What Does Green and Yellow Make? – Mixing Green and Yellow

You can see green and yellow everywhere in nature, and they are quite familiar colors. However, you might not be as familiar with what happens when you mix green and yellow. Do yellow and green make blue, or does it produce some other unique color blend? Read further to find out what happens when you mix these two colors, and how you can use this new color in art and designs.

What Does Green and Yellow Make?

e have already mentioned the primary colors, the secondary colors along with green are orange and purple or violet. You can see all these colors represented in a color wheel, which is made up of your primary, secondary, and tertiary or intermediate colors.

With this, you also have various shades and tints or lighter and darker versions of each color. The intermediate colors are a combination of a primary color blended with a secondary color.  For example, yellow and green, which then produce a yellow-green color. You will also have yellow-orange, red-violet, red-orange, blue-violet, and blue-green.

So, what does green and yellow make? The answer is yellow-green, or you could also call it lime.

You can also describe the color as a lighter shade of green, which can also be considered chartreuse.  If you add more yellow or green into the mix, you will get a variety of yellow-green colors. When mixing paints, not all primary colors can mix with another secondary color to form an intermediary or tertiary color. For example, when you mix orange and blue, these will form a brownish color.

The reason is that they are complementary colors, and you are technically mixing all three of the primary colors.

Mixing Results for Different Shades of Green and Yellow

Why Mixing Green and Yellow Paint Can Sometimes Be Tricky

When using various paint brands and colors, it can be tricky to mix the colors you want. You will need to find pure blue and yellow paint to make green, which can be difficult to do as you have different paint names like cadmium yellow or ultramarine blue. Sometimes, these paints can have small amounts of other colors in them.

This is why reading labels is important. For example, if there is a bit of red with the blue paint, this will create a muddy-brown green.

So, if you are mixing the green you created with more yellow, there will also be a hint of red, which means there are all three primary colors in the mix. To create a good green, consider mixing Cadmium Yellow Light with Pthalo blue. Experiment with proportions to get the yellow-green you have in mind. You can also add tiny amounts of Titanium white to lighten it.

Lighter and Darker Shades of Green and Yellow

Yellow-green can also be altered by including more or less of each paint color. You can add more green to make it darker, or more yellow to make it brighten and lighten the outcome. If you are looking for an even lighter tint, you can also add a little white to the mixture. Black is another option if you wish to darken the color. If you do decide to use black, only add in extremely small amounts as it can easily overwhelm the color and you will have to start over.

Meaning of Yellow-Green

The combination of yellow and green means that it contains a meaning from both sides. The new color now has a meaning of its own. So, the yellow-green color is seen as something new, fresh, confident, and more vibrant. It can also be considered soothing and can help to promote creativity. The color is also seen as more youthful and full of energy. However, it can also still have negative connotations, such as a sign of stagnation, sickness, childishness, and jealousy.

So, you might want to use it wisely in designs, or it can become overstimulating and irritating.

Understanding Green and Yellow

When considering the well-known RYB color model, yellow, red, and blue are primary colors, and green is a secondary color along with orange and purple.  This means you cannot mix any color to create yellow or any of the primary colors. Since green is a secondary color, it is created by mixing two primary colors, which include yellow and blue.

We will be discussing this a bit further down in more detail, where we will be looking a bit more into color theory.

Green is also considered a cool color, along with blue, while yellow is seen as a warmer color, along with other colors like orange and red. There are also many different types or shades of green and yellow, which can all be darker or lighter versions of these colors. Separately, each of these colors can be used in various ways, and they also each have their own meanings.

Meaning of Green

Green is the color that represents growth, life, renewal, and nature. Green is the second most liked color, which has a place just behind blue. The color is also associated with balance, safety, optimism, harmony, and health, and revitalizes the mind and body. Green is a calming color that can help to reduce stress, but it can also be a color that motivates and invigorates.

Green also has a negative side and can be seen as envious, judgmental, inexperienced, and materialistic.

Meaning of Yellow

Yellow is a color that represents warmth, joy, happiness, and sunny days. As with green, yellow is also an optimistic color. Yellow can be stimulating and invigorating, helping to encourage movement and promote creativity. Yellow is also used to help stimulate learning and helps you to think positively. Yellow is also, unfortunately, also associated with sickness, cowardice, and excess. Too much yellow can make you anxious and even uncomfortable.

This is why some insects or animals that are yellow, for example, a wasp, are telling you to keep away.

Understanding Green and Yellow Within Other Color Models

We were all taught the basic color model in school that is used for painting. However, there are also other color models used today. The RGB color model is found where computer graphics are used and has red, green, and blue as the primary colors. Mixing light is what is known as an additive color model and is how light produces color. Additive color begins with black and then adds colors like red, green, and blue. As you add more colors, the lighter it becomes. If you combine all three primary colors in equal measure, this will create white light.

There are various shades of yellow-green, the closest color name being chartreuse. Other variants include lime, olive, and pear.

