What Colors Make Black?
Mixing red, yellow and blue in equal strength makes black. Mixing complements such as blue and orange also produces a deep near-black.
Red + Yellow + Blue = Black
Red
1 part
Yellow
1 part
Blue
1 part
Black
All three primaries at full strength give a dark, slightly warm black — richer than tube black.
Blue + Brown = Black
Blue
1 part
Brown
1 part
Black
A common artist’s mix (e.g. ultramarine and burnt umber) for a deep, tuneable black.
Adjusting your black
To lighten: Add white to move through charcoal into gray.
To darken: Already the darkest value — add more blue for a cooler black.
To mute or soften: Black is fully neutral in value; shift it warm with red or cool with blue.
Mixing paint vs. mixing light
The recipes above describe subtractive mixing — how paint, ink and pigment behave. Each pigment absorbs part of the spectrum, so the more you add, the darker the mixture gets.
Screens work the opposite way, using additive mixing with red, green and blue light: the more you add, the brighter it gets. With light (RGB), black is the absence of light — no red, green or blue emitted, i.e. #000000.
Frequently asked about making black
What colors make black?
Mixing red, yellow and blue in equal strength makes black. Mixing complements such as blue and orange also produces a deep near-black.
What two colors make black?
Red + Yellow + Blue makes black. All three primaries at full strength give a dark, slightly warm black — richer than tube black.
How do you make black lighter or darker?
Add white to move through charcoal into gray. Already the darkest value — add more blue for a cooler black.
Is mixing black paint the same as mixing black light?
No. Paint mixes subtractively while light mixes additively. With light (RGB), black is the absence of light — no red, green or blue emitted, i.e. #000000.