

For example, cadmium red is definitely warmer than alizarin crimson (though alizarin crimson will always be warmer than, say, a blue).

But if you compare different reds (or yellows or blues), you'll see that there are warm and cool versions of each of these colors (relative to each other only). But it's an important element in color mixing as it influences the results.Īs a group, reds and yellows are considered warm colors and blue a cool color. It's not something that's overwhelming it's subtle. It's color mixing at its most basic, the first step on a journey with color.Įvery color has a certain bias toward what's called warm and cool. Print out Color Mixing Triangle Worksheet and paint it in. Get Started with the Color Theory Triangle Each pair of primaries will produce something different, sometimes only subtly different. It's not a question of there being a right or wrong primary to use, but rather that each blue, red, and yellow is different and produces a different result when mixed. Which Specific Primary Colors You Should Use These are all primary colors, just different versions. Reds include alizarin crimson or cadmium red, and yellows have cadmium yellow medium, cadmium yellow light, or lemon yellow. For example, blues include cobalt blue, cerulean blue, ultramarine, monestial blue, and Prussian blue. Yes, you can buy various blues, reds, and yellows. If you add white to a color you lighten it and if you add black you darken it (though some painters don't use black at all). If you mix three primary colors, you get a tertiary color.īlack and white can also not be made by mixing other colors, but as they aren't used in color mixing to create colors, they get excluded from color mixing theory. The exact hue of the secondary color you've mixed depends on which red, blue, or yellow you use and the proportions in which you mix them. Mixing blue and red creates purple, red and yellow make orange, and yellow and blue make green. If you mix two primaries, you create what is called a secondary color.

These three (red, blue, and yellow) are known as the primary colors. In color mixing for painting, the fundamental rule is that three colors cannot be made by mixing other colors.
