Warm and Cool Colours Explained

Posted by

Haanz Team

2026-10-23

On 2026-10-23

Haanz Art GuideFree, practical advice from the team at Haanz Art & Craft Materials

Why does one painting feel sunny and cheerful while another feels calm and quiet? Much of the answer is colour temperature. Warm and cool colours are one of the most useful ideas in art, and you can use them in drawing, painting and even poster design. This Haanz Art Guide explains what warm and cool colours are, why every colour has a warm and a cool version, and how to use them to add mood and depth to your work.

What are warm and cool colours?

Split the colour wheel in half. The warm colours are red, orange and yellow. They remind us of sunshine, fire and a Sri Lankan afternoon. The cool colours are blue, green and violet. They remind us of the sea, rain and shade.

Warm colours feel energetic, happy and close. They seem to come forward in a picture.
Cool colours feel calm, fresh and far away. They seem to move back.

This is why artists often paint distant mountains in soft blues and greys, and use warmer colours for things in the front.

Every colour has a warm and cool version

This is the part many beginners miss. Each colour can lean towards warm or cool, compared with other versions of the same colour. Look at these tubes:

Yellows: Mont Marte Acrylic, 75ml, Lemon Yellow is cool, with a slight green bias. Mont Marte Acrylic, 75ml, Medium Yellow is warmer and more balanced.
Reds: Mont Marte Acrylic, 75ml, Crimson is a deep, cool red with a blue bias. Mont Marte Acrylic, 75ml, Brilliant Red is a vivid, punchy red that leans warmer.
Blues: Art Ranger Acrylic, 75ml, U/M Blue is a warm blue with a slight violet tone. Mont Marte Acrylic, 75ml, Phthalo Blue leans cooler and greener. Mont Marte Acrylic, 75ml, Cerulean Blue is a soft sky blue.

Find these and more in Acrylic Colours. Prices change, so see each product page for today’s price.

Using warm and cool colours for clean mixing

Knowing colour temperature helps you mix bright colours instead of muddy ones. The trick is to pick two colours that lean towards each other.

Clean green: mix lemon yellow (leans green) with phthalo blue (leans green).
Clean orange: mix medium yellow with brilliant red. Both lean towards orange.
Clean purple: mix crimson (leans blue) with ultramarine (leans violet).
Soft, natural colours: do the opposite on purpose. Lemon yellow with ultramarine gives a duller, olive green, which is often more natural for foliage.

A starter set such as Art Rangers Acrylic Set, 12 x 12ml is a good way to practise. Paint a small chart: put warm colours on one side and cool on the other, and see which mixes stay bright. Larger sets are in Acrylic Colour Packs.

Five ways to use colour temperature in your art

Set the mood. A sunset scene in mostly warm colours feels cosy. A rainy monsoon street in cool blues and greys feels quiet.
Create depth. Use warm, strong colours in the front and cool, pale colours in the distance.
Make light and shadow. If the light is warm, such as evening sun, make the shadows cooler. If the light is cool, make shadows slightly warmer.
Make something stand out. A small warm shape on a cool background grabs the eye at once, like a red flower on green leaves.
Keep it balanced. Choose one main temperature and use the other as an accent, rather than half and half.

Common mistakes

Thinking all blues are cool in the same way. Compare blues side by side; some lean violet and some lean green.
Muddy mixes. These often come from mixing two colours that lean away from each other. Check their bias first.
Grey shadows. Shadows mixed with black look dead. Use a cool or warm dark instead.

Go further with our Colour Mixing and Colour Wheel Guide, and see colour temperature at work in How to Mix Greens for Landscapes.

Frequently asked questions

Is green a warm or cool colour?

Green is usually called cool, but it can lean either way. A yellow-green feels warmer, while a blue-green feels cooler.

Are black and white warm or cool?

They are neutral, but they change the temperature of mixes. Many whites and blacks lean slightly warm or cool, so test them in your mixes.

Do you deliver islandwide?

Yes. We deliver across Sri Lanka in 2–5 working days, with cash on delivery, card or bank transfer. You can also visit our shops in Boralesgamuwa and Horana, open every day from 9 AM to 6 PM.

Not sure what to choose? Call / WhatsApp the Haanz team on 0711 515 515 and we’ll help you build a warm and cool palette for your next painting.

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