What Colors Do Green and Yellow Make?
Last updated: February 26, 2024
Green and yellow stand out plenty on their own, but what happens when you mix them together? Green and yellow make all kinds of crazy colors when you mix them, and we’re going to explore all of them here. You can find Mother Nature herself mixing yellow and green to make all the beautiful shades you find out in your garden or along a scenic hike. But you can find mixes of green and yellow in fashion, art, and other fields as well.
We’ll go deeper than simply mixing green and yellow, however. Color theory can tell us all kinds of interesting things about how to mix green and yellow, as well as how we react to these colors. For some, green and yellow are tough to tell apart. For others, yellow and green are super distinct. Wherever you fall on that spectrum, we’ve got all the information you’ll ever need about how to mix green and yellow to make fun new colors.
Mixing Green and Yellow | Blending Chartreuse | Other Bright Greens | Color Meanings | Inspiration for Using Green & Yellow
What Color Is Yellow and Green Called?
When mixed, yellow and green make a color called chartreuse. This mellow yet vibrant color captures the best of both green and yellow to make something brand new. Some people feel inspired and energized simply by looking at chartreuse. Take a closer look to see if it sparks your own creativity.
You can use green and yellow to make many other colors besides chartreuse. These colors include light green, neon green, lime green, and much more.
How to Mix Green and Yellow to Make Chartreuse
When mixing green and yellow, start with green. To make chartreuse, slowly add yellow into your green and blend the two colors together. This works best with paint, but you can use any medium you like to mix green and yellow to make chartreuse. You should start with green so you can brighten it up gradually with the yellow, rather than the other way around.
Play around with how much yellow you add to your mixture. You might be surprised by how much variation you experience simply by adding a little more yellow to your green. Don’t be afraid to go overboard, either. This is an experiment, and there’s no such thing as failure. By mixing and playing around, you can experience many new colors and learn a lot about how colors work. If you’re nervous, take it slow and add yellow to green in stages, testing out each stage before continuing.
Other Colors You Can Make with Yellow and Green
Green and yellow make a lot of colors beyond just chartreuse. You might have discovered a few when you mixed green and yellow above. That’s what makes this so much fun. Without even realizing it, you could have stumbled across a dozen different colors simply by playing around. Some of those colors include seafoam, basil, sage, crocodile, and moss.
To make chartreuse, we started with green and added yellow. But what if we start with yellow and add green? You can get a whole new slew of colors that way. Take a chance and find out for yourself! Just be careful if you start adding black or white, as these powerful colors can overwhelm your mixture very quickly. This is how you make shades and tints, but that’s a whole ‘nother discussion (you can learn more about that and color theory in general here).
Why Do I Get Green and Yellow Mixed Up?
Unfortunately, for some people, it’s a little harder to tell apart all these colors that you can make from green and yellow. That’s partially because green and yellow are similar colors to begin with. Some shades of green and yellow are truly difficult to tell apart, and when you mix them, they get even muddier.
However, it’s also true that not all of us experience colors the exact same way. Some people literally see more subtle variations in colors and some people see less. This doesn’t necessarily mean someone is color blind, but it could be an indication of that. There are different degrees of color blindness, with different people having difficulty with different colors. Green and yellow are unfortunately common culprits.
The Meaning Behind Certain Colors
Colors do a lot more than look nice. They carry a lot of meaning for many of us. Some of this meaning is obvious, but other color meanings are more intuitive. All of the colors you can make from yellow and green carry different meanings. Whether you have a little more trouble telling apart different shades of green and yellow or not, you may be fascinated to learn about these color meanings stemming from green and yellow.
What Does Green Mean?
Look outside your window. Hopefully, you spotted something green. We often associate green with nature, for obvious reasons. From the grass on your lawn to the leaves of a deep, secluded forest, nature serves up a lot of green, which evokes feelings of growth and harmony when we look at it.
