The color wheel

_Elsa_

Olivia is excited at the thought of teaching some of her friends how to draw. She knows that the most important thing that they need to learn is the color wheel so she goes online to see what she can find.

‘Color theory and the color wheel - Ever wondered how designers and artists find the perfect color combination? 

They use color theory. Color theory is a practical combination of art and science that’s used to determine what colors look good together. The color wheel was invented in 1666 by Isaac Newton, who mapped the color spectrum onto a circle. The color wheel is the basis of color theory because it shows the relationship between colors. 

Colors that look good together are called a color harmony. Artists and designers use these to create a particular look or feel. You can use a color wheel to find color harmonies by using the rules of color combinations. Color combinations determine the relative positions of different colors in order to find colors that create a pleasing effect. 

There are two types of color wheel. The RYB or red, yellow, blue color wheel is typically used by artists, as it helps with combining paint colors. Then there is the RGB, or red, green and blue color wheel, which is designed for online use, as it refers to mixing light – like on a computer or TV screen. Canva’s color wheel is an RGB color wheel, as it is designed for online use. 

There are 12 main colors on the color wheel. In the RGB color wheel, these hues are red, orange, yellow, chartreuse green, green, spring green, cyan, azure, blue, violet, magenta and rose. 

The color wheel can be divided into primary, secondary and tertiary colors. 

Primary colors in the RGB color wheel are the colors that, added together, create pure white light. These colors are red, green and blue. 

In the RYB color wheel, primary colors are colors that can’t be mixed from other colors. There are three primary colors: red, yellow, and blue. 

Secondary colors are colors that result from mixing two primary colors. There are three secondary colors. In the RGB color wheel, these are cyan, magenta and yellow. When you mix light, red and green make yellow, green and blue make cyan, and blue and red make magenta. 

In the RYB color wheel, the secondary colors are purple (red mixed with blue), orange (red mixed with yellow), and green (yellow mixed with blue). 

Tertiary colors are colors made by combining a secondary color with a primary color. There are six tertiary colors. In the RGB color wheel these are orange, chartreuse green, spring green, azure, violet and rose. 

In the RYB color wheel, the tertiary colors are red-orange, yellow-orange, yellow-green, blue-green, blue-violet, and red-violet.’ (Source) 

Olivia’s phone rings and it’s Elsa calling. Olivia shares that she’s online looking for information to teach about the color wheel. She promises to get back to her once she has arranged everything to start a class. 

Let’s continue - Color combinations

Start at the beginning – Olivia teachers her friends how to paint