What colors make green?
Blue and yellow make green. Cyan and yellow give the brightest green; yellow and black give olive green.
How to mix green
Green is the secondary color between blue and yellow. The blue and yellow you choose decide which green you get: a greenish blue with a lemon yellow makes a vivid green, while a purplish blue with a warm yellow makes an olive or moss green.
Lighter, darker and muted green
- Lighter green (mint, pastel): add white or more yellow.
- Darker green (forest, hunter): add a little blue, black or red.
- Muted green (sage): add a touch of red or some gray.
- Teal or turquoise: add more blue.
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.
Green 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. Green is a primary color of light, so on a screen it is not mixed: it is the G in RGB. Red and green light together make yellow.
| 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 green to aim for
Named shades near green. Each links to its hex, RGB and OKLCH values and the colors that go with it.
What green makes with other colors
| Mix | Result | Ratio | Hex |
|---|---|---|---|
| Green + red | brown | equal parts | #60463A |
| 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 |
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 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 black?Mix the three primaries, or two dark complementary colors such as ultramarine blue and burnt umber, to make a near-black.
- 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 green?
Blue and yellow. In print, cyan and yellow make the brightest green.
How do you make dark green?
Add more blue, a touch of black or a little red to green. See green and black.
How do you make sage green?
Mix green with gray or a touch of its complement, red, then lighten with white. See green and gray.
Mix green digitally
Blend colors by weight in a spectral paint model, OKLab or linear light, then copy the hex codes.