It’s common knowledge that the primary colors are red, yellow, and blue, and that if you mix two primaries together, you get a secondary color. For example, blue and red make violet, and blue and red make green.
But if you have ever tried to do this, you realize that the simple formula for making the secondary colors isn’t quite so simple. The problem is that there are many hues we call red, and there are many colors we call blue.
Which blue is the blue that, when mixed with yellow, will create green? Is it deep navy blue? Sky blue? Turquoise blue?
Or, what hue is red? Is it beet red? Tomato red? Radish red? As you can see, defining the colors that we call the primary colors is not so easy, and if you start with the wrong primary red or blue, you’ll get disappointing secondary colors.
Try mixing navy blue with red and you’ll get a murky grey purple—nothing like the violet you imagined. Or try mixing the same navy with yellow: you’ll get something greenish, but it will be a drab olive green.
The trick to making vibrant secondary colors is to start with the right primary colors. Primary red, in this case should be a cool red—a magenta that’s a bit deeper in tone than a radish. Primary blue should be a warmer blue—a turquoise that is somewhere between “true” blue and green.
If your primary red and blue fit these descriptions, and your yellow is a vibrant lemon yellow, the rule works. You’ll get a brilliant orange, a nice grassy green, and a beautiful violet.
It's easy to experiment with color mixing - and create an interesting piece of art with ArtAchieve's art lesson, Kandinsky and Color Mixing.
It’s common knowledge that the primary colors are red, yellow, and blue, and that if you mix two primaries together, you get a secondary color. For example, blue and red make violet, and blue and red make green.
But if you have ever tried to do this, you realize that the simple formula for making the secondary colors isn’t quite so simple. The problem is that there are many hues we call red, and there are many colors we call blue.
Which blue is the blue that, when mixed with yellow, will create green? Is it deep navy blue? Sky blue? Turquoise blue?
Or, what hue is red? Is it beet red? Tomato red? Radish red? As you can see, defining the colors that we call the primary colors is not so easy, and if you start with the wrong primary red or blue, you’ll get disappointing secondary colors.
Try mixing navy blue with red and you’ll get a murky grey purple—nothing like the violet you imagined. Or try mixing the same navy with yellow: you’ll get something greenish, but it will be a drab olive green.
The trick to making vibrant secondary colors is to start with the right primary colors. Primary red, in this case should be a cool red—a magenta that’s a bit deeper in tone than a radish. Primary blue should be a warmer blue—a turquoise that is somewhere between “true” blue and green.
If your primary red and blue fit these descriptions, and your yellow is a vibrant lemon yellow, the rule works. You’ll get a brilliant orange, a nice grassy green, and a beautiful violet.
It's easy to experiment with color mixing - and create an interesting piece of art with ArtAchieve's art lesson, Kandinsky and Color Mixing.
It’s common knowledge that the primary colors are red, yellow, and blue, and that if you mix two primaries together, you get a secondary color. For example, blue and red make violet, and blue and red make green.
But if you have ever tried to do this, you realize that the simple formula for making the secondary colors isn’t quite so simple. The problem is that there are many hues we call red, and there are many colors we call blue.
Which blue is the blue that, when mixed with yellow, will create green? Is it deep navy blue? Sky blue? Turquoise blue?
Or, what hue is red? Is it beet red? Tomato red? Radish red? As you can see, defining the colors that we call the primary colors is not so easy, and if you start with the wrong primary red or blue, you’ll get disappointing secondary colors.
Try mixing navy blue with red and you’ll get a murky grey purple—nothing like the violet you imagined. Or try mixing the same navy with yellow: you’ll get something greenish, but it will be a drab olive green.
The trick to making vibrant secondary colors is to start with the right primary colors. Primary red, in this case should be a cool red—a magenta that’s a bit deeper in tone than a radish. Primary blue should be a warmer blue—a turquoise that is somewhere between “true” blue and green.
If your primary red and blue fit these descriptions, and your yellow is a vibrant lemon yellow, the rule works. You’ll get a brilliant orange, a nice grassy green, and a beautiful violet.
It's easy to experiment with color mixing - and create an interesting piece of art with ArtAchieve's art lesson, Kandinsky and Color Mixing.
