Blue comes in a wide variety of tones, hues, and tints, including dark, light, muted, and warm blues. The list is endless, which is why we are here to help you understand which two colors combine to make blue and how to produce different shades of blue. The question of what two colors make blue may be on your mind at this point. Since blue is a primary color, there is no color that can be created by combining any other colors. To create blue, you can combine two other colors, though. Once you have achieved your true blue color, you can start creating any blue shade you can think of.
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Why Is Blue Such A Special Color?
It is obvious that blue has significant meaning for a lot of people around the world. Colors naturally carry an emotional imprint, and different shades of blue can elicit very different emotional reactions. Blue has a wide variety of associations and meanings, depending on the precise hue, including trust, relaxation, misery, expansiveness, and loneliness.
The meaning of blue varies depending on the shade as well as the cultural context in which you are viewing it. For example, Iranian people view the color blue as one of mourning, while many Western cultures associate “something blue” with joyous wedding occasions.
Two Broad Ways Of Conceptualizing Color Theory
Many of us only use one color theory model when blending various hues. This basic color theory includes the three primary shades, three secondary hues, and a range of tertiary colors. We can only make different shades of blue if we apply this basic color theory to the creation of blue. This is due to the fact that blue is one of the primary colors and cannot be created by mixing other hues, in accordance with this color theory.
Nevertheless, there is an additional way to think about color. The Cyan, Magenta, Yellow, and Black (CMYK) model of color, which is based on the system used by printers, allows you to create blue by mixing various ratios of these four primary colors.
What Colors Are Used To Make Light Blue Paint?
Here, we’ll demonstrate how you can make a lighter shade of blue by combining various blue hues. So what hues combine to create light blue? You can make two different shades of blue by combining ultramarine blue and white and cobalt blue and white. Compared to cobalt and white, ultramarine and white produce a light blue color that is a little bit darker. These light blue hues produce a muted color when combined with orange. The ultramarine blue produces a deeper shade of light blue that leans more toward purple. Cobalt blue creates a lighter shade of blue that is cooler and leans more green.
What Shades Are Used In Cyan Paint?
When working with acrylic paints, follow this procedure. To get the shade you want, combine a small amount of light blue and green acrylic paint. As you are using paint, you must darken the color because doing so will produce a form of light cyan.
Divide this mixture now into two equal parts. Add a few drops of yellow acrylic paint to the first batch, combine, and taste the result. The color should be somewhat cyan-like. After that, add the same quantity of white acrylic paint to the second batch and stir until the mixture is cyan-like in color. Finally, compare the two batches and choose the one that you believe is the most similar to cyan.
What Colours Are Cool With Blue?
In the end, the secret to making a blue cooler is to simply add a splash of green. Your final cool blue hue will depend on the specific shade of green you use. Cadmium and Veronese green are the two best green hues for calming down blues.
Veronese green is a cool, bright green that works well to create cool blue tones. Veronese green already leans toward light blue because it is a cool color. Veronese green and ultramarine blue combine to create a very cool, slightly darker shade of blue. Veronese green and cobalt blue can be combined, however, if you’re looking for a cool blue that is light and bright.
Due to its slight red undertone, cadmium green is a little warmer than veronese green. Cadmium green and ultramarine blue combine to produce a cool, slightly muted blue color. The combination contains all three primary colors, which, as we know, makes it a little murkier. This is due to the red in the ultramarine blue and the red in the cadmium green. Contrarily, combining cobalt blue and cadmium green will result in a much paler and more vivid blue hue.
What Shades Make Blue Warm?
There are two primary colors that you can mix with a blue shade to make it warmer. Burnt sienna is the second, and alizarin crimson is the first. Depending on the shade of blue you select as your base, the effects of each of these shades will vary. We advise starting with a blue shade that is already quite warm if you want to create a warm blue. Both cobalt blue and ultramarine blue, which are slightly cooler shades of blue, are used in our examples.
This is significant because if it were a warmer red that leans orange, it would also contain some yellow, and when combined with blue, the result will be muddy. A very deep and intensely purple-blue shade is produced by mixing alizarin crimson and ultramarine blue. Alizarin crimson and cobalt blue can be combined to create a blue that is more vivid but still warm.
