Colour Wheel

Primary colours

• Red
• Yellow
• Blue

Subtractive colours (occurs when mixing pigments like paint) based on what is reflected and what is absorbed.

Red reflects only red light & absorbs everything else.

Cannot be mixed/formed by any other colour combinations.

Different primary colour combinations applicable in different ares.

Standard computer monitor uses red, green & blue light – additive combination. Mixing these colours produces light of different colours.

Printing uses different combination – cyan, magenta & yellow. Subtractive set – based on what is reflected from paper.

Hard to produce black from the three colours so printers often have separate black.

Secondary colours

• Green
• Orange
• Purple

Formed by mixing primary colours.

Tertiary colours  

• Yellow-orange
• Red-orange
• Red-purple
• Blue-purple
• Blue-green
• Yellow-green

Formed by mixing one primary and one secondary colour.