3 Ways to Get Orange

2024 Author: Samantha Chapman | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-17 09:13

Orange is a secondary color, made with red and yellow, in various shades based on the amount of colors used. Once you have mastered the basics of color theory, you should be able to apply the same principles to various materials, such as paint, glaze, and polymer clay.

Steps

Method 1 of 3: Create the Color

Step 1. Mix red and yellow

Orange is a secondary color, so it can be created by mixing two primary colors. In this case, the ones you need are red and yellow.

• "Primary" colors exist in nature and cannot be created by mixing others. Red, yellow and blue are the three primary colors, but the first two are enough to get orange.
• "Secondary" colors are made by mixing two primary colors. Since you have to combine red and yellow to get orange, the latter is considered secondary. The other two secondary colors are purple and green.

Step 2. Change the hue by changing the aspect ratio

Mixing pure red and yellow in equal parts will result in pure orange, but if you prefer a slightly different hue, you can change it by adding more of one of the two primary colors.

• Yellow-orange and red-orange are the two simplest variations. These colors are known as "tertiary" and are midway between primary and secondary colors on the color wheel.

  • Yellow-orange consists of two parts of yellow and one of red, or one of orange and one of yellow.
  • Red-orange consists of two parts of red and one of yellow, or one of orange and one of red.

  

  Step 3. Add white or black to change the tone

  You can lighten or darken orange without changing its hue by using white or black respectively.

  • The amount of black or white you add will determine how light or dark the shade of orange you get will be.
  • While in Italian there are no well-defined terms to distinguish light or dark colors, in English they are divided into tints (light) and shades (dark).

  Method 2 of 3: Create Orange Polymer Clay

  

  Step 1. Get various shades of clay

  In theory, you should have at least 2 red, 2 yellow, 1 white, 1 clear, and 1 black.

  • Try to find a warm-toned red clay (with an orange tinge) and a cool-toned clay (with a purple tinge).
  • Similarly, take a yellow clay with a warm shade (with an orange shade) and a cold one (with a green shade).
  • Note that you can use more than two shades of red and yellow if you prefer, but having at least these two types available allows you to observe the principles of color mixing and understand how they work.

  Step 2. Mix a red clay with a yellow one

  Using your fingers, take equal parts of the two clays with the warm shades. Squeeze them together and mix them with your fingers until you get a uniform color.

  • Once finished, you should get a solid orange, with no streaks of color.
  • This combination of red and yellow should produce a pretty deep orange, as the clays you used had hues that tended to the orange part of the color wheel.

  

  Step 3. Complete the other combinations of red and yellow

  Make three more samples, mixing red and yellow clay in equal parts. Follow the same method used for the first orange sample.

  • Warm red and cool yellow should produce a mid-toned apricot color.
  • Cool red and warm yellow should produce a mid-toned melon color.
  • Cool red and cool yellow should produce a dull orange with brown tints.

  

  Step 4. Lighten the orange

  Choose the shade you prefer and replicate it twice. You can lighten it in two ways, and using two different samples of the same shade will make it easier to compare the results.

  • Add a pinch of white clay to an orange sample, mixing them until the streaks disappear. The color should be lighter and less intense.

  • Add a pinch of clear clay to the other orange sample, mixing them until the streaks disappear. The color should be less intense, but keep the same brightness and hue.

    Note that adding too much clear clay will result in a semi-transparent, washed-out color, not a dull orange

  

  Step 5. Darken the orange

  Make another swatch of your favorite orange. Take a pinch of black clay and add it to the sample, mixing them until the streaks of color disappear.

  • The new color should have the same hue, but be slightly darker. It will have a more brownish appearance.
  • Black clay can have a very noticeable impact on clays of other colors, including orange, so use very small amounts to avoid making the color too dark.

  Method 3 of 3: Making Orange Icing

  

  Step 1. Prepare some samples

  Get at least four plates or small bowls. Pour about 50ml of white icing on each plate.

  • There are many ways to create orange frosting, but in all cases you need a white frosting base. Four samples should suffice, but using 6 or even 12 will allow you to experience a lot more variations.
  • You should purchase at least four different food colors: orange, red, yellow, and black. You can use multiple shades of red and yellow if you want to experiment further.
  • Ideally, you should use paste, powder, or gel food coloring specifically for use in glazes. Avoid liquid dyes, which have a tendency to have a negative effect on the consistency of the glaze.

  Step 2. Add orange food coloring to a sample

  Dip a clean toothpick into the orange dye bottle. Transfer the color to the white icing. Stir to distribute the dye well to remove all visible streaks.

  • Since you are mixing the food coloring with the white icing, the final result will be lighter than the original color. You will always get a lighter shade, no matter how much dye you use.
  • However, note that adding very small amounts will result in a very light orange, while with larger amounts the color will be stronger and more intense.

  

  Step 3. Mix red and yellow dye with another sample

  Dip a clean toothpick into the red dye bottle and another into the yellow one. Mix the two colors in the second sample of white icing, continuing until all the streaks disappear.

  The mixture should turn into an orange glaze. Of course, the second sample will not be identical to the first, as the dyes you used may produce a slightly different shade

  

  Step 4. Create a darker orange

  Obtain another sample of orange glaze using one of the two methods described above, with the orange dye or with the red and yellow ones. This time, however, also add a very small drop of black dye.

  Black should darken the orange without changing its hue. However, only use small amounts of black food coloring, as larger doses can greatly alter the color of the icing

  

  Step 5. Try other combinations

  If you have other frosting swatches available, you can use them to experiment with various dye combinations. Always take notes when rehearsing so that you can replicate your results.

  • Most food dyes have directions on their packaging, but you are free to experiment as you like.

  • Here are some ideas to try:

    • Mix 9 parts red with 10 parts yellow to create a peach-like pink color.
    • Mix 2 parts of orange with 1 part of golden yellow to get the apricot color.
    • Create a rusty orange by mixing 8 parts of orange, 2 parts of red, and 1 part of brown.