Which Colors Are Primary?
18 days ago
- #color theory
- #art education
- #painting techniques
- Traditional primary colors in art are red, yellow, and blue, but cyan, magenta, and yellow (CMY) are more efficient for subtractive mixing with pigments.
- Additive primary colors in digital displays and lighting are red, green, and blue (RGB).
- The persistence of the red-yellow-blue model in art education is due to historical convention rather than optimal color mixing.
- Primary colors are context-dependent; CMY is preferable for pigments, and RGB for light.
- Artists may choose limited or idiosyncratic primary palettes for subjective and expressive purposes.
- A split primary palette (cool and warm versions of yellow, red, and blue) is recommended for teaching color mixing and discovering new colors.