Understanding the Fundamentals of Color

The Color Wheel

The color wheel is a fundamental tool in color theory. It organizes colors into primary, secondary, and tertiary groups based on their relationships.

Primary colors (red, yellow, blue) cannot be created by mixing other colors. Secondary colors (green, orange, purple) are formed by mixing two primaries. Tertiary colors result from combining a primary and adjacent secondary color.

RYB (Red, Yellow, Blue) – The traditional model for pigment mixing.

Hue, Saturation, and Value

Hue refers to the pure color itself—red, green, blue, etc. It’s determined by wavelength of light.

Saturation describes the intensity or purity of a hue. High saturation means a vibrant, intense color; low saturation results in muted tones.

Value (or brightness) indicates how dark or light a color is. Adjusting value changes a color's lightness or darkness.

Value = Hue + Saturation + Brightness

Color Mixing Techniques

Additive mixing (used with light, like on computer screens) involves combining different colors of light. Red, green, and blue mixed together create white.

Subtractive mixing (used with pigments, like paint) starts with a full spectrum of color and removes certain wavelengths to achieve a desired hue. Mixing cyan, magenta, and yellow creates black.

CMY (Cyan, Magenta, Yellow) – The subtractive model for pigment mixing.

Color Harmony

Color harmony refers to the pleasing arrangement of colors. Several schemes exist, including complementary (opposite on the color wheel), analogous (adjacent), and triadic (equally spaced).

Understanding these harmonies allows you to create visually balanced and aesthetically appealing compositions.

Frequently asked questions

Try it live

Everything above runs in your browser — open SPH Fluid and change the parameters while it is running. Nothing is installed, nothing is uploaded, the whole model lives in one tab.