The color red is primarily made and perceived through different processes depending on the context:

1. Physically, red is a color of light with a dominant wavelength of approximately 625–750 nanometers. It is a primary color in the RGB (additive) color model, meaning red light cannot be created by mixing other colors of light. In RGB, red is pure and fundamental.

2. In pigments and paints (subtractive color model), red pigments reflect the red portions of light while absorbing other wavelengths. Traditionally, red pigments were made from natural minerals like iron oxides (hematite) or cinnabar (vermilion). These pigments physically reflect red light, giving the substance its red appearance. Modern red pigments are often synthetic but work similarly by reflecting red wavelengths and absorbing others.

3. In printing and art using subtractive color mixing (CMYK), red is commonly made by blending magenta and yellow pigments. However, pure red pigment exists and is often used in painting.

4. In nature, red colors can also come from organic dyes, such as cochineal from insects or anthocyanin pigments in leaves and fruits. These biologically derived pigments absorb light creating red colors as well.

To summarize, red is "made" by materials that reflect light primarily in the red wavelength range (around 625–750 nm). In contexts involving light, red is a basic primary light color sensed by our eyes, and in pigments, it is created by substances that reflect red light and absorb others. In subtractive painting and printing, red often results from mixing magenta and yellow pigments, but naturally occurring red pigments also exist as minerals and biological substances.

This coherent understanding bridges physics (light wavelengths), chemistry (pigments and dyes), and practical arts (mixing colors in painting and printing) to explain what makes red.