How to Mix Colors to Make Dark Red

Red is a primary color, so you cannot mix your own pure red color. However, you can create (by mixing) a variety of different shades of red – dark red, light red, cool red, warm red and muted red… In this article, you will find color mixing guides that will show you, what colors make red and how to make red different shades!

In addition, there are numerous different kinds of red colors available to purchase in tube form… Here is a few of them listed below:

• cadmium red light
• cadmium red medium
• alizarin crimson
• burnt sienna.

Different types of red colors

Although you can buy a lot of different kinds of red colors, it is not the most cost effective… As you will not be able to find all the shades of red you will need from the shelves of an art store. So, it is important to learn how to mix different shades of red yourself when painting.

Let's get started with shades of red – beginning with mixing dark red colors!

What colors make dark red shades

How to make dark red shades of color

In the first column of the red color mixing chart below, you can see how you can mix red with Ultramarine Blue and Burnt Umber to create dark reds. Burnt Umber mixed with Ultramarine Blue mixed together make a nice brown black color. Then, when mixing the brown black color to red you get a dark red. The Alizarin Crimson mixed with the Burnt Umber/ Blue mixture makes a dark cooler red.

Dark shades of red color mixing chart

Pthalo Green and Alizarin Crimson mixed together makes a very rich black. Then, mixing this rich black with red makes a rich dark red. Both Phalo Green and Alizarin Crimson are very strong colors. Burnt Umber in comparison is a muted earth tone color. So, the dark red you get by mixing Pthalo Green and Alizarin Crimson with it will result in a richer deep red than mixing blue and Burnt Umber with red.

How to make light red colors

Mixing shades of light red color with cadmium red and white

There is a very thin line between light red and pink. Pink is a very fascinating color. It is the only color when mixed with white, that has a whole new name given to it. When mixing blue with white you call it 'light blue', and when you mix green with white it is called 'light green'. But when you mix white with red you don't call it light red you call it pink.

So in the color chart below you will see light red colors that would normally be called pink. As you can see cadmium red makes a warmer pink while Alizarin Crimson makes a cooler pink. And the reds that are mixed with cadmium lemon yellow make an even warmer pink since yellow is warmer than white.

Different shades of light red color chart

If you want a light red but do not want a pink, I suggest you take a look near the end of this article, as I will introduce how to create a muted red. When you lighten a muted red it does not turn pink!

Mixing warm shades of red

Colors like Alizarin crimson are what colors make warm shades of red

Red is by nature considered more of a warm color. Though of course color temperature is relative and there is such thing as a cool red and a warm red. For example, look at cadmium Red in the color chart below, positioned directly above Alizarin Crimson. You will see that cadmium red is clearly warmer than Alizarin Crimson. Alizarin Crimson looks like it has some blue in it compared to cadmium red.

Chart for mixing red colors that are warm in temperature

Even though cadmium red is a warm red we can make it even warmer if we want to. We just need to add warm colors to it. In the first line you will see I mixed cadmium orange with cadmium red and alizarin crimson. This resulted in a warmer version of their color.

In the last line from the color mixing chart above – I also mixed cadmium lemon yellow with cadmium red and alizarin Crimson. The colors were not as warm as those mixed with cadmium orange but still make a warm red.

Make shades of red, cool in temperature

You can use Ultramarine Blue when mixing red colors to make it cooler in color

Cool reds can be interesting as they often can have a purple hint to them. Which is no surprise when we see that to make a red cooler you only need to add some blue – the same combination needed to make purple. You will notice in the color chart that I mix both Ultramarine Blue and Dioxazine Purple with red to create cool red colors.

Cool shades of red color mixing chart

Notice how when Ultramarine Blue is mixed with Cadmium Red the resulting color looks much more similar to Alizarin Crimson. This is an example to see how cool Alizarin Crimson really is. So, you can imagine when Ultramarine Blue is added to Alizarin Crimson it makes it an even cooler red – looking more similar to a deep red plum color.

Dioxazine Purple is not as cool as Ultramarine Blue. However, since it is much cooler than red it is a useful color for making red cooler in temperature. Both Cadmium Red and Alizarin Crimson have a purple color hint to them.

What colors make red muted

Experiment with colors (see specific below) to make different shades of muted red colors

Since the complementary color of red is green we are able to mix a muted red by adding green to red. You can vary the degree to which you want the red to be muted by varying the amount of green you mix with red. If you just mix in a little bit it will just mute the red slightly. If you want to create a very muted red then mix in a lot of green. That is the beauty of mixing your own colors – you can add small amounts until you reach the exact color you want!

Muted red colors chart

In the color chart above I show two different green colors – Pthalo Green and Cadmium Green. Cadmium Green is a much warmer green while Pthalo Green is a cool green that almost looks like a bluish green. Notice how the reds mixed with cadmium green are warmer while the reds mixed with Pthalo Green are cooler. Pthalo Green is also darker than Cadmium Green and therefore mixes a darker red as a result.

If you have neither of these colors you can simply mix up your own green by mixing together yellow and blue. If you want a cool green you can mix a little more blue into your green. Red is a very strong color so you will probably nd yourself often needing to mix a muted red – so keep these color mixtures in mind!

How to mix (light) muted shades of red

Muted colors are extremely useful when working on your paintings

Since muted reds can look a little dark… Here you will see what muted reds look like when they are made lighter. Take a look at the color chart below and notice how these muted, lighter reds do not look so pink. So if you want to have a lighter red but not have it look pink… Your best option is to create a muted red and then lighten it.

Light, muted shades of red color mixing chart

You will be able to mix up all different kinds of lighter reds when you mute them. While also being able to create different temperatures, in order to create the exact shade of red you are looking for.

Learn more about mixing colors with these articles below:

• How to mix shades of purple.
• Learn to paint with shades of white.
• Work through mixing shades of yellow with this sunflower painting tutorial.

Want to remember this? Save this Red Color Mixing Guide to your favorite Pinterest board!

How to Mix Colors to Make Dark Red

Source: https://artstudiolife.com/what-colors-make-red/

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