Paints

Have you ever spotted a warm, clay-red flower pot or an accent wall and wondered exactly what makes up that cozy, earthy shade? That’s terracotta color — one of the most popular warm neutrals in art, fashion, and interior design today. Main Takeaway: Terracotta color is a warm, muted reddish-orange, created by mixing red and…

Have you ever tried to paint a picture frame, a ring, or a shimmering sunset and wondered what colors make gold? It’s a question that trips up a lot of beginner painters — because gold isn’t a color you’ll find sitting on the standard color wheel. Main Takeaway: Gold is made by mixing yellow with…

Have you ever stood at your easel, paint-stained fingers hovering over your palette, wondering what colors make orange? You’re not alone. It’s one of the first questions every beginner painter, designer, or curious kid asks. Main Takeaway: Red and yellow make orange. Mix them in paint (subtractive color mixing) or red and green light for…

Ever stood at your easel wondering what colors make yellow, only to realize your paint set doesn’t have a tube of it? You’re not alone. It’s one of the most common questions beginner painters ask, right up there with “why does my green look muddy?” Main takeaway: Here’s the short answer before we dig in….

Ever wondered what colors make black, especially after your “black” mix turned out looking more like muddy brown or dark gray? You’re not alone — black is one of the most misunderstood colors to mix by hand, because pigments don’t behave the same way light does. Main takeaway: The most reliable way to mix black…

Ever stared at your palette wondering what colors make brown, only to end up with a muddy gray mess instead? You’re not alone — brown is one of the trickiest “neutral” colors to mix well, because it’s really a balancing act between warm and cool tones rather than one simple recipe. Main takeaway: The fastest…

Have you ever squeezed a little red into a puddle of green and wondered exactly what red and green paint make what color before it turns into something you didn’t expect on your palette? It’s one of the most common questions beginner painters ask, mostly because red and green sit on opposite sides of the…

Have you ever stood at your palette wondering exactly what colors make green before committing paint to canvas? It’s one of the most common questions beginner painters ask, and the good news is that green is one of the easiest colors to mix correctly once you understand the basics. Main takeaway: Green is made by…

Have you ever wondered exactly what colors make red when you’re staring at a paint palette, only to realize red doesn’t mix quite the way other colors do? It’s a trickier question than it first appears, because red is usually treated as a starting point rather than something you build from scratch. Main takeaway: In…

Ever mixed a bold red into a bright orange and wondered exactly what color red and orange make? Shades, results & examples can vary quite a bit depending on how much of each you use — but the overall direction is wonderfully consistent. Main takeaway: Mixing red and orange together produces a vivid red-orange, often…