The Colour Wheel (Continued)

The Color Wheel describes the relationships between colours. It is laid out so that any two PRIMARY COLOURS (red, yellow, blue) are separated by the SECONDARY COLOURS (orange, violet, and green).

Primary Colours are basic and cannot be mixed with other elements. They are to colour what prime numbers are to mathematics. One can mix two primaries to get a Secondary Colour. You will notice that each Secondary Colour on the Colour Wheel is bounded by two primaries. These are the components that one would mix to get that Secondary Colour.

Colour Complements are colour opposites. These colours contrast each other in the most extreme way possible. They also help to make each other more active. In the Colour Wheel illustration above, the complement of the colour is used as text in that section. This is to illustrate the opposite character of the colour. Colour Complements are on opposite sides of the Colour Wheel.

Hint: All colours travel in waves within light. Colour Complements have drastically different wavelengths and, consequently, cause some perception problems for a viewer if they are placed close to each other. The cones and rods of the eye cannot handle so much information, so we sometimes detect a quivering or optical distortion when two complements are used near each other.