But while green can signal health and healing thanks to its natural associations, it can also symbolize danger and the uncanny. In film language, green is often used to signal to us that something is uncanny or unsettling. The next time you watch a movie, notice which scenes are tinted green. You will probably find that they are scary or creepy scenes.
What Does Yellow Mean?
One of the reasons we like putting green and yellow together is because yellow, like green, signifies nature and healing and nurturing to us. That’s because yellow is the color of joy and sunlight. We tend to see yellow as an optimistic and positive color. It’s hard to be sad while looking at something that’s bright yellow.Conversely, we also associate yellow with cowardice, i.e. being “yellow-bellied.” It is also the color we use for things like caution signs and yellow stoplights, so while it can evoke feelings of joy, it can also be a warning that we need to use caution.
How to Use Yellow, Green, and Chartreuse in Your Everyday Life
Now that you know what color green and yellow make and how to mix yellow and green, you can start using them for fun arts and crafts in your everyday life. There are a ton of fun ways to use yellow, green, chartreuse and all the other colors they can make. Don't be afraid to be bold and play around with these colors while creating!
Decorate Your Notebooks
A lot of people enjoy having a daily notebook practice. This might be an elaborate bullet journal where every page is decorated to the max or a simple notebook for school.
Yellow and green allow you to add a flourish to your notebook and set the tone for your day, week, or month. As we noted above, green and yellow tend to be calming and soothing colors that evoke a sense of serenity and nature. So decorating with them can help you set a positive intention for your week. If you are decorating your bullet journal, you could use yellow and green stickers of trees, plants, suns, and other nature-themed items. You could also use green or yellow as the color you employ to track things like how long you spend outside or where you go hiking or parks you visit. Not only is this thematic, but it will also help you remember your outdoor adventures with fondness.
You don't need to stop there. You could use yellow and green to decorate a page where you want to feel inspired and encouraged. Maybe that's the kids' math homework. Maybe you're working toward a goal and recording your progress. Yellow and green can be happy, encouraging colors to use for that since they inspire feelings of optimism and inspiration in us.
Craft Flowers and Other Nature-Themed Decorations
Felt flowers are a great craft for you and your whole family. All you need is felt, scissors, a needle and thread, and some hot glue. Obviously, this is a craft that naturally calls for a lot of green and yellow. You could also work in some of those green and yellow mixes we talked about above, however. An all-green flower might not be quite as striking as one with a green stem but seafoam petals.
You can also decorate with things like literal moss, which is also the name of a color you can get from mixing green and yellow. Moss can go in a garden, whether that’s a large outdoor garden or a small indoor planter. There is also artificial moss that is for purely decorative purposes. This can add a refreshing nature-y feeling to your indoor spaces that inspires relaxation and optimism.
Use it as a Flourish for Food
Whether it's a beverage, a Christmas gift or a romantic present, food items make for fantastic gifts for all seasons. You can use your new knowledge of what color yellow and green make to add a flourish to any of these gifts.
For example, you might make a lemon cordial in a jar. You've already got the lemon element right there! You could decorate the bottle itself with a bit of chartreuse for a nice final touch. You could also use literal lemons and limes in your creation. These fruits aren't just good for drinks, they're also fantastic for all sorts of sweets. Get creative with not just the packaging but the food itself.
What Colors Make Blue, Purple, and Red?
Unfortunately, green and yellow do not make blue, purple, or red. While these happy colors can do a lot, they can’t do that. If you want to make these colors, you’ll have to look elsewhere.
Blue and red are both primary colors, like yellow. This means you often won't mix other things to get those colors. However, you can mix blue and red to create a range of purples. Depending on how much of each color you use, and whether you also incorporate white or black, you can get a ton of different shades of purple.
Use Chartreuse on These Nature-Inspired Spring Coloring Pages
What color does green and yellow make? Well, now that you're an expert on that, why not put your new knowledge to use? Try out these nature-inspired flower coloring pages, where you can mix yellow and green to your heart's content!
What Other Colors Can I Mix?
