The colour wheel

Primary Colours

• A primary colour is a colour which cannot be made by mixing other colours

• What are the three primary colours?

• The primary colours are red, yellow and blue

Secondary colours

• Secondary colours are made by mixing two primary colours

• What are the secondary colours?

• The secondary colours are orange, purple and green

The colour wheel

• The colour wheel is made from all of the primary and secondary colours

• Where do we see this range of colours in nature?

Complementary colours

• Complementary colours are opposites on the colour wheel.

• For example: red and green are opposites on the colour wheel

• What other pairs of colours are complementary colours?

Complementary colours

Tertiary Colours

• A tertiary colour is made by mixing three primary colours or one primary colour and one secondary colour

• For example – Red and Green makes?– Yellow and Purple makes?– Blue and Orange makes?

Tones and tints

• The pure colours that we have seen are called hues

• If we lighten hues we call the colours tints

• If we darken the hues we call the colours tones

Colour wheel glossary

• Primary colours• Secondary colours• Complementary

colours• Hues• Tints

• Tones

• Red, yellow, blue• Orange, purple,

green• Opposites on the

colour wheel• Pure colours• Pure colours that

are lightened• Pure colours that

are darkened