Caroline
When it comes to mixing colors, you certainly have many options and combinations that you can go for. You may want to mix hot and cold colors or go with just warm ones.
If you wanted to try the second option, it would be hard to find warmer colors than red and orange. But what color does red and orange make when mixed?
We will be looking at some of the colors you can expect to create with these two colors along with methods and uses for mixing these colors.
Let’s begin by looking at some of the ways that you can mix red and orange.
How you can mix red and orange?
As we touched on in the into, red and orange are both warm colors. This means that mixing them can be a challenge, but it can create some stunning colors as well!
Where things can get complicated is that orange is made using red and yellow. That means that red is a big part of the color, so the tones need to be chosen very carefully.
They are right together on the color wheel, and this shows that they are fairly similar. We will cover more about these colors, but first we will look at how you can actually go about mixing them.
This can be very different depending on what mediums and techniques you are using. When you’re using paint, it’s as simple as using a brush to merge the colors into one another.
The idea will be the same no matter which mediums you’re using, but it never hurts to play around and experiment. That is the best way to find out what is possible and which colors you can create.
You will want to mix and use red and orange in a way where they don’t cancel each other out, though.
The mixture of red and orange is also one where you will stay fairly close to one of the colors.
You will probably get a reddish-orange when mixing them, but you might also get a red with orange undertones. This depends on the colors you choose as well as the amounts of each color.
This is something we will cover soon, but in the next step we will look at the question of whether red and orange are a good combination to use.
Are red and orange a good combination to mix together?
In any picture where you see red, it is very possible that orange may be present too. For example, if you see a picture of fire then you will likely see both along with other warm colors.
From a design standpoint, these colors do definitely work together well as they are so similar. However, this can create issues.
When you have complementary colors like red and green, they will contrast and highlight each other when used together. Here, we have the opposite effect in that they can blend together.
This can work really well, but if you want one of the colors to stand out then it is not the best combination. When it comes to actually mixing them, it definitely can provide some great results.
Let’s look at a few examples that you can follow along with. To do this, we will be providing some hex color codes that you can look up.
Any search engine you enter these codes into will provide you with the colors we’re talking about. To start, we will use #ff0000 for red and #ffae00 for orange.
As you can see if you look them up, these are two bright and beautiful shades. Mixed together, they also produce a really warm and rich orange color of #ff5700.
These colors are distinct enough that they don’t blend in with one another, and they would be great to use together.
Whether you use them alongside one another or mix them, you will find many uses for red and orange.
They can be useful when making pictures of various things, but you might also be able to use them in other facets of design.
Warm colors will always have uses in art, and these two colors are some of the most useful!
Before we start looking at some of the ways that you could use them, let’s first move on to the next step and look at some of the results you can expect from mixing red and orange together.
What results you can expect?
In this guide, we have established that if you mix red and orange together, you will get a variation of both. This isn’t a case like mixing blue and yellow where you get a totally unique color.
In this step, we will show you a few combinations you can try yourself to learn how these colors can react with one another. We shall start with a light mix.
For red, we will go with #ff5252, and for orange we will try out #ffcb5c. You will see that these colors are both light, almost pastel shades.
When you mix them together, you will get #ff8f57, which is a wonderful peach color. In the previous step, we already saw what a mixture of dark shades can look like.
Seeing as we have already seen that, let’s mix one dark and one light. For this, we will stick to the light red from earlier with #ff5252 and use an even darker orange with #e69100.
This gives us the color of #f2752c, which you will see is an even darker orange color. This is something to keep in mind, as if the shades are unbalanced then one can swallow up another.
It will also depend on the quantities of paint or whatever medium you are using that you incorporate. If you use a larger amount of one color over another, it will likely be the dominant color.
Because orange is made up of red and yellow, it makes sense that combining it with more red will result in some kind of orange shade.
This may make it not as versatile a combination, but you can still make some amazing colors.
To find out some of the other combinations you can make, we would suggest buying a sketchbook.
Once you have the sketchbook, try out a few different red and orange combinations to see what happens.
This is another trick you can use no matter what medium you may be dealing with.
It’s certainly better to do these experiments on something like a sketchbook instead of on the final page or canvas!
Now that we have a better idea of some of the results you can expect from red and orange, we will next look at some of the ways that you can use these colors in your artwork.
Best uses for red and orange mixes
Red and orange are, as we’ve touched on, warm colors. With some colors like purple, it isn’t readily apparent whether it is a warm or a cool color.
With red and orange, it is a lot clearer that these would be warm colors. If you look at a fire, you will see reds, yellows and oranges.
Images of the sun also display these colors, and so it makes perfect sense that these would be warm colors.
Even if you’re not painting things like fire or the sun, there are many things in nature with these colors.
During Fall, you will see plenty of reds and oranges in the leaves of the trees around you. Red and orange are also colors you will see in flowers and birds feathers, among many other things.
Of course, you could also use an orange fruit as the perfect example of something orange that you can find in nature! Nature scenes aren’t the only ones you can use these colors in, though.
You will see red and orange being used in many advertisements or billboards that are meant to catch the eye.
Many shades of these colors are quite brash and bold, and that means that they will grab attention.
Some of the colors that you can create with red and orange are softer, though. We have seen a few examples of these in this guide, and these can also be very useful.
For example, using a color like a peachy #ff8f5d would be a great color to use for a wall’s paint. This kind of color would help to make a room more colorful without making it too bright.
Once you have experimented with all of the possibilities of red and orange, we are sure you can find all sorts of uses for them!
Whether you are paining some fire or laying out a catchy design, you can find that red and orange can be very versatile colors.
Remember that you can experiment to find the best combinations that work for your needs.
In the final step, we will look at some of the ways that you can achieve the specific colors and shades that you need for whatever it is you are creating.
Lighter and darker red and orange mixes
If there is one thing that we have demonstrated in this guide, it’s that the results you get can vary quite a lot. It can be rather frustrating when you combine two colors and don’t get what you wanted.
Often, the mix can be too bright or not bright enough. Many colors also have softer undertones that need to be incorporated to make them look right.
If you need a color and mix two that don’t quite give you what you wanted, you can alter it in a few ways. If the color needs to be a bit darker, then you can add a bit of black to the mix.
If it’s too dark, then some white could be what you need. Sometimes, using black and white won’t help you to achieve the right tones.
If you need to make it darker and the color you need has a red undertone, you could try adding a deep red like #b80000. This can make it darker while sticking to the undertones of your color.
It can take a lot of observation and experimentation before you get the exact colors you’re looking for.
That is why it can be handy to experiment on a separate surface instead of on the final page or canvas.
The mediums you use can also dictate how light or dark the colors are. If your vision is for a lighter image, then you can use watercolor paints for a much softer look.
If you would prefer something darker and richer, then acrylic paints are a great user-friendly alternative. Oil paint is also great for more advanced users.
Of course, these are just a small selection of the mediums you can use, and there are so many others from crayons to digital painting that you can use.
Each medium has different strengths and weaknesses, so it can be great to try out different kinds along with the various shades and mixtures you like.
In summary
That brings you to the end of this fiery guide! We set out to discover what color does red and orange make when mixed, and now you know how varied the answer to that question can be.
We have tried to show you how you can anticipate the results a bit, but now it’s up to you.
Not only can you try out different experiments with colors, but you can also create some amazing artworks with your findings.
Once you have combined red and orange, you can bring in even more colors to create something truly special and eye-catching. We can’t wait to see what you can make with these colors!
