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Every mix absorbs more

Why Does Mixing Paint Make Brown?

Each paint absorbs some colours, so mixing them absorbs nearly everything.

1 Each paintabsorbs somecolours2 Mixing absorbsmore of them3Almost nothingreflects —brown
Mixing paint takes light away.

  1. Step 1 of 5

    Paint colour is subtraction.

    Absorbed Most colours — takenawayReflected The one you see

    Red paint absorbs every colour except red, which it reflects. What you see is the leftovers.

  2. Step 2 of 5

    Mixing two paints absorbs both sets.

    1 Two paints2 Each absorbsits own set3Very littlelight escapes

    Blue paint absorbs what red reflects, and vice versa. Together they absorb almost everything, leaving very little to bounce back.

  3. Step 3 of 5

    So more colours means darker.

    One paintreflects a lotTwo mixeddarkerSeveral mixedmuddy brown

    Every addition removes more. Mix enough and you reach the muddy brown-black that every paint set eventually produces.

  4. Step 4 of 5

    Light mixing does the opposite.

    Mixing paintSubtracts — heads tobrownMixing light Adds — heads to white

    Coloured lights add rather than subtract. Red, green and blue lights together make white — the reverse of paint.

  5. Step 5 of 5

    Which is why screens and printers differ.

    Screen Red, green, blue —adding lightPrinter Cyan, magenta, yellow —absorbing it

    A screen emits light and mixes red, green and blue. A printer lays down ink that absorbs, so it uses cyan, magenta and yellow.

    This is why a bright screen colour often cannot be printed. Ink can only ever take light away.

The short version

Mixing paint absorbs more and more light so colours darken to brown, while mixing light does the opposite.

Try it yourself

Mix red, blue and yellow paint. Then shine red, green and blue torches on white paper. Opposite results.

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