What colors make black?
Mix the three primaries, or two dark complementary colors such as ultramarine blue and burnt umber, to make a near-black.
How to mix black
Black is the absence of light, so in paint it is the result of absorbing almost everything. Mixed blacks are often richer than tube black, because you can tune them warmer or cooler.
Lighter, darker and muted black
- Warmer black: add more brown or red.
- Cooler black: add more blue.
- Softer charcoal: add a little white.
Add darkening colors a little at a time: it is easy to darken a mix and hard to lighten it again. When you need a lot of a color, mix more than you think you need, because matching a batch later is difficult.
Black in paint, print and light
There are three color-mixing models. Paint uses the traditional red, yellow and blue primaries. Printers use cyan, magenta and yellow (plus black). Screens mix red, green and blue light, and light adds up instead of absorbing. On a screen, black is no light at all: #000000.
| Model | Primaries | Used for |
|---|---|---|
| RYB (paint) | Red, yellow, blue | Painting, art education |
| CMY(K) (print) | Cyan, magenta, yellow (+ black) | Printing, many modern paint sets |
| RGB (light) | Red, green, blue | Screens, web and digital design |
Shades of black to aim for
Named shades near black. Each links to its hex, RGB and OKLCH values and the colors that go with it.
What black makes with other colors
| Mix | Result | Ratio | Hex |
|---|---|---|---|
| Black + red | dark red (maroon) | 1 black : 4 red | #602B30 |
| Black + orange | dark brown | 2 black : 3 orange | #383627 |
| Black + yellow | olive green | 1 black : 2 yellow | #5B5D36 |
| Black + green | dark green (hunter green) | 1 black : 2 green | #2A372C |
| Black + blue | blue-black (dark navy) | 1 black : 2 blue | #212D33 |
| Black + purple | deep purple (eggplant) | 1 black : 2 purple | #312632 |
| Black + pink | dusky gray-mauve | 1 black : 2 pink | #504C4F |
| Black + brown | dark brown (espresso) | 1 black : 2 brown | #312C22 |
| Black + white | gray | 1 black : 3 white | #888888 |
| Black + gray | dark gray (charcoal) | 1 black : 2 gray | #3C3C3C |
More color mixing answers
- What 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.
- What colors make purple?Red and blue make purple. For a brighter violet, mix magenta with blue or cyan; add white for lavender.
- What colors make green?Blue and yellow make green. Cyan and yellow give the brightest green; yellow and black give olive green.
- What colors make orange?Red and yellow make orange. More yellow gives amber; more red gives red-orange.
- What colors make red?In paint, red is a primary color and cannot be mixed from others. In print, magenta and yellow make red; on screens, red is a primary of light.
- What colors make blue?In paint, blue is a primary color and cannot be mixed. In print, cyan and magenta make blue; on screens, blue is a primary of light.
- What colors make yellow?Yellow is a primary color in paint and print and cannot be mixed. On screens, red and green light make yellow.
- What colors make pink?Red and white make pink. Magenta and white give a cooler, brighter pink; add a touch of yellow for coral or salmon.
- What colors make gray?Black and white make gray. For a richer gray, mix two complementary colors (blue and orange) and add white.
- What colors make teal?Blue and green make teal. Add a touch of black for dark teal or white for light teal.
- What colors make gold?Mix yellow with a little orange or red, then a touch of brown. Metallic gold needs a metallic or pearlescent medium.
- What colors make tan?Brown and white make tan. A little yellow keeps it warm; a touch of black makes it darker.
Frequently asked questions
What two colors make black?
Two dark complementary colors, such as ultramarine blue and burnt umber, or a dark red and a dark green.
Can you make pure black by mixing?
Mixed paints give a very dark near-black rather than a pure black, but in a painting it reads as black and often looks richer.
Do all colors mixed together make black?
In paint they make a very dark brown or gray. In light, all colors together make white.
Mix black digitally
Blend colors by weight in a spectral paint model, OKLab or linear light, then copy the hex codes.