Secondary pigment colors are produced when two primary pigment colors are mixed together. The primary pigment colors are red, yellow, and blue. When any two of these primary colors are combined, they produce a secondary color. The secondary colors are orange, green, and purple. Mixing red and yellow makes orange, mixing yellow and blue makes green, and mixing blue and red makes purple. Understanding how secondary colors are produced by mixing primary colors is important in art, design, and color theory.
What are primary pigment colors?
The primary pigment colors are red, yellow, and blue. These colors cannot be produced by mixing other colors together, so they are called primary colors. Pigments are materials that reflect certain wavelengths of visible light and absorb others. When mixed together, different pigments produce different colors by absorbing and reflecting different wavelengths of light. Red, yellow, and blue are chosen as the primary colors because they cannot be created by mixing other pigments, and all other colors can be made by mixing these three primaries.
What happens when primary pigment colors are mixed?
When two primary pigment colors are mixed together, they produce a new secondary color. Here is what happens when you mix the primary pigments:
- Red + Yellow = Orange
- Yellow + Blue = Green
- Blue + Red = Purple
The following table summarizes the results of mixing the primary pigment colors:
| Primary Color 1 | Primary Color 2 | Secondary Color Produced |
|---|---|---|
| Red | Yellow | Orange |
| Yellow | Blue | Green |
| Blue | Red | Purple |
As shown, mixing any two primary pigment colors results in a new secondary color. The specific secondary color produced depends on which two primaries are mixed.
How is the secondary color orange produced?
The secondary color orange is produced by mixing the primary colors red and yellow. When red and yellow pigments are blended, the combined pigment absorbs all wavelengths of light except red and yellow. Since orange is a mixture of red and yellow wavelengths, the resulting color we see is orange.
Specifically, red pigment absorbs cyan and reflects red light. Yellow pigment absorbs blue and reflects yellow light. When mixed, the combined pigment absorbs cyan and blue, leaving orange to be reflected and seen by our eyes.
So in summary, orange is a secondary color formed when red and yellow pigments are mixed because the combination absorbs all colors except red and yellow, which combine to produce orange.
How is the secondary color green produced?
The secondary color green is produced by mixing the primary colors yellow and blue. When yellow and blue pigments are combined, the resulting pigment absorbs all wavelengths except yellow and blue. Since green is a mixture of yellow and blue wavelengths, the color produced is green.
In more detail, yellow pigment absorbs blue and reflects yellow. Blue pigment absorbs yellow and reflects blue. When mixed together, the combined pigment absorbs neither yellow nor blue, allowing those two colors to be reflected and perceived as green.
So mixing yellow and blue pigments produces the secondary color green because the combination absorbs all other wavelengths except yellow and blue, which are combined by our eyes to see green.
How is the secondary color purple produced?
The secondary color purple is produced by mixing the primary colors blue and red. When blue and red pigments are mixed, the resulting pigment absorbs all wavelengths except blue and red. Since purple is a mixture of blue and red wavelengths, the color seen is purple.
Specifically, blue pigment absorbs yellow and reflects blue light. Red pigment absorbs cyan and reflects red. When combined, the mixed pigment absorbs neither yellow nor cyan, allowing the eye to perceive the mixture of red and blue as purple.
In summary, the secondary color purple results when red and blue pigments are blended because their combination absorbs all other colors except red and blue. Our eyes and brain process these two wavelengths together as the color purple.
What determines the resulting secondary color?
The specific secondary color that results when mixing two primary pigment colors depends on which two primaries are chosen. Mixing a different pair of primaries will produce a different secondary color. This is because each primary pigment color reflects a specific wavelength of light while absorbing other wavelengths.
The following principles determine what secondary color will be produced:
– Mixing red and yellow produces orange because together they reflect red and yellow light.
– Mixing yellow and blue makes green because together they reflect yellow and blue light.
– Combining blue and red creates purple because together they reflect blue and red light.
So the determining factor is which two primaries have wavelengths that can combine to produce the wavelength signature of the resulting secondary color. The reflected wavelengths of the two primaries blend additively to create the new secondary hue.
Why are there only 3 secondary colors?
There are only 3 secondary colors because the primary pigment colors can only be paired up in 3 combinations:
– Red + Yellow
– Yellow + Blue
– Blue + Red
With just 3 primary colors, only 3 distinct pairings can be made to produce secondary colors. Since each pairing results in a different secondary color, there can only be 3 secondary pigment colors.
It is impossible to produce any other secondary colors because all other color hues can be created by mixing the 3 primaries together in different proportions. The secondary colors are special because they require exactly 2 primaries blended together in equal amounts.
How do secondary colors relate to light and pixels?
When working with light and pixels, the principles for mixing colors to produce secondaries are the same. However, the primary colors of light are different than the primary pigments.
The primary colors of light are red, green, and blue. When mixed together in pairs, these primaries produce the secondary colors cyan, magenta, and yellow.
| Primary Color 1 | Primary Color 2 | Secondary Color Produced |
|---|---|---|
| Red | Green | Yellow |
| Green | Blue | Cyan |
| Blue | Red | Magenta |
The same principles of mixing primaries and absorbing/reflecting wavelengths apply. But because RGB light primaries are different than RYB pigment primaries, the exact secondary colors produced are also different.
This is important to understand because displays use RGB pixels to create all the colors we see. So when working digitally, the primary and secondary color relationships are those of light and not physical pigments.
Application: Mixing paints vs. mixing light
Knowing whether you are mixing colored pigments or colored light is crucial for proper color theory application.
Mixing paints follows the RYB system – combining red and yellow paint produces orange paint. But mixing red and green light produces yellow light.
This distinction between pigment and light mixing is key. A red paint tube absorbs cyan light. But a red pixel emits red light. So mixing colors works differently in these two domains.
Understanding primary vs. secondary colors in both systems allows proper mixing to achieve the desired colors, whether painting with pigments or mixing light with digital graphics. Keeping the two systems straight will improve color mastery.
Conclusion
In summary, secondary colors are produced by mixing two primary colors together. For pigments, the primaries are red, yellow, and blue. Mixing two primaries produces the secondaries orange, green, and purple. The specific secondary results from the combination of wavelengths reflected by the two primaries. For light, the primaries are red, green, and blue. Mixing light primaries produces the secondaries cyan, magenta, and yellow. Knowing the principles of mixing primaries allows full use of secondary colors in art, design, and color theory across mediums.
