Buzz
Red is a primary color, which means you cannot create pure red by mixing other colors on any material. However, you can produce various shades and tones of red by blending pure red with other colors.
Steps
Learn Color Theory
Understand that you cannot create red. Red is a primary color, so it cannot be made by mixing multiple colors together.
- Primary colors are the main hues and cannot be created by blending other colors. Besides red, blue and yellow are also primary colors.
- Although you cannot create pure red, you can still achieve various red shades by mixing pure red with other colors. You can adjust the brightness of any red tone in a similar manner.
Alter the tone by mixing with other colors. Combining pure red with other hues will change its shade. You can blend red with primary and secondary colors to achieve various results.
- When mixing primary colors with red, use a small amount to avoid completely transforming red into another color. A bit of yellow can create a red-orange tint, but too much will result in orange. A touch of blue can produce a red-violet shade, but excessive blue will turn it purple.
- Mixing red with orange yields a red-orange tone, but ensure the orange quantity is equal to or less than red to avoid an orange-dominant hue. Similarly, blending red with purple creates a red-violet shade, but keep the purple amount equal to or less than red.
- You can also mix red with a small amount of a secondary color, such as green. Since these colors are complementary (opposite on the color wheel), blending green with red produces a reddish-brown tone. However, adding too much green will turn red into brown or muddy gray.
Adjust brightness by adding black or white. To change the brightness of red while maintaining its shade, mix pure red with black or white.
- Adding white will lighten the color, but too much will create pink.
- Adding black will darken the color, but excessive black will make it difficult to recognize as pure red.
Mixing Red
Prepare a variety of colors. When painting, you’ll need multiple shades of red. Most shades can be created by blending pure red with other colors.
- At a minimum, have red, yellow, blue, orange, purple, green, black, and white. For each color, try to choose the closest match to the original hue for mixing.
Test with pure red. Place a small amount of red on your palette. Use a brush to apply a bit of the color to the center of a scrap paper.
- Observe the red streak. This will serve as your reference sample for comparing other red shades you mix throughout the process.
Experiment by mixing red with other primary colors. Add two dots of red to your palette. Mix a small amount of yellow into one red dot and blue into the other.
- Use only a small quantity and stir until no streaks remain. Adding too much can drastically alter the red, turning it into a completely different color.
- Paint a red-orange streak (mixed with yellow) next to the original red. Paint a red-violet streak (mixed with blue) on the other side of the original streak. Compare the differences between the two new red shades.
Mix red with orange and purple. Start by placing two more dots of red on your palette. Add orange to one red dot and purple to the other.
- You can mix the colors in equal proportions and still achieve a red hue, but the red will be more pronounced if you use only a small amount of the secondary color (orange or purple).
- Paint the newly mixed red-orange next to the previous red-orange. Paint the new red-violet next to the old red-violet. Compare the new shades with the earlier mixes and the original red.
Blend red with green. Place a small amount of red on your palette and mix in a bit of green. The red will shift to a reddish-brown tone.
- Start with a small amount of green. If needed, gradually add more to adjust the shade. Adding too much green will result in brown or grayish-brown.
- Paint the new color near the original red for easy comparison.
Adjust the brightness. Add a small amount of white to one dot of pure red and black to another. Stir thoroughly.
- Paint a dark red streak near the reddish-brown and compare; both are dark, but the reddish-brown has a distinct brown tone, while the dark red does not.
- Paint a streak of pure red on the paper. Compare it with the other shades.
Creating Red for Frosting
Prepare the frosting in advance. Creating bright or dark red frosting might seem challenging, but the color intensifies over time. It’s best to prepare the frosting 24 to 72 hours before use to ensure the color develops fully.
- This is especially crucial when aiming for pure red frosting using red food coloring, but it also applies to other red shades if the color isn’t as vibrant as desired.
Taste the frosting occasionally. When aiming for deep or bright red, the amount of coloring used can make the frosting bitter.
- Tasting the frosting during the process allows you to monitor flavor changes and avoid excessive bitterness.
- If the frosting becomes bitter, you can mask it by adding flavoring. Use only clear flavorings, adding about 1/4 teaspoon per cup of frosting.
Add red coloring to white frosting. Place white frosting in a non-reactive bowl. Gradually add red food coloring, stirring thoroughly after each addition, until you achieve a bright red hue.
- Opt for gel or powdered food coloring specifically designed for frosting. Regular liquid food coloring isn’t concentrated enough; the amount needed to achieve red can ruin the frosting’s flavor and texture.
- A general rule is to use about 1/2 teaspoon of red coloring per cup of white frosting. For “no-taste” red coloring, use 1 teaspoon per cup.
Mix red with brown coloring. If you want dark red frosting but only have bright red, adding a small amount of brown can help achieve the desired shade.
- Add red food coloring to white frosting as described earlier. Continue until you reach a deep pink or bright red.
- Mix in brown food coloring, using about 1/4 the amount of red or less. Stir thoroughly to create a deep, brownish-red frosting.
- Alternatively, you can mix cocoa powder into red frosting for a darker shade, though this will alter the flavor.
Experiment with other red shades. Similar to paint, you can alter frosting colors by mixing pure or deep red food coloring with other hues. Try various combinations, using fresh batches of white frosting for each attempt.
- Create burgundy frosting by mixing 5 parts rose pink with 1 part purple.
- Make maroon frosting by combining 2 parts red-red with 1 part burgundy.
- Achieve raspberry red by blending red-red with pink.
- Create a reddish-brown shade by mixing 2-3 parts red-red, 5-8 parts orange, and 1 part brown.
- For deep ruby red, add a small amount of black to red frosting.
Creating Red for Polymer Clay
Create a warm red tone. If you want a warm red shade but only have pure red clay, mix the red with a small amount of orange or yellow.
- Use golden yellow and avoid greenish-yellow, as it can create a brownish-red. Most orange clays will work well.
- To avoid drastic color changes, add a small amount of the secondary color to the red clay. Knead and blend until the streaks disappear. For a more noticeable change, increase the amount of the secondary color and repeat the process.
Create a cool red tone. For a cooler red, mix pure red clay with a small amount of blue or purple clay.
- Warm-toned blue with a hint of purple works better than greenish-blue, which can create a brownish tone. Most purple clays blend effectively.
- Similar to warm tones, add the secondary color gradually to the red clay, blending thoroughly each time.
Create a deep red. Darken red clay by adding a small amount of brown or black clay. Use only a tiny quantity to avoid significant color shifts.
- Adding brown clay will gradually deepen the color but may introduce a brownish tint.
- Adding black clay will darken the red without altering its base tone.
Create a bright red. Brighten red clay by mixing in a small amount of white or translucent clay.
- Add the secondary clay gradually until the desired brightness is achieved.
- White clay will lighten the color, but too much can turn red into pink.
- Translucent clay will soften the brightness without lightening the color. Use about 1/3 the amount of translucent clay compared to the red clay, as too much can make the red appear semi-transparent rather than opaque.
What You'll Need
Mixing Red
- Red
- Yellow
- Blue
- Orange
- Purple
- Green
- Black
- White
- Paintbrush
- Mixing palette
- Scrap paper
Creating Red for Frosting
- White frosting
- Non-reactive bowl
- Spoon
- Deep red coloring
- Brown coloring (optional)
- Pink coloring (optional)
- Black coloring (optional)
Creating Red for Polymer Clay
- Red polymer clay
- Yellow or orange polymer clay
- Blue or purple polymer clay
- Black or brown polymer clay
- White or translucent polymer clay
