Topic summary

Secondary color

Secondary color

Color made by mixing two primary colors Page from A New Practical Treatise on the Three Primitive Colours Assumed as a Perfect System of Rudimentary Information by Charles Hayter. A secondary color is a color made by mixing two primary colors of a given color model in even proportions. Combining one secondary color and a primary color in the same manner produces a tertiary color. Secondary colors are special in traditional color theory and color science. Overview Primary color In traditional color theory, it is believed that all colors can be mixed from three universal primary - or pure - colors, which were originally believed to be red, yellow and blue pigments (representing the RYB color model). However, modern color science does not recognize universal primary colors and only defines primary colors for a given color model or color space. RGB and CMYK color models are popular color models in modern color science, but are only chosen as efficient primaries, in that their combination leads to a large gamut. However, any three primaries can produce a viable color gamut. The RYB model continues to be used and taught as a color model for practical color mixing in the visual arts. Seco