What is a color wheel?
The color wheel is a chart representing the relationships between colors. The person who developed Calculus also influenced the color wheel we use today. The color wheel’s roots date back to the mid-1600s when Sir Isaac Newton’s work with white light led him to the discovery of the visible spectrum of light. Newton observed the way each color of light would bend as it passed through the prism. You may have learned the term “ROY G BIV” (red, orange, yellow, green, blue, indigo and violet) in elementary school science or art class. “ROY G BIV” was the result of Newton’s discovery. If you would like to learn more about the color wheel, click here for "How Stuff Works: Color Wheel Theory" |
The primary colors are the colors used to create all of the other colors. They are red, yellow, & blue. The secondary colors come from mixing 2 of the primary colors. They are green, orange, and violet. The tertiary colors come from mixing a primary color with a secondary color. These colors are called red-orange, yellow-orange, red-violet, blue-violet, blue-green, and yellow-green. |
Color Wheel Collage
Here's a fun project to do to get familiar with the color wheel. Use any objects you can find in the color range of a secondary color wheel - red, orange, yellow, green, blue, and violet (purple).
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