How to Mix Orange Oil Paint
To mix orange with oil paint, combine 4 parts Cadmium Yellow and 1 part Cadmium Red. Orange comes from yellow plus red. Use a warm red like cadmium red and add it to the yellow little by little; red is much stronger than yellow, so a small amount shifts the color fast.
Opens the free browser simulator with these colors on the palette. Squeeze them out and blend with the palette knife.
Step by step
- Put down 4 parts of Cadmium Yellow. It is the largest amount, so it is your base.
- Add 1 part of Cadmium Red.
- Blend with a palette knife, folding the paint over itself until no streaks of the separate colors remain.
- Pull a thin smear out to the side. Thin paint shows the true color better than a thick pile.
Lighter versions of orange
The same recipe with more and more titanium white mixed in, by volume:
#E9772A
#EF9A40
#F1AC55
#F2C176
#F4DCB0
Another way to mix orange
With Cadmium Yellow and Alizarin Crimson: 8 parts Cadmium Yellow and 1 part Alizarin Crimson.
Tips for mixing oranges
Orange is a balance between yellow and red, and red is far stronger. Always start with the yellow and add red to it.
Questions
What colors make orange?
To mix orange with oil paint, combine 4 parts Cadmium Yellow and 1 part Cadmium Red. You can also mix it from 8 parts Cadmium Yellow and 1 part Alizarin Crimson.
How do you make orange lighter?
Add titanium white a little at a time. Adding the same amount of white as the whole mix gives about #F2C176. White also cools and softens a color, so you may need a touch more of the warm color in the recipe to keep the same character.
How do you make orange darker?
Add a touch of burnt sienna or burnt umber. Blue, orange's complement, also darkens it, but only a speck before it turns brown.