Mixing Colours
🎒 What you need:
Mix and make magic!
Now that you know the primary colours, it's time to mix them together! When you combine two primary colours, you create a brand new colour called a secondary colour.
Primary + Primary = Secondary
Here are the three magic mixing combinations:
- 🔴 Red + 🟡 Yellow = 🟠 Orange
- 🔵 Blue + 🟡 Yellow = 🟢 Green
- 🔴 Red + 🔵 Blue = 🟣 Purple (Violet)
The Colour Wheel
If you arrange all six colours (3 primary + 3 secondary) in a circle, you get the colour wheel! The colour wheel is one of the most important tools in an artist's kit. Colours next to each other are called analogous — they look harmonious together. Colours across from each other are called complementary — they make each other "pop"!
✏️ Activity: Mix Your Own Colour Wheel
Draw 6 circles arranged in a ring on your paper. Fill them using only your three primary colours (red, blue, yellow) to create all 6 positions on the colour wheel:
- Position 1: Pure Yellow
- Position 2: Mix Yellow + Blue = Green
- Position 3: Pure Blue
- Position 4: Mix Blue + Red = Purple
- Position 5: Pure Red
- Position 6: Mix Red + Yellow = Orange
Artist Tip
The amount you use matters! More red than blue = red-purple. More blue than red = blue-purple. Experiment with different ratios to discover new shades!
Lesson Complete!
Great work! You just finished Mixing Colours. Ready for the next lesson?