Pink and green look great together in designs because they’re both bright, vibrant colors. Yet, when they’re mixed together, they make a color that’s almost the opposite.
So, what do pink and green make when mixed, and do the result vary based on what medium you’re mixing with? Let’s find out.
What Do Pink and Green Make in Painting?
When you mix green and pink paint, you will end up with brown or gray, depending on how light or dark the colors are. The result is similar to what happens when you mix red and green since pink is just a lighter version of red.
Mixing red and green together gives you brown because it’s like mixing all three primary colors together since green is made of yellow and blue. So, the same is true for pink except the result will be a lighter brown that’s closer to gray.
Understanding the RYB Color Model
The RYB color model is used for mixing physical art supplies like paints. It’s the color wheel that nearly everyone learned in early art classes. The primary colors are red, yellow, and blue.
You can mix combinations of primary colors to create secondary colors and combine primary and secondary colors to create tertiary colors. If you want lighter or darker versions of those colors, you can mix in white or black. When all three primary colors mix together, they create a murky brown color.
Is There an Easier Way to Mix Brown and Gray?
Mixing green and pink together isn’t the easiest way to get brown and gray paint. After all, you have to mix red and white together to get pink and blue and yellow together to get green. So, to save you some steps, you can mix an equal amount of red, yellow, and blue together to make brown.
The easiest way to make gray paint is to add a lot of white to black. Then, you’ll get a pleasant gray color as opposed to the murky one that green and pink will give you.
Mixing Lighter or Darker Colors
If you mix green and pink together, it’s unlikely that it’ll give you the brown or gray you’re looking for. Using different types of green or pink could adjust the result, but there are some easier ways to make shades and tints of gray and brown.
How to Make Tints
Tints are lighter hues of a color. They can be made by adding white to a mix. The more white you mix in, the lighter the tint will be. Since white is much lighter than brown and gray, you will need to add a lot before you notice a difference.
How to Make Shades
Shades are darker versions of a color, so they require the opposite method. To create a shade of a color, mix in a touch of black. Don’t go overboard with the black paint because too much black can easily overpower the lighter colors.
Color Meanings of Brown and Gray
Brown and gray are often overlooked because they’re not as bright and vibrant as the primary and secondary colors. Yet, they’re still crucial to art pieces, and they carry a lot of meaning. So, here’s what brown and gray might symbolize in your art.
Brown Meaning
Since brown is a color regularly seen in nature, including the ground beneath us, it’s considered a sign of stability, reliability, and comfort. People associate the color brown with honesty, wisdom, protection, and simplicity.
Brown has no shortage of positive meanings, including appreciation and support. However, it can sometimes be depicted in negative ways, such as boring, dull, timid, and predictable. Even so, the meaning can vary greatly depending on the context.
Gray Meaning
Gray is seen as a neutral color, symbolizing compromise and control. Many people see it as calming, relaxing, soothing, and stabilizing. It gives off feelings of maturity, practicality, and reliability.
Like brown, gray can have some negative symbolism too. Some see it as pessimistic, unemotional, and indecisive. Yet, since it’s such a neutral color with a wide range of shades, it can mean different things depending on the situation.
What Do Pink and Green Make in Lighting?
Pink and green lights are very different than paints. So, when it comes to mixing lights, they make white instead of brown or gray.
The reason for this is that lights use a different color wheel. So, even though green and pink still sit on opposite sides of the color wheel, the results are different. The primary colors for lights are red, green, and blue, and when they all mix together, they make white. So, pink and green lights also make white.
Understanding the RGB Color Model
The RGB color model is mostly used for lights and colored digital displays. In this diagram, the primary colors are red, green, and blue instead of red, yellow, and blue. They mix together to create the secondary colors, which in this case are cyan, magenta, and yellow.
Lights are mixed by layering them on top of each other at different brightnesses. So, when all three primary colors are mixed together at full brightness, it creates a pure white light.
White Meaning
White is another neutral color, but it still holds a variety of meanings. It’s a symbol of cleanliness, purity, and innocence. It’s considered the true balance of all colors, which is why it’s meant to refresh, purify, and simplify.
Some positive white meanings include goodness, hope, clarity, and openness. However, those who see it as a negative color might describe it as boring, cold, empty, and distant. All meanings can be true in different contexts, so decide which ones are accurate for your art and designs.
What Do Pink and Green Make in Printing?
Pink and green also have different results when it comes to mixing ink. Colors in printing use the CMYK color wheel, and even though green and pink are still on opposite sides, they create black this time.
All the primary colors mixed together in the CMYK color wheel create black. Since pink and green contain all three of the primary colors, they create black or dark gray, depending on how light or dark the pink and green are.
Understanding the CMYK Color Model
The CMYK color model is most commonly used for color printing. The primary colors are cyan, magenta, and yellow, which all mix together to make black. That’s why ink cartridges for printers have cyan, magenta, yellow, and black. If the black ink runs out, the other colors can mix together to make black.
This color model is also the opposite of the RGB color wheel. The primary colors in this scenario can mix together to create red, green, and blue, which are now secondary colors. The tertiary colors for both CMYK and RGB are the same, and one of them is pink. On both of those color wheels, pink is a mix of red and magenta.
Black Meaning
Black often goes against the color white, but both have a wide range of meanings. Black is a symbol of power, sophistication, and elegance. It can mystify, seduce, and intimidate those who see it.
This color often makes appearances at formal and prestigious events because it’s a sign of strength and authority. Yet, it can also be a downer in some instances, evoking feelings of depression, sadness, and pessimism. It all depends on the situation.
Designing with Green and Pink
Even though green and pink are always on opposite sides of the color wheel, they go really well together in designs. Not only are they cute watermelon colors, but they can also be sophisticated, fun, and cozy, depending on how you use them.
If you want your design to be exciting and vibrant, using bright green and pink can be beautiful. Yet, they’re also a bit loud if you use too much of them, so they’re best for kid’s rooms or logos.
Using toned-down versions of the colors can give the design a more mature, relaxing feel. Light green rugs and pale pink pillows can give a room a pop of color without overdoing it.
You should also consider adding other similar colors to your design. Neutral colors like brown and white can help contrast the bright colors of green and pink. Other light colors like blue or yellow could also make the design interesting.
Pink and green might not be used regularly in designs, especially when it comes to furnishings, but they look great together in many instances. So, don’t be afraid to add a little color.
How Can Mixing Two Colors Have Multiple Results?
It might seem unusual that two colors can mix to create different results. However, when you look at how these colors are mixed, it makes sense. Not only do they all have different color wheels, but the methods of mixing are different too.
Paint uses subtractive mixing, which involves swirling two colors together to create a mixture of the two. Mixing ink is another form of subtractive mixing, so it’s similar to paint. However, lights use additive mixing, which means the colored lights are layered on top of each other.
So even though green and pink are two common colors, they can have a different mixture for every medium you use. Learning about color mixing is a great way to further your understanding of art and design.
