, you can get a muted shade of purple by combining a little Yellow Ochre, Hansa Yellow, Cadmium Yellow, or any other yellow in your paint kit.

In addition, adding a yellow to any pre-combined tube of purple will generate a much more muted purple.

If you find the final color is too dark, simply add a little bit of white color or even more yellow based on how dark the violet or purple was, to begin with.

To get the even darker muted purple hue, add more blue or a really small amount of black to the muted purple.

Can you combine colors to make blue and red?

Because blue and red are both primary colors, no two colors can be mixed to produce an excellent blue or red. If you don’t have blue or red paint, you can create it from the ground up if you fully comprehend the color wheel. To make either of these colors from start to end, you will have to use a subtractive theory.

Basically, blue can be created by combining magenta and cyan. Cyan, as you might know, is a green-blue color, while magenta is a purple-red color. Even though this can appear to be an unusual mixture, it will result in a pure blue. Think it is similar to how magenta, yellow, and cyan ink in a printer could really produce all other colors.

So, to make red, combine yellow and magenta in a similar manner. Of course, buying blue and red paint is so much easier, but blending them is an artistic choice that will help you move ahead in your understanding of color theory.

What Color Do Blue and Red Lights Produce?

When you combine blue and red lights, the result is not purple anymore. In this case, blue and red combine to form magenta. Actually, red and blue are still primary lighting colors. Having said that, the color combination that our eyes see differs mildly from paint blends.

Understanding the Principle of Light Spectrum

ln theory, electromagnetic radiation could also appear in a variety of ways, including visible light, radio waves, infrared radiation, microwaves, and ultraviolet radiation. Light is defined as the wavelengths of electromagnetic radiation which our eyes can perceive. Electromagnetic radiation could even move or travel at various frequencies and wavelengths. 

In addition, it could be transferred as particles or waves. The electromagnetic spectrum represents the wavelengths in which radiation moves. The electromagnetic spectrum is composed of seven separate classes of electromagnetic radiation.

These electromagnetic areas are typically ordered in increasing energy frequency order as well as reducing wavelength. Gamma rays, radio waves, x-rays, visible light, infrared, ultraviolet, and microwaves are the groupings in order of decreasing energy frequency.

Basically, the color and temperature of an object are linked to one another. When objects heat up, the energy they emit shifts shape, with shorter wavelengths turning the principal type of release of EM radiation. The transition in wavelengths is commonly visible to the human eye as just color changes.

The way a blowtorch alters when the heat it emits is just one instance of this situation. The fire of a blowtorch changes from red to blue when the heat of the flame is adjusted. Incandescence is the process by which heat energy is transformed into light energy.

As material becomes hotter, it emits more vibration energy. This, as a consequence, increase in energy is visible as incandescent light. And as the total energy emitted by hot material reaches around 1470°F or 800°C, the object would be in the infrared region of the electromagnetic spectrum. 

When the heat of the object rises above the infrared region of the spectrum, the object starts to light up red and keeps moving into the visible range. If the temperature of the object keeps rising above this point, it would then turn white-hot and then blue.

Since color and temperature are so closely related, astronomers can estimate the temperature of interstellar objects just by looking at the color of stars. As a rule of thumb, the light produced by our solar system’s sun is generally either yellowish or whitish in color, with a wavelength of approximately 550 NM. The sun’s surface temperature is generally 5800° Kelvin, 9980° F, or 5527°C. Because stars such as Betelgeuse are typically cooler than the sun, they emit a reddish gleam. Betelgeuse is approximately 3000°C. Stars, for instance, Rigel, are generally hotter than the sun, and at a heat of around 12,000°C, Rigel emits a bluish light.

Astronomers can also use the light emitted by an object to gain knowledge about much more than just its temperature. Because each attribute of the chemical elements absorbs light at various wavelengths, astronomers can also infer an interstellar object’s elemental composition. 

The absorption spectrum describes how various elements absorb light at various wavelengths. Astronomers can decide what components probably encompass objects such as dust clouds, asteroids, and stars by evaluating the light released by an object and making comparisons to the absorption spectrum.