A different shade of red than alizarin is burnt sienna, which is also warmer and darker. By blending ultramarine blue and burnt sienna, you can produce a much darker warm blue shade. This combination will be a little colder than the other one because burnt sienna is a little cooler than alizarin crimson.
What Color Do Blue And Green Make?
As can be seen from the first step above, combining blue and green results in a light form of cyan. Your color printer will accept this pale cyan color. However, when using paint, it needs to be made darker as it is a cool color, and the whole effect will only be appreciated in its darkened form.
How Can I Create Various Shades Of Dark Blue?
Blue is a great dark color. For instance, ultramarine is a naturally dark blue hue that can be used to produce stunning dark blue hues. You can make a brilliant dark blue by combining ultramarine blue and dioxazine purple. The dioxazine purple tends to significantly darken ultramarine blue while also giving it a faint purple tint. When you add phthalo green to the dark blue that you made using dioxazine purple and ultramarine blue, the color becomes even darker and has a faint green undertone.
Burnt umber and ultramarine blue are combined to produce a dark blue color that also doubles as an intense muted blue. This implies that you should add burnt umber to your mixing process if you want a dark blue color that isn’t saturated or bright blue. But if you combine pthalo green with alizarin crimson, you get a gorgeous shade of black. Therefore, you should combine pthalo green and alizarin crimson if you want to produce a deep, rich blue color. After that, you add ultramarine blue to produce the deepest and most striking shade of blue.
Blue Represents Calm, Trust, And Royalty
Peace and tranquility are two of the most frequently used metaphors to describe blue hues. Humans have long associated blue colors with contentment and relaxation. In fact, a large body of research has established that this association is hardwired into our brains. According to scans, simply gazing at a cool blue color can trigger the release of a number of chemicals that encourage rest and relaxation. Blue hues can help people relax by reducing their appetites and slowing their metabolisms.
We strongly associate self-expression and balance with blue hues, which is another strong positive association. Deeper blue hues can convey significance and trust while fostering feelings of assurance. Due to the high cost of early blue pigments like cerulean, blue has long been connected to aristocracy. The saying that royals have “blue blood” has led to darker blue shades, in particular, is associated with power, intelligence, stability, unity, and trust. With the help of blue suits, these associations also permeate the workplace.
Blue Represents Sadness, Emptiness, And Loneliness
Blue can represent a variety of negative emotions in addition to its many positive connotations. Certain blue shades can make us feel a little melancholy, and this association is also a cultural phenomenon that has been passed down through generations through phrases like “feeling blue.” The English language has several expressions that associate these emotions with the color blue, and in general, darker and cooler blue shades can accentuate feelings of isolation and depression.
Often, the symptoms of postpartum depression are referred to as “baby blues,” and if you are feeling a little depressed about the imminent return to work after the weekend, you could be dreading a “blue Monday.” The struggle of Black Americans to free themselves from the lingering effects of slavery gave rise to the Blues music genre.
How To Make Blue Shades With The CMYK Color Model
The knowledge we have gained so far is all based on the oldest and most fundamental theory of color. However, there is a completely different way to think about color. Printers create color using the CMYK model, which involves mixing various ratios of magenta, yellow, cyan, and black.
It’s incredibly simple to create blue using this model. Blue can be created by mixing cyan with a different color. Consequently, which hues cause cyan to change to blue? Magenta is the response. Several different blue hues can be created by mixing magenta and cyan. The proportion of these two colors will determine the final shade of blue you choose. What two colors combine to make blue? The answer is this!
Final Thoughts
It’s also crucial to remember that depending on the materials being used, formulas and ratios for producing the same color can alter. In contrast to working with watercolors, using acrylics to achieve a particular shade of blue might necessitate a different proportion of colors. This is because watercolors may mix more than firmer paints do. Overall, blue is a primary color that, once you know how to make it from scratch using magenta and cyan, can be taken to any subdued shade or electric extreme you choose.