The primary colors and the subtractive and additive color model (black and white) are essential to obtain all the shades. Without them, there would not be as many varieties nor would there be secondary and tertiary colors. That is why, before trying to make one, the first thing you need to have is the entire range of primaries along with black and white.
Primary colors are the best known, as they are basic for making other colors. But what about the tertiaries? What are they and how are they identified? If you want to know what are the tertiary colors and all the details that characterize them, at UNCOMO we recommend that you continue reading this article.
What are tertiary colors
The link between primary and tertiary colors is essential so that the latter can be made. And it is that the tertiary are the result of the combination of a primary and a secondary color. They are also predominant in nature, having inspired painters and many other artists.
The infinity of tertiary colors makes them essential for the understanding of artistic productions, yes, without forgetting that they come from the mixture between primary and secondary colors. In other words, they are essential colors, but at the same time they need the combination of other colors to exist.
To move on, you will need to take a look at this article on What are the primary colors and, later, this one on What are the secondary colors.
What are tertiary colors – classification
After knowing what and what this category of colors is like, it is important to know what they are. In oneHOWTO we present the following classification to deepen the mixtures to make tertiary colors:
- The sum of yellow and green results in the pistachio green.
- With the combination of orange and yellow you will get the egg yellow.
- The purple it is the result of the mixture between violet and magenta.
- The indigo, one of the darker varieties of blue, is obtained by combining violet and cyan.
- The mixture of green and cyan will allow you to obtain the Turquoise.
The infinity of tertiary colors prevents classifying them all, since, in practice, they are shades of color. Other examples are purplish red, blue-green, yellow-orange, yellow-green, blue-purplish, or red-orange.
It can be stated that the colors are infinite because there is a huge range of mixes and variations. Playing with the proportions in the combinations leads to a number of tones impossible to calculate. Therefore, it is more reasonable to speak of a color wheel with tertiary colors, because that way we can have them under control.
Chromatic circle
The color wheel, also known as the chromatic circle, represents the colors in order according to their hue. Both primary and secondary and tertiary are included. Therefore, it is important to know it, especially in the case of artists and other painting professionals to develop and perfect their works.
In the chromatic circle the colors are also represented staggered or graduated, giving rise to two types of color wheels:
- Traditional wheel: It is known as the RYG model and was elaborated by Goethe in the book “Theory of Colors”. It is a circle that contains 6 colors: red, orange, yellow, blue, purple and green.
- Natural circle: the colors that make up the segment belonging to natural light are distributed on a wheel. In this circle there are represented up to 12 different colors with their tonalities.
If you want to learn How to paint a color wheel, be sure to visit this other oneHOWTO article.
How to make tertiary colors with paint
To know what are the tertiary colors It is important to deepen your knowledge, but without knowing how to do it you will not be able to develop your artistic skills. If you have a project in hand and you need to know the method of preparing these colors, at UNCOMO we provide you with this step by step:
- Buy containers that contain the paints corresponding to the primary colors and add in a palette the amount you consider appropriate of each one.
- Combine the primaries to get the secondaries. If you use brushes, try to clean them after each mix so that the results are not affected.
- Make all the mixes to get the tertiary colors you need. In the case of pistachio green, combine yellow with green in equal parts.
- To get the egg yellow, mix the red and yellow. Depending on the tone and intensity you want of this color, you should add more red or yellow.
- Combine purple and magenta to get purple. As in the case of the previous results, add more of the first or second to acquire the tone you need.
- With the mixture of violet and cyan you will have the indigo color. Add more violet to make the dark contrast more pronounced.
- Combining green and cyan you will get turquoise blue. To make it as light as possible, the amount of cyan should be higher.
- If you are not going to use the colors you have made immediately, store them in different jars or containers to avoid contamination.
As has been said throughout the article, tertiary colors are practically infinite, so you can make all the mixtures you want to try.
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