Caroline
When it comes to colors, they can generally be sorted into warm and cool colors. Sometimes, these two kinds can merge to create something really beautiful.
But what if you really turn up the heat and mix two of the warmest colors there are?
That is what we are here to look at as we look to answer the question of what color does yellow and orange make when mixed?
In this guide we will look at how you can mix these colors, what you can expect and what you can use them for.
Get ready to look at how you can make some blazing hot color magic as we begin the first step!
How you can mix yellow and orange?
The first thing you may be wondering is how you can mix yellow and orange. This is a color combination that can actually be a bit tricky!
The reason for this is that you will find yellow and orange right next to each other on the color wheel. That means that they are very similar in tone and so they can cancel each other out quite easily.
In fact, orange is even made from yellow with a bit of red mixed in. That makes yellow one of the three primary colors whereas orange is what we call a secondary color.
Despite their similarities, you can still get some great results when using and mixing these colors together. There are tons of different mediums you can use when mixing colors.
If you’re using paint, you will want to pick shades that will go well with one another. You don’t need to know this off the top of your head, and it can come from a lot of experimentation.
Just remember that certain paint mediums will give you different results even if you use similar shades.
For example, if you’re seeking lighter colors then watercolors should be a good place to start.
Acrylics are great for darker colors, and oils are the best quality paints even though they can be quite tricky to work with. Try to think of the colors you use logically.
We will go into greater detail soon, but dark colors mixed together will create a dark combination. The same is naturally true of light colors.
Then, you get the whole issue of mixing a light and a dark color together. It can be very interesting to see what happens!
Start off your art journey with your medium of choice and try out some different mixtures and combinations in order to see what happens and what you like.
Are yellow and orange a good combination to mix together?
Next, we will have a look at whether yellow and orange are a good combination of colors. The answer can be yes or no depending on the circumstances.
As we mentioned in the first tip, these colors are quite similar in tone. There is a point in the color spectrum where they can almost appear indistinguishable.
That being said, if you match the shades well then they can be a great combination. We will show off some of these examples using color hex codes.
These are codes that represent specific color shades, and you can look them up online to see exactly what we mean! First, let’s look at two light, pastel shades of yellow and orange.
For yellow, we have #fdff7a and for orange we have #ffe224. Together, these colors look very pleasing to the eye.
Using that same yellow with a darker orange like #e06c00 may not work as well, as the contrast is quite jarring.
If you pair that darker orange with a yellow that suits it better like #f1f500 then it’s a different story!
Also remember that a combination that is unappealing to us may work for you, and sometimes it can be a matter of taste. It can also depend on what you need the colors for, but we will cover that more later.
Orange and yellow can be great to use with one another, but the colors you can get from mixing them can also be lovely. We will see some of the results of these mixes very soon.
To answer that question we started this tip with, it absolutely can be great to use yellow and orange together. That being said, it doesn’t always work out.
That is why it is important for you to try out different combinations in order to find out what works for you. It can be fun to try out lots of different variations to see what you come up with!
What results you can expect?
Next, we will take a closer look at some of the results you can expect from mixing yellow and orange. The results can vary depending on the shades, but you will tend to get an orange variation.
Often, the orange will have a reddish, amber look to it. This means that yellow and orange is not the most versatile color combinations out there.
That is not to say that there are no variations you can expect! For one example, let’s reuse those two pastel shades from earlier.
That would be #fdff7a for yellow and #ffe224 for orange. Together, these colors give us the light orange #fef14f color.
For the next example, let’s also reuse another combination from earlier. That means reusing #fdff7a with the dark orange #e06c00.
That gives us a rich and lovely amber with #efb63d. Just these few examples can start to give you an idea of how light and dark variations of these colors can affect each other.
As you can also see, the combination will pretty much always give you a color closer to orange than yellow. That is because orange, as a secondary color, has some red mixed in with it.
It will therefore be a stronger color than yellow in most cases. Even if you use a bright neon yellow like #fbff00 with a pastel orange like #ffc894, you will get the color #fde44a.
This color has a yellow tone to it, but you would probably still say that it is more orange than yellow. It is something to keep in mind as you color.
We will cover some of the uses for orange and yellow in the next step, but it’s worth remembering that if you need orange tones then mixing yellow and orange is the way to go.
It is a wonderful combination for when you need lots of warm, rich colors to bring your artwork to life.
Now that we know some of the ways this color combination can turn out, we are ready to start using them!
The next step will be all about the many ways you can use these warm colors with each other as well as how they can be used when mixed together.
Best uses for yellow and orange mixes
As we have established in this guide, yellow and orange are two very warm colors. They would certainly come in handy if you were painting something like a fire or flames.
You will also see these colors in any image that involves the sun, sunsets or sunrises. Both of these colors can also be seen in many different flowers, plants and fruits.
When you mix them to make that amber-orange color, you will find it useful for fur on many animals. You aren’t limited to using these colors in natural contexts, however.
These colors are warm, but they can also be really bold and eye-catching. You will see yellow especially used in many advertisements that are trying to be really bold and noticeable.
Bright oranges can also be used for similar purposes. The colors are also great combinations for general design and even home decor.
Using them together creates a really warm and breezy feeling in fashion. It may not be to everyone’s taste, but they are colors that can make the viewer happier when seeing them.
So we have seen that you can use these colors in natural contexts and others as well. It basically depends on what you need them for!
Remember that there is also a lot of range to these colors. While they are bold, you can also get light, pastel variations as we saw earlier in the guide.
Then you do have those bright and bold shades that are hard to miss on the page. You can also look at using these colors along with their complementary colors to make them stand out even more.
Yellow would have purple as a complimentary color, whereas orange would have blue as its one. These colors would help to make the yellow and orange look even more striking and vibrant.
This can take some trial and error along with some experimentation. Of course, you may be trying to make specific colors that match the subject you’re trying to create.
If that is the case, we will show you in the next step how you can tweak and change the colors to create any specific shades you may want.
Lighter and darker yellow and orange mixes
Now you know some of the ways you may want to use yellow and orange. You may even feel more confident about anticipating what colors you can end up with.
However, even with the best guesswork it can be very frustrating to mix the colors and find they are still a bit off.
The most common problem you can run into is that the shade may be too light or too dark.
We will tackle both of these outcomes individually. Let’s say you’re trying to create a specific amber color and have mixed the yellow and orange that you thought would create it.
If the color is too dark, you could try adding some more colors. A light yellow would be a good place to start, but you could also add some white.
If you are fairly close to the color you want, try to add these additions in moderation.
If you need to make it darker, then there are other colors you could add. A dark orange would make the most sense, but you could also use some red or black to make it darker.
When choosing colors to alter the tones, the trick is to look closely at the color that you need to make. It pays to be observant!
Look closely at that amber that you need to make, and try to identify the tones. It could lean more towards yellow or orange or any other colors.
You can look up #fcc007 as an example. This color definitely has a reddish-orange tone to it.
So if you were trying to create that color and needed it to be darker, dark oranges and reds would be a good place to start.
It can take a bit of getting used to, but if you play around and experiment you will get the hang of it.
With all of these tips in mind, you will be creating some amazing orange tones before you know it!
In summary
We hope you enjoyed this guide where we tried to answer what color does yellow and orange make when mixed.
These colors are really bright and warm, and they can really help to bring more life to your artwork!
Remember to practice using and mixing these colors to achieve any result that you may need. As we have seen in this guide, they can be really versatile.
Combining colors definitely has a logic to it, and once you get the hang of it you will get better and better at anticipating the results.
We look forward to seeing what creations you can come up with using these colors!
