Have you ever wondered where all the different shades of red came from?
Humankind started with various beautiful shades of red. Our ancestors used to make cave paintings and paint their skin. Red pigments and dyes have been made from clay, dried bugs, and berries throughout history. Various artifacts with these pigments can still be found in ancient art today, such as in cave paintings found in Lascaux France. Now, there are over 40 varieties of red, with different tinges of yellows and blues as well as various shades.
As an artist, it's important to understand this fundamental color. Learn how it was used in antiquity until today, and what it means. Explore the different emotions it evokes, its different shades, and how to produce them.
This article aims to help you do just that.
A Brief History of the Color Red
The color red has been around since prehistoric times. It was the first color developed for use in painting and dying. Red, along with black and white, formed the earliest trio of colors used by our prehistoric ancestors.
As evidenced by prehistoric art, the first red pigments came from ochre. The Egyptians and Mayans used the color to paint their faces for ceremonies. Romans painted their whole bodies red to commemorate victories. The Chinese used red for their early pottery and also used it to paint the walls and gates of palaces.
Nobles and the wealthy in the Renaissance dyed their costumes brilliant red using pigments from kermes and cochineal. This source of red pigments continued until the advent of the first synthetic red pigments during the 19th century.
Red Colors: Psychology and Meaning
With its link to mankind's earliest roots, shades of red colors have since become a symbol for many things.
In ancient times, red represented our blood and, therefore, our life force. Because of this association with blood, western countries used red to symbolize martyrs and sacrifice. In the Middle Ages, the color red was worn by Roman Catholic Popes and Cardinals to represent the blood of Christ and the Christian martyrs.
Today, red stands for courage to many people around the world.
Other associations we hold with the color red:
Red provokes a deeper emotional connection to us as humans, perhaps more than any other color. Colors like blue and green are considered calming, and red is the warmest.
In fact, we often associate this fiery shade with love, lust, and passion, as well as war, anger, and hatred. When someone is angry, they're said to "see red." Red is the color of heat, so we relate it to the heat of our passion. It is also the color of Mars, the god of war, and the planet named after him.
Red has always been a symbol of danger. In the Middle Ages, a red flag displayed during a war meant no prisoners were to be taken. Meanwhile, a red flag hoisted by a pirate ship meant they'd show no mercy.
Today, red is the international color for stop signs and is constantly used in traffic lights and other signs indicating danger.
Shades of Red
Now that we've discussed the history and symbolism of the color red let's talk about its different shades.
As humanity's eyesight evolves, we may eventually see more shades of red developed and used. As of the writing of this article, though, red has several shades and even more variations, from pink to almost brown. Here are just some of the most used shades burgundy, carmine, chili pepper red, cinnabar, crimson, maroon, and scarlet.
Here's a brief description for each shade:
1. Burgundy
Burgundy is a dark red-purplish color.
It takes its name from the Burgundy wine in France. Unlike the name of the French province, you don't capitalize the "B" in the color burgundy.
2. Carmine
Carmine, a.k.a Imperial, is the general term for a group of deep red colors, very slightly purplish and closer to red than crimson. Some rubies have a color called "rich carmine," while processing the raw pigment can achieve deeper and darker variations.
3. Chili Red
As the name implies, chili red is derived from red chili peppers.
It's also the red shade used in Chile and South Africa flags.
4. Cinnabar
Similar to the previous entry, the color cinnabar comes from a mineral of the same name. This color has a slightly orange shade and several variations, ranging from brick red to bright scarlet.
5. Crimson
Crimson is an intense, deep, bright red with some hints of blue or violet making it very slightly purplish. On the RGB color wheel, crimson comes between rose and red and between magenta and red on the RYB color wheel.
6. Maroon
Maroon is a brownish crimson color derived from the French word marron (chestnut).
In the RGB color model, the web color for maroon is achieved by turning down the brightness of pure red to about one-half.
7. Scarlet
Scarlet is a bright red color that sometimes has a tinge of orange. On the traditional color wheel, it's a quarter of the way between red and orange and slightly less orange than vermilion.
Modifying Red Acrylic Paints
When it comes to painting with acrylic paint, you may not always have the right shade of red that you're looking for. While nothing is stopping you from mixing different colored paint with pure red, you may want to study some color theory before you waste time and paint to ultimately get a brown color.
If you have a color wheel, you can see that there are primary, secondary, and middle colors which will help you find which colors work best with each other.
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How to Create Warmer Shades of Red
Pure red is a bright and warm color in itself, but to make it hotter, you need to make it more orange.
You can achieve this by combining red with an equally warm yellow. Note that the yellow you choose must not contain any hints of blue, as this will instead make your result look more like a muddy brown because of the presence of all primary colors (red, yellow, and blue).
How to Create Cooler Red Shades
Now that you know how to make a hotter shade of red, you can do the exact opposite and create a cooler shade. Simply mix in a blue color to produce a violet-red result. You can also achieve a burgundy shade by mixing red with violet.
How to Mute Red Colors
So, now that you've learned how to warm and cool your red colors, how do you make reds brighter, darker, or more muted?
To make reds brighter, simply add white. By choosing a warm or cooler white to mix into your red, you can create a warmer or cooler shade.
Mixing red with black produces the opposite effect and makes your red darker. You can also create a warmer or cooler shade by choosing a warm or cool black.
You can mix it with gray if you want to make a duller red.