<p>As the answers in your other question (<a href="https://crafts.stackexchange.com/questions/6209/why-do-complementary-colours-desaturate-each-other">Why do complementary colours desaturate each other?</a>) and the link in the comment by <em>Danielillo</em> address, <strong>it will in theory be a perfect grey</strong>: the complementary colours will have complementary temperature and value, so, after mixing, any pair of complementary colours will have the same perfectly neutral grey.</p>

<p>Of course, concerning the 'analogue' arts, <strong>in practice, other factors weigh in, like the quality and opacity of the pigment, and its coarseness</strong>. This will make the mixing harder, the proportions variable, and in most cases causes an overtone of the stronger colour.</p>

CC BY-SA 4.0
2019-06-04T16:57:19.593Z
2019-06-04T16:57:19.593Z
Joachim
<p>I am still on my journey in colour. I'm currently sitting at my desk so I'm unable to test the following myself: if I add a colour's complementary colour to "meet in the middle", as it were, would they just be brown? Are they tertiary?</p>

<p>I understand now that it reduces the saturation.</p>

CC BY-SA 4.0
2019-06-04T11:03:45.247Z
Hi Jamie Hutber, a mix between two complementary colors are called *broken colors*, see [this answer](https://graphicdesign.stackexchange.com/a/114049/120647) at graphicdesign.stackexchange.
Danielillo
<color><color-theory>
What colour is a mix of two perfectly proportioned complementary colours?
Jamie Hutber
# What colour is a mix of two perfectly proportioned complementary colours?

(Asked by: username_0 on 2019-06-04)

I am still on my journey in colour. I'm currently sitting at my desk so I'm unable to test the following myself: if I add a colour's complementary colour to "meet in the middle", as it were, would they just be brown? Are they tertiary?

I understand now that it reduces the saturation.

**Tags:** color, color-theory

> **Comments:**
> **username_1**: Hi username_0, a mix between two complementary colors are called *broken colors*, see [this answer](https://graphicdesign.stackexchange.com/a/114049/120647) at graphicdesign.stackexchange.  

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## 1 answers

### Answer by username_2 on 2019-06-04. Score: 4 | Accepted answer

As the answers in your other question ([Why do complementary colours desaturate each other?](https://crafts.stackexchange.com/questions/6209/why-do-complementary-colours-desaturate-each-other)) and the link in the comment by *username_1* address, **it will in theory be a perfect grey**: the complementary colours will have complementary temperature and value, so, after mixing, any pair of complementary colours will have the same perfectly neutral grey.

Of course, concerning the 'analogue' arts, **in practice, other factors weigh in, like the quality and opacity of the pigment, and its coarseness**. This will make the mixing harder, the proportions variable, and in most cases causes an overtone of the stronger colour.


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