Color Theory

Blue and Yellow Don’t Make Green

Color theory has long been the bane of my existence. …Okay, maybe I’m being a little dramatic here. But working with color has never been something I have been 100% comfortable with. I started with pencils, as in your average school fare Ticonderoga #2. I’ve graduated since then to artists’ pencils, but never really deviated from graphite for very long. A little airbrush work here and there. A few graphic design projects every now and then. But color overall? Just too many variables.

Still, color theory has been a subject that has been gnawing away in the back of my mind for a very long time. Don’t get me wrong. I understand the fundamentals. But understanding and putting it into practice are two very different things. Not to be overly dramatic again, but that would be like me reading up on heart surgery, understanding the basics , and then thinking I can go run off and do the procedure without any problem.

Primary colors

Secondary colors

Tertiary colors

But just what is color theory? And keep in mind that I’m talking about paint colors here, not printer ink or digital color (CMYK & RGB). According to Wikipedia, “In the visual arts, color theory or colour theory is a body of practical guidance to color mixing and the visual effects of a specific color combination. There are also definitions (or categories) of colors based on the color wheel: primary color, secondary color, and tertiary color.” So to break it down briefly, primary colors are red, yellow, and blue. These are parents of all other colors. “In paint pigments, pure Yellow, pure Red, and pure Blue are the only hues that can’t be created by mixing any other colors together.”  Secondary colors are what you get when you mix two primaries together and tertiary colors are the result of mixing a primary with its closest secondary.

The basic 12 colors on the color wheel lead to an endless array of possible colors.

From the primaries, secondaries, and tertiaries, you get the twelve basic colors on your standard color wheel. From these twelve colors you can mix an endless array of colors (hues, tints, tones, and shades). Now had I taken color theory when I was supposed to, I probably would not have kept running up on the same stumbling block again and again throughout the years. I mentioned in my last post a book entitled, Blue and Yellow Don’t Make Green, by Michael Wilcox. (There are more current editions. This just happens to be the link for the one I own.) The title alone was what caught my attention and I was not looking for a color theory book at the time. But I picked it up anyway and discovered right away that what the title says is true.

Blue and Yellow Don’t Make Green, by Michael

Or…it’s true at least, in most cases. You see, the only time blue and yellow make a “true” green is when you mix a pure yellow with a pure blue. Try mixing a pure blue with a yellow that has the slightest touch of red in it (yellow orange) and you end up with a dirty, muddy green. Oh, it’s still green alright. But not the green most people envision when they first started mixing paints. On the other hand, if you mix a yellow green with a blue green, you will indeed end up with a very vibrant green. So blue and yellow don’t make green? No, not necessarily. It all depends.

I hate to admit it, but for the most part, I’m too impatient about stuff like that. Black and white just is. I never have an ‘it depends’ moment with graphite. But like speaking Spanish, working with color is something that I want to learn, eventually. Color theory will always be there and I’m hanging on to my book. And one of these days I will be cranking out photorealistic animal portraits in color! Color pencil, that is. Paints are a whole other story…

Further reading:

Black and White vs Color