What Does Orange and Yellow Make? – Alluring Shades of Amber

This combination of orange and yellow might remind you of fall colors, sunrises, sunsets, and warm sunny days. Orange and yellow are both bright and energizing colors, so something amazing should happen when you mix orange and yellow. To find out more about what happens when these colors are blended, continue scrolling down below!

What Does Orange and Yellow Make?

When you mix orange and yellow, it will produce a brighter and more vibrant shade of orange known as amber. In the table below, you will see a combination of pure orange and yellow.

Mixing Results for Different Shades of Yellow and Orange

Understanding Orange and Yellow As Colors

Both orange and yellow can be found on the color wheel. Color theory, using the traditional model, tells us that yellow is a primary hue, the same as blue and red. Orange, along with purple and green are secondary colors, which are formed by a combination of two primary colors. To take this further, you can also mix a primary and secondary color, which will produce intermediate colors, often referred to as tertiary colors. The intermediate colors are as follows:

• Yellow-orange (amber)
• Red-orange (vermilion)
• Red-purple (magenta)
• Blue-purple (violet)
• Blue-green (teal)
• Yellow-green (chartreuse)

Orange and yellow are both warm colors, along with red, and take up position on one half of the color wheel. On the other side, you have cool colors like blue and green. As you can see, when you mix orange and yellow it produces the intermediate color, amber, which is then also a warm color. When mixing paints, you hardly ever get pure paint colors, so you need to experiment with the blending process to see what happens with different colors. For example, you can get warm and cool yellows.

The cool yellows have more of a green or blue bias, while warm yellows lean more toward orange and red. An example of a cool color would be lemon yellow, and a warm color would be cadmium yellow.

If you want to create a bright and warm yellow-orange, you will want to use a warm yellow. Instead of using an orange paint color, you can also mix an orange using the primary red and yellow colors. When doing this, your choice of red or yellow can also affect the result. This simply means that you can also get different types of red like you do yellow. Sometimes, you might even find that you create more of a brown tone when mixing the colors because the red you are using has a bluish undertone. This means that you are mixing all three primary colors, which creates a more neutral and muted shade like brown.

Meaning of Orange

Orange is mostly seen as a positive, happy, spontaneous, and energetic color. The orange color can be used to help uplift and motivate and can be used to encourage creativity. Physically, the orange color can help to stimulate both the brain and the appetite. Orange is also a warm and confident color that can help to inspire a sense of adventure.

The color is attention-grabbing, without seeming too aggressive about it. However, too much orange can become irritating and gaudy.

Meaning of Yellow

Similar to orange, yellow is a happy color that also has stimulating and energizing effects. Yellow is also a fun, enthusiastic, and positive color that has an optimistic outlook. The yellow color also stimulates the mind and can encourage creativity. Too much yellow may cause anxiety, depression, and fear. On the negative side, yellow is also seen as the color of cowardice, jealousy, and deception.

Also, always remember that colors can have different meanings for different people. For example, in some cultures, yellow is the color that people use for mourning.

Meaning of Amber

 Since amber is a combination of yellow and orange, it is safe to say that it shares many of the symbolism and meanings of both colors. Amber is also an energetic color that can be associated with happiness, enthusiasm, joy, and excitement. The color can also be used to encourage and uplift and is a comforting color that helps people feel welcome.

As with its parent colors, amber can also come over as irritating and bothersome. However, the meaning can vary according to the context.

Creating Lighter and Darker Shades

You can adjust the amber color by making it lighter or darker. To create a lighter version, you can simply increase the amount of yellow, which should also brighten the color even more. You can also consider adding white to create a tint of amber, however, the resulting color will lack vibrancy and will appear paler in comparison. You can include more orange into the mix to create a darker version of yellow-orange.

However, to create a shade of amber, you can include a small drop of black. Use black sparingly, which will slowly make the amber color darker. The resulting color will also not be as bright.

