Colour theory: the colour wheel

With just three colours of paint, you can mix almost every colour you need. The colour wheel shows how.

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Primary, secondary, tertiary

In painting, the three primary colours are red, yellow and blue. They cannot be mixed from other colours.
Secondary colours are made by mixing two primaries:
red + yellow = orange; yellow + blue = green; blue + red = purple.
Tertiary colours are made by mixing a primary with the secondary next to it, such as red-orange or blue-green.
MixMakes
Red + yellowOrange
Yellow + blueGreen
Blue + redPurple
Yellow + greenYellow-green (a tertiary)

The colour wheel

A colour wheel arranges colours in a circle so you can see how they relate.
The scientist Isaac Newton arranged the colours of light in a circle in his book Opticks (1704), one of the earliest colour circles.
Complementary colours sit opposite each other: red and green, blue and orange, yellow and purple. Placed side by side, they make each other look brighter.
Analogous colours sit next to each other, such as yellow, yellow-orange and orange. They look harmonious.

Tints, shades and tones

A hue is the pure colour, such as red.
Add white to make a tint (lighter), for example pink from red.
Add black to make a shade (darker).
Add grey to make a tone (duller).
A monochromatic colour scheme uses tints and shades of just one hue.
Worked example

A painter has only red, yellow, blue and white. How can she make light green?

  1. Green is a secondary colour.
  2. Mix the two primaries yellow and blue to make green.
  3. Add white to green to make a tint, which is lighter.

Answer: Mix yellow and blue to make green, then add white to make a light green tint.

Key idea

Primary colours (red, yellow, blue) mix to make secondary colours (orange, green, purple). Complementary colours are opposite on the colour wheel; analogous colours are next to each other. Add white for a tint, black for a shade.

Key words
Colour wheel
A circle of colours showing how primary, secondary and tertiary colours relate.
Primary colours
In painting, red, yellow and blue: colours that cannot be mixed from other colours.
Secondary colours
Orange, green and purple, each made by mixing two primary colours.
Complementary colours
Colours opposite each other on the colour wheel: red and green, blue and orange, yellow and purple.
Analogous colours
Colours next to each other on the colour wheel, such as yellow, yellow-orange and orange.
Tint
A colour made lighter by adding white.

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Extra practice

2 more questions

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  1. Which of these is a primary colour in painting?

    1. Green
    2. Orange
    3. Blue
    4. Purple
    Show the answer

    Answer: Blue

    The primaries are red, yellow and blue.

  2. Which two primary colours mix to make green?

    1. Red and yellow
    2. Red and blue
    3. Blue and yellow
    4. Blue and white
    Show the answer

    Answer: Blue and yellow

    Blue + yellow = green.

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Sources and references

Last updated 2 October 2026. Spotted a mistake? Tell us and we will fix it.