Hunter green has always been a popular color for a huge range of arts and crafts such as acrylic painting, oil patining, watercolor work, and a wide range of other things. Due to the color being so popular, we have seen more and more questions being asked about a wide range of color comparisons involving hunter green.
Due to this, we have decided to publish our own article going over ten of the more commonly requested color comparisons that involve hunter green. Our hope is that we will be able to help our readers work out the best combination for their work be it as a complementary color or as a blended color via our breakdowns below.
With each comparison, we will be showing a sample of the two colors to show them as a stand-alone color, how they complement each other, and how they look blended. This should give our readers a visual indication of what to expect while our text breakdown goes over some more detailed information on the color combinations.
Hunter Green Vs Forest Green
The most common combination that we see people reaching out to ask about by far is hunter green vs forest green so we decided to start with it to kick off our article. Hunter green is slightly darker than forest green but both compliment each other well in the same piece of artwork while also working well when mixed with each other as well as other colors.
Due to this, many people do keep both hunter green and forest green paint in their collections but if you are just starting out and only have the budget for one then we would usually lean more towards Forest Green. This is because it is usually easier to add darker tones to it than it is to add lighter tones to hunter green to get the same coverage range from the paints but ideally, you will be wanting both for advanced work due to them offering subtle differences to each other.
Although the popularity of the deep jewel tones of hunter green did drop off in the 2000’s and early to mid 2010’s it is making a come back with its popularity having increased year on year over the last three years. Although the popularity of forest green has never spiked to a level of hunter green, it does tend to be more consistent and maintain its place with artists as a go to dull, light green.
Hunter Green Color Code – #355E3B
Forest Green Color Code – 228B22
Hunter Green Vs Emerald Green
Emerald green is considerably lighter than hunter green and usually fills a different purpose in the artists color pallet so the majority of people do usually tend to carry both colors or are least one dark green and one light green. As you can see in the sample above, both do well as stand alone and can compliment each other well with layering but also work well when mixed together or blended with other colors.
Although there are a number of other popular light greens on the market, Emerald Green does tend to be one of the more popular options due to it being so cheap and easy to source in pretty much any arts and crafts store. Both emerald green and hunter green are very versatile with both tending to be the more popular options for their shade.
Please keep in mind that there is no exact pigment ratio for emerald green so different brands can offer paints and dyes listed as “emerald green” that are slightly different colors to each other. Although all emerald green paints do tend to be a bright yet vivid shade of green, some brands add more yellow to make it a lighter hue than other brands so keep this in mind if you do switch brands on a regular basis and are in the middle of a piece of art using emeral green.
Hunter Green Color Code – #355E3B
Emerald Green Color Code – #50C878
Hunter Green Vs Olive Green
Hunter green and olive green fill totally different rolls to each other in the vast majority of work but can both be used as complimentary colors well in a range of general art situations. Although they do mix well with each other, they often tend to be used when mixed with other colors or tones to bring out additional features of your painting.
The vast majority of Olive Green paints do tend to be more on the yellow side but due to there being no strict regulation on the color, you can get some darker olive green formulas from some brands too. The darker the olive green the better it tends to blend with hunter green but the majority of commercial formulas are lighter and have strong yellow tones.
Although readily available, olive green does tend to be a less popular option as there are usually better options for a yellow that will mix better with other colors and thus offer additional versatility out of the product. Unless you specifically require the olive green then going with another yellow option such as yellow ochre tends to be better, especially if you are on a budget.
Hunter Green Color Code – #355E3B
Olive Green Color Code – #bab86c
Hunter Green Vs Teal
Teal is another shade of green that goes very well with hunter green and compliments it well with it being slightly lighter than hunter green. You can use both color options as stand alones, when mixed together or mixed with other color options for a huge range of applications with some people using Teal as their standard green of choice.
Although the word teal usually refers to general shades of cyan rather than the solid green, the majority of teal paint formulas will be a steady green and offer a nice middle of the road color. People often then use something like a hunter green for their dark and emerald green as their light variants and then use shades of maroon to compliment the teal in their art.
Just like hunter green, teal was also a very popular color option throughout the 1990’s with its popularity fading from the late 90’s. Unlike hunter green though, the popularity is not currently making a come back at the time of writing yet it does remain a solid staple in the color collections of many artists.
