Having the full range of colors is the starting point to use them. Before knowing the different types, their origin and the tones that surround each one, the basis of any artist is to have fundamental colors, mainly the primary ones, to be able to elaborate the rest (secondary, analogous and complementary depending on the category referred). In this sense, the chromatic circle is very useful to discover as many colors as possible, to know which ones are similar to each other and which ones are in opposition. They all have differences that make them unique, but comparisons between some are easier since they can be distinguished with the naked eye. On the other hand, those that are very close within this circle are very similar and it is more difficult to differentiate.
If you want to know what is the color wheel and what is it forIn addition to the keys to preparing it, at UNCOMO we recommend that you continue reading this article.
What is the chromatic wheel or the color wheel
The color wheel drawing allows to identify it also as color wheel. It’s about the circular arrangement of colors depending on its tone. A basic color wheel is made up of the primary colors and some secondary colors. As tones derived from these are added, more combinations of the color wheel are found.
The degradation of primary colors displays a full color wheel. Despite everything, they can also be illustrated in a staggered way, starting from a 12-color color wheel. As more hues are included, up to 48 different colors can be achieved, exposing the analogous colors and the complementary colors of the basic ones, that is to say, of the primary ones. Learn more about What are Analog Colors and Examples and What are Complementary Colors with these other oneHOWTO items.
In the different images of the chromatic circle that can be observed, you will usually find the warm colors (that is, red and orange plus the intermediate tones between them) on the right side and, on the left, the cold colors (blue and green ) along with its intermediate tones.
The color wheel colors correspond to those that are part of the natural light segment: yellow, red, cyan, magenta, green and blue. The combination of these colors forms the 12-tone basic color wheel. Increasing the color mixes allows the color wheel to be expanded up to 48 colors, although you can’t really define an exact number. The freedom of combinations forces you to consider an infinity of shades. It should be noted that the chromatic circle is very present in industrial production because it allows to have a more accurate representation of all colors.
What is the color wheel or color wheel for?
The main objective of the color wheel is to exposure of the contrast between colors primary, secondary, tertiary, cold, warm and complementary and, at the same time, show the harmony that is also detected between some of them, especially between analogous colors.
In short, it makes it easier for artists to discover all the possible color mixes to contemplate them and adapt them to their works. It is also used to fix the chromatic harmony intended to be used. Among the different chromatic harmonies, there are the following:
- The composition of shades located on the color wheel placed in an equilateral triangle, that is, at the same distance between each color and in reference to the center of the circle. This composition is known as triad-equidistant harmony.
- The composition of basic colors and tertiary colors in which three primary or secondary colors are chosen (that is, basic) and two mixtures are added as a result of the combination of two other basic colors that were not chosen at the beginning and that belong to the circle chromatic. This composition is called basic-tertiary harmony.
The color wheel is also very useful in sectors related to design, advertising and marketing. In addition, it is a great reinforcement for home decoration, fashion (combination of clothes according to color) and makeup (taking into account eye and skin tones).
Regarding the design, there are these three parameters or color rules:
- Colors that are part of an identical color gamut, but are configured as different shades. These are called monochromatic colors, such as dark blue and light blue.
- Colors represented oppositely on the color wheel, that is, complementary colors, such as green and red.
- The inclusion of an equilateral triangle in the color wheel allows to have a combination of colors in triads, that is, 3 colors corresponded by the vertices. Yellow, green, and magenta are one example.
How to make a color wheel or color wheel
After discovering what the color wheel is and what it is for, it is important to know how to make your own. At UNCOMO we recommend that you follow this step by step to make a color wheel:
- Make a perfect circle with a compass and decide the order in which you intend to place each color. The most common order is to place yellow at the top of the circle, magenta on the right, and cyan blue on the left.
- Place yellow, red, and blue, that is, the three primary colors, equidistant from the inside of the circle. In this way, you will create an equilateral triangle and you will be able to make harmonic mixtures using these basic colors.
- Places the secondary colors between the primaries and on the opposite band of the primary color with which they complement each other. These shades should also set up an equilateral triangle.
- Place the tertiary colors in the central part of the circle and between the colors you need to get them through mixing. They must be at an identical distance and on the opposite side of the color with which they complement each other.
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