A Guide to Color Theory. Color Definitions.
Primary Colors: Red, yellow and blue. These are your parent colors, all colors are made from these three colors. They can not be created from any other colors.
Secondary Colors: Green, orange, and violet. Secondary colors are created when two primary colors are combined together in equal parts.
Blue + Yellow = Green
Red + Yellow = Orange
Red + Blue = Violet
An image of a color wheel with both primary and secondary colors:
Adding Intermediate (Tertiary) Colors
Intermediate Colors or Tertiary Colors: These are created by mixing one primary color with a neighboring secondary color. Doing this once over with the 6 colors that you are already working with sets you up with the basic RYB (red, yellow, blue) color wheel consisting of 12 colors.
Complimentary Colors: Any 2 colors directly across from each other on the color wheel. They work together by bouncing off each other.
Analogous Colors: These are any 3 colors that are next to each other on the color wheel. Analogous means that there is a close relationship with respect to the hues.
Warm Verses Cool Colors
Aggressive Colors (Warm Colors) - Reds, oranges, and yellows
Receding (Cool Colors) - Greens, blues, and violets
