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Color mixing chart

Which colors make which: the three primaries and what they make, the six tertiary colors, and how white and black change each one. Print the chart for the wall, or the blank wheel, grid and worksheet to paint in yourself.

The swatches follow the classic painter's red, yellow and blue model. Real paints, crayons and markers vary by brand, so treat the colors as a guide.

Color mixing chart

Primaries, secondaries, tertiaries, tints and shades.

Color wheel

Twelve colors, with the complementary pairs.

Color mixing grid

Eight colors, each mixed with every other.

Color mixing worksheet for kids

Paint two circles, mix them, fill in the third.

Color wheel to paint

Twelve blank sections, marked P, S and T.

Color mixing grid to paint

The grid, blank inside.

What colors make what

Parts are by amount, so 1 red + 3 white means three times as much white as red. Start with the lighter color and add the darker one a little at a time: it is easier to darken a mix than to lighten it. To try any of these on screen, use the color mixer.

Color	Mix	Tip
Orange	red + yellow	the secondary between red and yellow
Green	yellow + blue	the secondary between yellow and blue
Purple	red + blue	the secondary between red and blue
Brown	2 red + 2 yellow + 1 blue	orange with a little blue; equal parts of all three is darker
Pink	1 red + 3 white	more white for a paler pink
Gray	3 white + 1 black	add the black a drop at a time
Light blue	1 blue + 4 white	a tint of blue
Navy blue	3 blue + 1 black	a shade of blue
Teal	1 yellow + 3 blue	blue with a little yellow
Lime green	3 yellow + 1 blue	mostly yellow
Olive green	2 yellow + 1 blue + 1 black	green dulled with a little black
Peach	1 red + 1 yellow + 3 white	orange with plenty of white
Lavender	1 red + 2 blue + 4 white	a bluish purple with plenty of white
Maroon	4 red + 1 blue + 1 black	red deepened with a little blue and black
Crimson	3 red + 1 blue	red with a little blue

Primary, secondary and tertiary colors

In paint, the three primary colors are red, yellow and blue: you cannot mix them from other colors. Two primaries make a secondary color: orange, green or purple. A primary and the secondary next to it on the color wheel make a tertiary color, such as yellow-green or red-orange.

White makes a color lighter (a tint) and black makes it darker (a shade). Colors opposite each other on the wheel are complementary; mixed together they cancel out toward brown or gray, which is also why a muddy mix usually means too many colors went in.

Why screens mix differently

Paint, crayons and markers take light away, so the more you mix, the darker it gets. Screens add light: their primaries are red, green and blue, and red and green light together make yellow. The color mixer has a light mode to try both.

Color mixing with kids

Give children only red, yellow, blue and white to start, and let them discover orange, green and purple themselves on the worksheet. Finger paint or watercolor works best; crayons and colored pencils can be layered, one color on top of the other, for a similar result.

Color mixing chart