What color do red and green make?
Red and green make brown. Red and green are complementary colors, so they cancel each other out into brown. A yellowish green gives a warmer olive brown; a bluish green gives a grayer, darker brown.
Red + green = brown
Why red and green make brown
Red and green 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 red pulls the result toward red, more green toward green. 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.
Red and green on a screen
Tips for mixing red and green
- 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 red or green 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 red color mixes
| Mix | Result | Ratio | Hex |
|---|---|---|---|
| Red + orange | red-orange (vermilion) | equal parts | #E74627 |
| Red + yellow | orange | 2 red : 3 yellow | #FA7A30 |
| Red + blue | purple | equal parts | #483A4B |
| Red + purple | red-violet (plum) | equal parts | #8A2E48 |
| Red + pink | rose red | equal parts | #EC4F5C |
| Red + brown | reddish brown (rust) | 2 red : 3 brown | #8B3C29 |
| Red + black | dark red (maroon) | 4 red : 1 black | #602B30 |
| Red + white | pink | 2 red : 3 white | #FF8793 |
| Red + gray | dusty red (muted rose) | equal parts | #A4464D |
More green color mixes
| Mix | Result | Ratio | Hex |
|---|---|---|---|
| Green + orange | olive green | equal parts | #638431 |
| Green + yellow | yellow-green (chartreuse) | 1 green : 2 yellow | #9DC930 |
| Green + blue | blue-green (teal) | equal parts | #1B6C56 |
| Green + purple | slate gray (dark gray-brown) | equal parts | #4A4F54 |
| Green + pink | grayish taupe | 1 green : 2 pink | #949E8F |
| Green + brown | olive (dark olive green) | 2 green : 3 brown | #58582D |
| Green + black | dark green (hunter green) | 2 green : 1 black | #2A372C |
| Green + white | mint (pastel green) | 1 green : 2 white | #A4E0AE |
| Green + gray | sage (gray-green) | 1 green : 2 gray | #688C6E |
Frequently asked questions
What color do red and green make?
Red and green make brown in paint (about #60463A, mixed equal parts). Red and green are complementary colors, so they cancel each other out into brown. A yellowish green gives a warmer olive brown; a bluish green gives a grayer, darker brown.
Is red and green the same in paint and on a screen?
No. Paint mixes subtractively and gives brown; on a screen red and green light add up to yellow light (#FFFF00).
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 red to green shifts the hue itself.
What other colors make brown?
Mix any two complementary colors: red and green, blue and orange, or yellow and purple. All three primaries together also make brown. See what colors make brown.
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.