You will notice in the table; you have the hex code of each color. This helps identify the colors, as well as the two color models. One is the RGB color model, while the other is the CMYK color model. This particular color model is used for printing and refers to color inks. The primary colors include cyan, magenta, and yellow. All three of these combined will create black and use a subtractive color model that is the same as for paint colors. Subtractive colors start with white and as colors are added, the darker they get. This means various colors are absorbed, while others are reflected.

Uses of Green and Yellow in Art and Design

Green is often used in art to represent growth, freshness, harmony, and calm. It is a color often used in landscapes to represent the natural setting. Green has similar meanings when used in other graphic and interior designs. It is generally a safe and comforting color that works great with many other colors. Many shades of yellow can be used in art, all of which provide a sense of happiness, warmth, and joy. Yellow is also often used to represent sunshine and light and can also be used to brighten other colors. In designs, yellow grabs your attention and can add a certain energy to the design.

Yellow accents can bring warmth to interior designs, and a feeling of happiness as well as coziness.

Yellow-Green Designs

Yellow-green might be a color that some find challenging to use. However, if used properly, it can create wonderful designs that stand out from the rest. When painting, yellow-green is something that might be used for more natural scenes, similar to green. For example, when painting apples, grass, or leaves. This adds more dimension than simply painting them a single color. You can also use yellow-green in more man-made scenes, for example, if you are painting a fence, types of clothing, or an indoor scene.

It also depends on what you wish to accomplish, yellow-green is not a boring or sad color and will bring more energy and happiness to a scene.

It is a fresh color and paired with lighter or more neutral or earthy colors like brown, beige, tan, white, or gray, it can create an appealing look. This can work in both fashion and interior design ideas. Just remember that too much of this color can be overpowering and even disquieting. Various shades of yellow-green can be used in the office and at home. If you need a bit of energy and something that will help stimulate creativity, try using the color in the office or work area. Add yellow-green to the dining area, combined with white and wooden elements for a more natural and calming look.

The yellow in the combination can also help to stimulate the appetite and put everyone in a good mood, while the green provides a calming effect. You can also add yellow-green to the bathroom, pairing it with white to create a fresh and stylish look. Add some vibrant color and use it as a focal point by painting the front door. You can even use the vibrant color in the bedroom, but since it is such an energetic color, it is best in small amounts or as an accent color. Consider adding a pop of color through accessories like cushions or throws, or consider window colorful window drapes surrounded by a neutral palette.

If you are a designer or love painting, learning how to mix and pair colors is essential. You need to understand how colors can affect emotions and what message you wish to send. Once you understand these things, you can then incorporate them into your paintings and designs. Mixing green and yellow might just be the one to add to your next brilliant design idea!

Frequently Asked Questions

What Does Green and Yellow Make?

Do yellow and green make blue? There is no way that yellow and green make blue, however, the two colors do create a yellow-green or a chartreuse color that shares properties with both green and yellow. This is done by mixing a primary color like yellow with a secondary color like green, to make the tertiary or intermediate color that is known as yellow-green.

What Colors Go With Yellow-Green?

Neutral colors, such as white, beige, or gray will go with yellow-green. Other colors that go with yellow-green include shades of purple, blue, green, yellow, and soft pink. Many of these colors might clash, so should be used carefully to create a more balanced look.

What Colors Are Close to Yellow-Green?

Chartreuse is a color that is very close to yellow-green, however, there are many other variations of the color. More vibrant options include apple green and lime, while more subtle options include pistachio green and avocado.

Is Yellow-Green Cool or Warm?

Since the color has a mixture of both a cool and warm color, it can be both. The mixture creates a reassuring and refreshing feel. There are also variations of the color, so you can have a color that might have more yellow, making it warmer, or more green, which will make it cooler.

Charlene Lewis( Content Creator and Creativity Writer )

In 2005, Charlene completed her Wellness Diplomas in Therapeutic Aromatherapy and Reflexology from the International School of Reflexology and Meridian Therapy. She worked for a company offering corporate wellness programs for a couple of years, before opening up her own therapy practice. It was in 2015 that a friend, who was a digital marketer, asked her to join her company as a content creator, and this is where she found her excitement for writing.

Since joining the content writing world, she has gained a lot of experience over the years writing on a diverse selection of topics, from beauty, health, wellness, travel, and more. Due to various circumstances, she had to close her therapy practice and is now a full-time freelance writer. Being a creative person, she could not pass up the opportunity to contribute to the Art in Context team, where is was in her element, writing about a variety of art and craft topics. Contributing articles for over three years now, her knowledge in this area has grown, and she has gotten to explore her creativity and improve her research and writing skills.

Charlene Lewis has been working for artincontext.org since the relaunch in 2020. She is an experienced writer and mainly focuses on the topics of color theory, painting and drawing.

Learn more about Charlene Lewis and the Art in Context Team.