Understanding Orange and Yellow in Other Color Models

When you are staring at your computer screen, the images created use colors that are formed by blending light. The colors of light are layered to produce a certain color, which is also known as additive mixing. Primary colors in this model differ from the traditional color systems and are red, green, and blue. The secondary colors are also different and include cyan, magenta, and yellow. The blending of a primary and secondary will then produce the following intermediate colors.

• Spring green
• Chartreuse
• Orange
• Rose
• Violet
• Azure

Yellow is a secondary color, while orange is an intermediate or tertiary color. You will not likely mix orange and yellow light colors; however, it will also produce a yellow-orange color. As you can see below, the RGB color code displays the number of primary colors used to create a certain color.

You will also notice a CMYK color code, which represents another color model used for printing and mixing ink pigments.

In this case, the primary colors are the same as the RGB secondary colors and include cyan, magenta, and yellow. The secondary hues are red, green, and blue. As with the RGB model, it will also produce a yellow-orange color. As you can see in the color code, for this yellow-orange, 18 percent magenta is blended with 100 percent yellow.

Best Uses for Orange and Yellow in Design

When it comes to art, intermediate colors, like yellow-orange, are important to an artist, as they offer more variety in a painting. The different colors can help provide another dimension and texture and can help to produce subtle shading or detail. A quick interesting fact, even though one of the three colors on traffic lights is often referred to as yellow, certain technical guides define the warning color as amber.

Amber can also be used in a variety of other design applications.

Graphic Design

The yellow-orange color of amber is a great hue to use in a graphic design or logo if you want to produce feelings of confidence and happiness. The color also has a warm and welcoming feeling that can be used in a design. You can easily use amber as an accent color to create a look that feels positive and supportive. Amber not only provides a sense of friendliness, but it also possesses a sense of elegance and can add a certain amount of luxury to a design.

Amber can be used as a beautiful background, and when used with certain elements within a design, it can add a pleasing contrast. Amber, when used correctly, can help you form a strong brand identity.

Fashion Design

Amber is a wonderful happy and summery color that you can easily use to make an amazing outfit. You can wear amber in a variety of colors, such as teal and burgundy, among many others. Amber also works well with brown and other earthy tones. There are many different shades of amber that you can use in a variety of ways. You can bring the amber color into the outfit itself, for example, a dress or pair of shorts.

Consider patterned material with the amber color, or simply bring in the amber color with accessories, such as handbags, shoes, scarves, or jewelry items.

Interior Design

The yellow-orange amber color can produce a warm and welcoming atmosphere in any room of the home. There are color options that would look great on walls. Consider using softer or pastel tones as a wall color, which should provide a more calming effect. The color can also be used as an accent, for example, in various accessories, and furniture. You can create amber lighting effects, which can help to create a soothing ambiance that is both cozy and warm.

Pair amber with other colors like navy blue to add a beautiful contrast.

Amber can be quite an energizing color and it can overpower a room quite easily. The best way to use such stimulating colors is to only add touches of orange, yellow, or amber. You can also use amber with neutrals like white, gray, beige, and other earthy tones to create a natural, warm, and embracing feel that is not overwhelming. For example, a white or beige couch with amber color cushions.

When you mix orange and yellow, it creates an alluring amber color that can offer many benefits to a variety of design possibilities. The amber color can be both sophisticated and fun, providing a look that is energizing and alluring. So, if you are looking for something slightly different, consider the combination of yellow and orange!

Frequently Asked Questions

What Does Orange and Yellow Make?

When you mix orange and yellow, you are combining warm colors that will produce a yellow-orange color. The most common color name for this combination is amber.

What Color Complements Amber?

Amber itself is a bright and eye-catching color that will form a great contrast with different shades of blue. Various shades of blue-green, as well as purple, can similarly complement the amber color. Amber also looks good alongside green and shades of red and orange.

Are There Different Shades of Amber?

There are quite a few shades of amber, each with its individual color hex code. Some of these colors have names like butterscotch, honey, amber brown, amber gold, and amber rose, among many others.

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.