Orange and blue display a wider range of temperature variation than any of the other complementary colors. A color's temperature is its presence of heat or warmth on a psychological level. Warm colors, such as red, orange and yellow, appear to jump out of a composition, while cool colors (blue, green and violet) draw the eye into a composition. Orange and blue work together to produce visual harmony. The interaction between coolness and warmth soothes the eye and suggests balance.
Green and red are opposite one another on the color wheel and are also the closest in value. Value is the relative lightness or darkness of an object within a composition. The value scale ranges from black to white and may be applied to hues. Since red and green are so close in value, they conjure feelings of frustration and agitation when placed together. Additionally, complementary colors like green and red cause visual overload; the human eye is only capable of registering one complementary color at a time, according to opponent theory.
Yellow and violet display the widest value range of all the complementary colors. Yellow is to violet as white is to black. Therefore, high contrast is created when yellow and violet are used together in a composition. Paint with yellow and violet in order to produce a highly dramatic effect.
The six primary and secondary colors of the color wheel are mixed in order to produce six tertiary colors. Colors adjacent to one another on the color wheel are combined to create these hues. Yellow and green become yellow-green, blue and green become blue-green, violet and red become red-violet, orange and yellow become yellow-orange, blue and violet become blue-violet, and orange and red become red-orange. Tertiary colors opposite one another on the color wheel are complementary and may be utilized in a composition to produce the same effects as primary and secondary complements.