What Colors Make Green, Light Green and Olive Green

We are going to start by making a neutral green, which will serve as a starting point to get almost all the greens that we want to achieve, not all, you will see that there is a green that is something special. So let’s get what colors make green. For the mixtures, we will need the primary colors, yellow, blue and magenta, plus white and black.

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What colors make green?

To obtain the green color, we are going to mix the blue and yellow in equal parts, so we take a little bit of yellow, we take approximately the same amount of blue and we mix it well. We have already achieved our green color, a medium green, which is neither too yellow nor too blue.

And now that we have obtained the green color, we are going to see how it lightens and darkens, and for that, what are we going to do? Well… add white to lighten and black to darken? Of a lifetime, right? Well, let’s go back to the palette to see what happens …

How is the green color lightened?

Starting from the previous mixture, we are going to add a little white, we mix well and we see that the color is indeed lighter. Still, we also see that it turns grey and that it loses intensity, and as a result, we obtain a color that we recognize as water green.

Now, if we add yellow to the same color, we see that it lightens, but unlike lightening it with white, we get a more intense green that we recognize as apple green as a result.

Very well we already know how to make the green color, and two ways to lighten it depending on the result we are looking for, so now we are going to see how to darken it.

what colors make green

How does the green color dark?

To darken the green color, we will simply add black to the mixture that we have already made previously, we mix well, and we see that we get a dark green color quickly and effectively.

Now we are going to see another way to darken the green color, this time we are going to add a little blue and its complementary, magenta or quinacridone pink, we mix well, and we see how in this way we can also get a dark green.

How is the olive green color made?

This time we are going to use yellow and instead of blue, we are going to replace it with black, mix well, and as you can see, the result is a dark green, which we recognize as an olive green color.

Make a light green color

To make a light green color, you just have to mix a lighter shade of blue with an equal shade of yellow. Another way to obtain light green is by joining two different light green tones, achieving another light but a different tone. This is possible because each degradation has different blue and yellow particles that, when joined together, end up turning into a new green.

In case you want to lighten a tone that is too dark for what you need, you can resort to white. Remember that you should do this procedure gradually. Otherwise, it will be much more difficult to correct it.

Make lemon green color

To make the lemon green color, you need to add a little more light yellow (you can mix yellow with a little white) to the blue color.

  • Put a little of each paint on the plate.
  • Stir well with the brush, until you see it homogeneous to get good results.
  • In case it is very clear, do not hesitate to add more blue in a small amount.

Make aqua green color

The water green or bluish-green color is the result of mixing green, blue and white. To do so, you must follow the following steps:

  • Put some of the green and blue paint in a container.
  • Add some white paint.
  • Mix well until you reach the desired shade.
  • Similarly, some add a few drops of cadmium yellow to achieve greater effects.

Make mint green color

Mint green is a cool color obtained after mixing a little bright green (light and intense) with cyan, a specific shade of sky blue. Depending on the hue you want to achieve, that is, if you want it to be lighter or darker, the amounts of the colors you will use will depend. To prepare it, follow these steps:

  • Add some bright green to the container or palette with a little of this baby blue or cyan.
  • Mix with the brush or spatula until you get this shade.
  • Add more of one color or another if you want the mint tone to be darker or lighter.
  • This color is characterized by radiating great freshness in the places used, so it is common to use it in interior decoration.

Make dark green color

There are several ways to get a dark green color since you can do it with yellow and blue or with a light green and black tone.

  • For the first option, you must put a little yellow paint in a container and add the dark blue in very small quantities to not damage the final result.
  • Another way to do this is to add a little black to the light green. In this case, it is important to add a little of the green tone in a plastic plate and on top of it, add the black little by little, mixing completely before adding more of one color or another to see the result. It should be done this way. Otherwise, the black will absorb all the green portions, making it harder to get the color in question.
  • It is important to stir well until you have a homogeneous mixture and until you find the shade of dark green you are looking for.

Make army green color

If you want to get military green, add a drop of red paint to the green paint mix. In this way, you will achieve a more opaque tone, which will tend a little to brown, achieving a brownish-green tone. You should bear in mind that the redder there is, the darker the green will become.

Make olive green color

This green shade is also called standard olive green, which can be made with a mixture of primary yellow and primary blue or, failing that, green with a minimal portion of white or black. On this occasion, the dark or even light tones will depend on the amount of black and white used. These will give it a greyish hue while the yellow acts as a base color.

To obtain this color, it is not recommended to use orange, brown or purple as a result of a dark gray that will completely dull the olive green mixture.