Hunter Green Color Code – #355E3B
Teal Color Code – #008080
Hunter Green Vs Kelly Green
Kelly green is another lighter green that tends to work very well with hunter green in a number of use cases. You can use both as a stand-alone color, mix them together or mix them with other colors to get a huge range of versatility out of them. Kelly green tends to be more of a competitor with emerald green covered earlier in the article for that lighter green hue in an artist’s pallet with both options working well.
In our opinion though, Kelly Green and hunter green do both have their place in the majority of peoples collection as they serve different roles in your color pallet for your work. Although you could switch kelly green out for something like emerald green if you really wanted, you will still need a darker hue such as hunter green for most tasks.
Before you switch out Kelly green for emerald green you may want to factor in who the commission is for as Kelly green is very popular with the Irish. Its name comes from the very popular surname in Ireland, Kelly and is usually used for the majority of the green seen during St. Patrick’s day celebrations.
Hunter Green Color Code – #355E3B
Kelly Green Color Code – #4CBB17
Hunter Green Vs Sage Green
Sage green is starting to make a come back in its popularity due to its calming nature with many people opting to go with sage in their homes due to living a busy and stressful life. With more and more people painting their walls sage green, artwork that also has sage green in it has spiked in popularity too giving people something to hand on their wall with pride.
Although you are able to use hunter green with sage green in your art work, they tend to do better when mixed with other color options prior to their application. Sage green offers a wide range of versatility just like some of the other greens featured as well as hunter green itself so you are usually able to use it for a huge range of tasks when mixing it with other colors or using it as a stand alone option.
Another reason that the popularity of Sage Green is spiking at the time of writing is that its muted, chalk-like finish is still subdued and relaxing but tends to be more interesting to look at in artwork than other popular neutral color options. This allows you to use sage green in work that is designed to calm the viewer where as the darker tones and hues of hunter green does not fit this niche well.
If you are on a tight budget and know you will be doing more abstract work or work that is designed to calm people then adding sage green to your collection should be the priority. That said though, for the vast majority of people, sage green and hunter green are both commonly carried in their color collection and we doubt that this will change anytime soon.
Hunter Green Color Code – #355E3B
Sage Green Color Code – #77815c
Hunter Green Vs Dark Green
Dark green tends to be a term used for a general group of colors rather than a specific color making a comparison to hunter green difficult. In fact, many people do consider hunter green to be dark green and a part of the group of colors commonly referred to as dark green. As you can see from the sample above, there is minimal difference between the two in their official hex color codes too.
Although there are a few different products that you are able to pick out of the collection of dark greens, hunter green is definitely one of the most popular due to its versatility, low price tag, and ease of availability. Due to this, we usually do recommend hunter green to our readers for their dark green color option for their artwork that all artists need and will often struggle to do without unless they prefer to make their own colors from the primary colors in their collection.
Hunter Green Color Code – #355E3B
Dark Green Color Code – #006400
Hunter Green Vs Bottle Green
Bottle green is another one of the colors from the dark green collection that we see people ask about in relation to how it goes with hunter green. As you can see from the sample above, they are both very similar to each other and both are usually considered to be a part of the dark green color group. As bottle green paints can be difficult to find, the majority of people do tend to just go with hunter green and be done with it.
Hunter Green Color Code – #355E3B
Bottle Green Color Code – #006a4e
Hunter Green Vs Essex Green
Essex green is usually an even darker green than hunter green making it a pain to mix well with lighter colors and hunter green usually being the better option. On top of this, a real, dark essex green can be hard to find and usually has a slightly higher price tag than hunter green too. Due to this, the majority of people do tend to just go with hunter green as their dark green color of choice and be done with it.
Hunter Green Color Code – #355E3B
Essex Green Color Code – #29352E
Hunter Green Vs Salamander
Salamander is a very light, pale green that has dwindled in popularity recently making it difficult to find any salamander paints. That said though, if you are able to find it then salamander can be used as your light green option amongst your collection but both Kelly green and emerald green tend to be more popular options due to them both being much easier to find in your local arts and crafts store.
Hunter Green Color Code – #355E3B
Salamander Color Code – #75a489
Conclusion
That brings our article going over the ten most commonly requested hunter green color combination requests we see to an end. We hope that you have found our article helpful and that we have been able to assist you in picking the colors you want to use in your artwork. Hunter green is a great color to add to your collection due to its versatility, low price tag, and ease of availability due to the vast majority of arts and crafts stores carrying it.
