Secondary colors are colors that are created by mixing two primary colors together in equal proportions. The three secondary colors are green, orange, and purple. Understanding secondary colors is important for artists, designers, and anyone who wants to learn more about color theory and use color effectively. In this article, we will look at what secondary colors are, give examples, and discuss why they are useful.
What are Secondary Colors?
Secondary colors are those that are made by combining two primary colors. The primary colors are red, blue, and yellow. When any two primaries are mixed together, a secondary color is formed.
There are three secondary colors:
– Green – made by mixing blue and yellow
– Orange – made by mixing red and yellow
– Purple – made by mixing blue and red
These are called secondary colors because they are derived from the primary colors. Primaries are seen as the origins of color, while secondaries are seen as mixtures or combinations.
Let’s look at an example of mixing two primaries to create a secondary color:
If you mix together red paint and yellow paint in equal amounts, you will get orange paint. The red and yellow pigments combine to form the new secondary color orange.
The same goes for mixing blue and yellow to get green, or blue and red to get purple. The secondaries appear when two primary colors are blended.
Examples of Secondary Colors
Here are some more examples of common secondary colors:
– Red-orange – A mix of mostly red with a little yellow
– Yellow-orange – A mix of mostly yellow with a little red
– Yellow-green – A mix of mostly yellow with a little blue
– Blue-green – A mix of mostly blue with a little yellow
– Red-purple – A mix of mostly red with a little blue
– Blue-purple – A mix of mostly blue with a little red
These hues demonstrate that secondaries can range in appearance depending on the proportions of the primaries used. A perfectly balanced mix yields the pure secondary colors of orange, green, and purple.
The Color Wheel
The relationship between primary and secondary colors is best visualized using a color wheel.
| Primary Colors | Secondary Colors |
|---|---|
| Red | Orange |
| Yellow | Green |
| Blue | Purple |
On the color wheel, the primary colors are spaced evenly around the circle. The secondary colors fall in between each pair of primaries.
This wheel shows how the secondaries are derived from the primaries adjacent to them on the wheel. For example, orange sits between red and yellow because it is made from those two colors.
Tertiary Colors
Beyond primary and secondary colors are tertiary colors. These refer to hues created by mixing a primary and a secondary color. For instance:
– Red-orange – Made from red (primary) and orange (secondary)
– Yellow-green – Made from yellow (primary) and green (secondary)
– Blue-purple – Made from blue (primary) and purple (secondary)
There are countless tertiary colors because any primary can mix with any secondary in different proportions. The tertiaries provide a wide spectrum of hues for artists to work with.
Complementary Colors
An important relationship to note is that the two secondary colors adjacent to each other on the color wheel are considered to be complementary colors. These include:
– Orange and Blue
– Purple and Yellow
– Red and Green
Complementary pairs contrast strongly with each other. This contrast can be useful for creating vibrancy and visual interest. Complementary colors also balance each other out. This makes them pleasing to look at together.
Artists often utilize complementary secondary pairs together in color schemes. Some examples include blue and orange or purple and yellow. This allows them to produce eye-catching results.
Uses of Secondary Colors
Secondary colors have many practical and aesthetic uses across different fields. Here are some common ways they are utilized:
Art
– Painting – Artists mix secondary colors to create richness on the canvas. Secondaries allow more variety than primaries alone.
– Drawing – Colored pencils and markers contain secondary hues for shading, textures, and details.
– Printmaking – Screen printing uses secondary color inks layered together to form vibrant images.
Design
– Graphic design – Logos, ads, posters, and branding often integrate secondary colors for visual impact.
– Interior design – Walls, furniture, carpets, and decor items come in secondary shades to provide warmth and personality in living spaces.
– Fashion/textile design – Fabrics are dyed secondary hues like purple, orange, and green for apparel and accessories.
Science
– Chemistry – Acids and bases turn various secondary colors during titration experiments.
– Biology – The Secondaries found in flowers, animals, and fungi help attract pollinators or serve other biological functions.
– Physics – Combining colored lights, not pigments, produces different secondary hues important for understanding color vision.
Food/Cooking
– Secondary food colors like orange and green make dishes more appealing and influence taste perception.
– Mixing dye-infused frostings or jellys creates desserts in vibrant secondary tones.
– Fruits and vegetables rich in secondary colors signify nutrient density and freshness.
Benefits of Secondary Colors
Secondaries offer several advantages for users across disciplines:
– Wider range of colors – More hues than just the primaries provides greater choice.
– Color harmony – Secondaries complement primaries nicely on the color wheel.
– Visual interest – They create pleasing contrast, depth, and liveliness.
– Nuanced mixing – Varying mixtures yields countless tones like reddish-oranges or greenish-purples.
– Color theory understanding – Working with secondaries builds knowledge of color relationships.
Whether designing, decorating, painting or just appreciating color, secondary hues play an integral role in how we use and understand color.
Conclusion
Secondary colors give us orange, green, and purple through combining two primary colors. This provides more diversity for artists, designers, scientists and anyone interested in color.
Secondaries sit between pairs of primaries on the color wheel, and adjacent secondaries are color complements. When used thoughtfully, they can create beautiful and vibrant results.
An understanding of secondary colors helps unlock the foundations of color theory. Mixing blue and yellow gives green, mixing red and yellow gives orange, and mixing blue and red gives purple. Mastering the secondaries allows endless colors to be mixed and endless applications to be discovered.
