PRIMARY COLOURS The primary colours red yellow and

PRIMARY COLOURS The primary colours – red, yellow and blue – are three colours which are mixed together to produce all the other colours.

SECONDARY COLOURS The secondary colours – violet, orange and green – are made by mixing two primary colours in equal quantities (e. g. red and yellow make orange).

THE COLOUR WHEEL The colour wheel was designed as a way of showing how colours relate to each other. The outside ring shows the three primary, three secondary and six tertiary colours.

HARMONY Harmony is created when colours close to each other on the outside of the colour wheel are used together. Harmony is easy on the eye. For example, blue and green can create a relaxing image. CONTRAST Contrast occurs when colours far apart on the colour wheel are used together. Contrast is eye-catching and makes objects stand out. Contrasting colours are described as complementary. For example, green with red, and the green makes the red look redder and the red makes the green look greener.

WARM COLOURS Reds, yellows and oranges are warm colours, i. e. they give feelings of warmth. They are also known as advancing colours because they appear to be closer to the viewer than other colours. For example, if you painted your bedroom in these colours it would seem warm but it would also feel smaller because warm colours make the walls look closer. COOL COLOURS Blues, greens and violets do exactly the opposite. They give feelings of being cold and are known as cool colours. They also appear to be further away and are called receding colours. For example, if you painted your bedroom in these colours it would appear cold but it would also feel bigger because cool colours make the walls look more distant.