The color wheel arranges the 12 basic colors according to their chromatic relationship, or in the same order they appear in a rainbow. The primary colors--red, blue and yellow--are placed in a triangle with red at the tip, yellow to the lower left corner and blue at the lower right corner. The secondary colors--green, orange and violet--form an inverted triangle with green at the bottom of the wheel, orange at the upper left corner and violet at the upper right corner. These secondary colors are made by mixing two primary colors. All the remaining colors are tertiary colors, created by mixing a primary color with a secondary color.
Complementary colors are opposite one another on the wheel. Designers use complementary colors in different shades and intensity to create the most attractive combinations and bring out the best in each color. An example is red and green. Red appears at the top of the color wheel, and green is at the bottom. Blue and orange are another example.
Analogous colors are located beside one another on the color wheel. These colors have a lot of common characteristics and are often used by fashion designers. A combination of primary, secondary and tertiary colors, including dark colors mixed with dull colors, are used to create a somber winter wardrobe, while vivid colors combined with light colors create a light summer look.
The color wheel also shows the warm or active colors on the left (reds, yellows and oranges) and cool or passive colors on the right (greens, blues and lilacs). When painting a room, warm colors make the space appear smaller while cool colors create the illusion of more space. Mixing two warm colors together will result in a warm color. For example, red and yellow make orange. Mixing a warm and cool color will produce a cool color. Yellow and blue will make green.
The painter's color triangle shows the primary colors in the same sequence as they are in the color wheel, namely red, yellow and blue. The printer's color triangle is slightly different. It arranges the colors as they are used in the printing process. The primaries are magenta, cyan and yellow. The nine-part harmonic triangle of Goethe combines the printer's primaries, secondaries made from the painter's primaries, and tertiaries made from dark neutrals.
Use the color wheel as a guide for creative projects involving colors. Print a copy of it and use it as a reference whether you are mixing paints for an art project, redecorating and painting your home or office, or trying to decide what accessories to wear with that lemon-colored dress you bought for your cousin's wedding. You will be confident in the knowledge that you have chosen colors that complement one another.