What color do orange and blue make?
Orange and blue make dull gray-green (neutral). Orange and blue are complementary, so they neutralize each other into a dull, grayed color. Which way it leans depends on the blue: a greenish blue (like this one, or phthalo) gives a gray-green, while ultramarine gives a warmer gray-brown. Painters use the pair to mix natural shadows and grays.
Orange + blue = dull gray-green (neutral)
Why orange and blue make dull gray-green (neutral)
Orange and blue are complementary colors: they sit opposite each other on the color wheel. Between them they contain all three primaries (red, yellow and blue), so they neutralize each other into a brown or gray. Painters use exactly this to mute a color or mix natural shadows.
Paint mixes subtractively: each pigment absorbs part of the light, and the mix reflects only what both let through. That is why paint mixes get darker and duller as you add colors, while light mixes get brighter.
Change the ratio
Equal parts are only the middle of a range. More orange pulls the result toward orange, more blue toward blue. Mix a small test batch, note the parts you used, and scale up once you like it.
All three are mixed with the same spectral paint model. Dark paints are strong, so a little of them changes a mix a lot; light paints such as white and yellow need more parts to show.
Orange and blue on a screen
Tips for mixing orange and blue
- Start with equal amounts on the palette, mix one small test patch, then adjust with the color you want more of.
- Mix thoroughly with a palette knife; streaks of unmixed orange or blue change how the color reads from a distance.
- Let a test swatch dry before judging it. Acrylics usually dry a little darker, while watercolors dry lighter.
- Write down the ratio that works (for example 2 parts to 1) so you can mix the same color again.
- To match a color on screen, compare the paint swatch against the hex code here on a calibrated display, and remember print and paint cannot reach every screen color.
More orange color mixes
| Mix | Result | Ratio | Hex |
|---|---|---|---|
| Orange + red | red-orange (vermilion) | equal parts | #E74627 |
| Orange + yellow | yellow-orange (amber) | equal parts | #F8A221 |
| Orange + green | olive green | equal parts | #638431 |
| Orange + purple | russet (red-brown) | 2 orange : 3 purple | #874847 |
| Orange + pink | coral (salmon) | 1 orange : 2 pink | #F3976A |
| Orange + brown | burnt orange | equal parts | #A76427 |
| Orange + black | dark brown | 3 orange : 2 black | #383627 |
| Orange + white | peach | 1 orange : 2 white | #FDD086 |
| Orange + gray | tan (muted orange) | equal parts | #AC843A |
More blue color mixes
| Mix | Result | Ratio | Hex |
|---|---|---|---|
| Blue + red | purple | equal parts | #483A4B |
| Blue + yellow | green | equal parts | #4D954A |
| Blue + green | blue-green (teal) | equal parts | #1B6C56 |
| Blue + purple | blue-violet (indigo) | equal parts | #3B3A9F |
| Blue + pink | lavender (light purple) | 1 blue : 2 pink | #808EC2 |
| Blue + brown | near black (dark slate) | equal parts | #38503D |
| Blue + black | blue-black (dark navy) | 2 blue : 1 black | #212D33 |
| Blue + white | light blue (sky blue) | 2 blue : 3 white | #7CB7EB |
| Blue + gray | slate blue (blue-gray) | 1 blue : 2 gray | #5A7D8F |
Frequently asked questions
What color do orange and blue make?
Orange and blue make dull gray-green (neutral) in paint (about #276155, mixed 1 orange : 2 blue). Orange and blue are complementary, so they neutralize each other into a dull, grayed color. Which way it leans depends on the blue: a greenish blue (like this one, or phthalo) gives a gray-green, while ultramarine gives a warmer gray-brown. Painters use the pair to mix natural shadows and grays.
Is orange and blue the same in paint and on a screen?
Not exactly. Paint gives dull gray-green (neutral) (about #276155 at 1 orange : 2 blue), while a 50/50 digital blend in a design tool gives #8D7183, because screens mix light rather than pigment.
How do I make the mix lighter or darker?
Add white to lighten it into a tint, black (a little at a time) to darken it into a shade, or gray to mute it. Changing the ratio of orange to blue shifts the hue itself.
Mix any two colors
The color mixer blends up to five colors by weight in a spectral paint model, OKLab or linear light, and exports the steps.