The Human Eye’s Perception of Color

An object’s color is generally the most crucial component of the light spectrum to living beings. Basically, an object’s color is determined by both the innate characteristics of light and how the human eye sees the light. Objects do not have color; instead, they seem to be a specific color as they either emit or reflect the light of a specific wavelength.

Light is perceived by the human eye via particularized light receptor cells. Generally speaking, these cells are known as rods and cones, with cones being by far the color receptor cells. Rods, on the other hand, are often used for poor eyesight because they only take in visible light and transfer it to the brain. Cone cells in the human eye detect light at specific wavelengths associated with color. Light wavelengths near 740 NM are regarded as being at the lower end of the range and are construed as the red color.

In the middle of the range, light wavelengths are typically perceived as green, while those in the upper part of the range, approximately 380 NM, are construed as violet or blue. Other colors are pure blends of the three primary colors.

For example, the color magenta is composed of blue and red, cyan is composed of blue and green, and yellow is composed of both green and red. As the three primary colors of lights are combined, the outcome is white light, whereas black is possible in the absence of light. As some of you might know, Sir Isaac Newton was the person who discovered that white light is composed of the three visible spectrum color schemes. When Newton did pass some light through a lens, he discovered that the color spectrum was expected onto such a nearby building.

Blue can be seen at a wavelength of around 470 NM, while red can be seen at a wavelength of roughly 740 NM.

What about Pigments?

Thus far, the color emitted by light has been explained, as have the visible parts of the electromagnetic spectrum. Pigments, on the other hand, do not work by combining light; instead, pigments simply work by capturing a few frequencies of light and allowing only specific wavelengths of light to reflect the object.

Pigments work by removing specific light frequencies from the white light. As such, the colors you see when looking at a pigment are purely the colors that bounce off the element and move into your eye.

In general, this is known as subtractive color, and it is what is typically used to generate dyes and paints. The dye or paint basically absorbs specific frequencies and then reflects others, with the brain construing the diffracted frequency as a specific color. Purple is formed when blue and red pigments are combined.

Chlorophyll, a type of pigment typically found in green plants, is considered one of the most popular pigments. This pigment generally works by absorbing the red and blue portions of the visible spectrum while reflecting the green. Plants, as you all see, are typically green due to the presence of chlorophyll within their cells.

Other types of biological pigments include polyene enolates, anthocyanins, carotenoids, melanin, and hemoglobin.

Hemoglobin is generally the chemical held to account for the red coloration of blood cells. Melanin is typically a kind of pigment often found in most organisms that is responsible for preventing ultraviolet radiation and protecting cells from it. Carotenoids are produced by various bacteria, and one instance is carotene, which typically gives carrots their orange color and flamingos their pink color. Anthocyanins are either blue or red pigments typically found in higher plant tissues. Water dissolves anthocyanins. Polyene enolates are pigments found only in specific species of parrots.

The structure of an object determines the colors that it absorbs. To capture that color, the object’s frequency of vibration (also known as the frequency at which the electrons vibrate) must be close to or equal to the light waves’ frequency.

As the vibration’s frequency matches the light waves’ frequency, the electrons in the element capture the light and then vibrate as a result of the energy. The vibrations are then transmitted to the nuclei of the atoms as the material’s atoms retain their electrons firmly. As a consequence, the atoms accelerate and come into conflict with other atoms. As the atoms interact, they release the energy they gained sooner during the vibration process at high temperatures.

In a nutshell, when red and blue pigments are blended together, they produce purple, just like a paint combination.

Bottom Line

It is simpler to comprehend how colors are made if you have a basic knowledge of how paint works, as well as subtractive and additive hues.

No matter if you are a painter who uses a palette to blend colors or a digital artist who usually works on a computer to make works of art, this will undoubtedly help you learn the scientific knowledge of exploring colors.

We hope you have discovered something today and had fun discovering what colors red and blue make when they are blended together.