What Happens When You Mix Red and Yellow Paint?

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Artist Renée Plevy explains what color you get when you combine red and yellow

Co-authored by Renée Plevy and Bailey Cho

Last Updated: June 22, 2026 Fact Checked

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• Mixing Red and Yellow Paint
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• Creating Different Shades
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• Color Theory Explained
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• More Color Mixing Combinations
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• Video

|Show more |Show less

Red and yellow look striking on their own, but what happens when you mix the two together? In this article, we partnered with professional artists to explain what color you can expect when mixing red and yellow paint, as well as how to create different shades based on the specific colors used and their ratios. We’ll also provide a quick overview of color theory to help you understand what’s going on and provide other paint mixing combinations to try out!

What color do red and yellow make?

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Artist Renée Plevy says mixing red and yellow makes orange. The exact shade depends on the specific shades of red and yellow used and their proportions. For example, you can add more red to create a deep rust or fiery orange, or add more yellow to create a lighter, sunnier orange. To make peach, add a touch of white.

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Section 1 of 4:

What color do you get when mixing red and yellow paint?

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1. 
   Mixing red and yellow paint creates orange. According to Plevy, red and yellow creates orange, but the exact shade of orange varies, depending on the specific shades of red and yellow used and their proportions. Adding more yellow, for example, yields a lighter, sunny orange, while adding more red yields a deeper rust or fiery orange. You can also add a touch of white to make a peachy color, notes professional artist Laura M. Johnson.

   • Plevy adds that using paints of different compositions, such as mixing oil with acrylic paint, can also adjust the shade because they contain different chemicals and minerals.

   Meet the wikiHow Experts

   Renée Plevy is an internationally acclaimed portrait artist with over 50 years of experience. She specializes in realistically painted oil portraits that capture a person's soul.

   Laura M. Johnson is a mural artist and the owner of Laura Margo Murals & Custom Art in St. Paul, Minnesota. She has over five years of experience in the industry.
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Section 2 of 4:

Creating Different Shades of Orange

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1. 
   1
   Use different proportions of red and yellow to adjust the tone and value. Mixing 50% pure red with 50% pure yellow creates a vibrant pure orange, but what happens if you use different percentages of each color? Generally, using more red yields a warmer, deeper red-orange, since red easily overpowers yellow. Using more yellow yields a lighter, sunny shade with golden tones. Here are a few examples of different shades you can create based on the ratio of red and yellow used:

   • 90% yellow + 10% red = carrot orange
   • 70% yellow + 30% red = pumpkin orange
   • 50% yellow + 50% red = pure orange
   • 30% yellow + 70% red = red vermillion
   • 10% yellow + 90% red = cadmium red
2. 
   2
   Create various shades of orange by using different shades of red and yellow. The resulting color depends heavily on the specific shades used in the mix. For instance, mixing a dark red with a light yellow creates a muted, earthy orange or warm brick shade. If you mix a light red with a dark yellow, you get a warm, vibrant ochre or a soft, rich apricot. Here are other combinations of red and yellow to create different shades of orange, along with the resulting color code:

   • Cadmium red + cadmium yellow = fire orange (#FF7A00)
   • Scarlet red + lemon yellow = pumpkin (#FF8C3F)
   • Cadmium red light + yellow ochre = persimmon (#E5500A)
   • Standard red + mustard yellow = vivid orange (#F05701)
   • Alizarin crimson + yellow ochre = dark orange (#D7621E)
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Section 3 of 4:

Color Theory Explained

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1. 
   Combining different hues or shades creates new colors. Color theory is built on the color wheel, which organizes colors based on their relationships, explains color theory expert Bethany Brenneman. The primary colors (red, blue, yellow) can’t be created by mixing other colors, but they combine to create secondary colors (green, orange, purple) and tertiary colors (red-orange, yellow-green), she continues.

   • Mixing red and yellow together, therefore, creates orange, as it’s the secondary color that sits directly between them. Colors that sit next to each other on the color wheel are also called analogous colors, meaning they share underlying wavelengths and blend smoothly into one another without turning gray or muddy.

Section 4 of 4:

More Color Mixing Combinations

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1. 
   Check out these popular color-mixing combos to create your perfect shade. Want to make a new paint color or simply discover which colors create your favorite shade? Here are more popular color combinations to learn about:

   • What do red, yellow, and blue make? Brown
   • What do red, yellow, and white make? Salmon or peach
   • What do pink and green make? Brown or gray
   • What do pink and blue make? Light purple
   • What do red and blue make? Purple
   • What do red and green make? Brown
   • What do blue and yellow make? Green
   • What do green and blue make? Teal
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