Binocular Colour Vision

Artist's Palette

We think of the optical primary colours - Red, Yellow, and Blue - as real; but they are in fact abstract concepts.  Moreover, the subtractive primaries are actually Magenta, Yellow, and Cyan.  In the real world there are no perfect primaries.  When artists work with pigments and dyes, they have to choose the best colours for mixing purposes.  Mixing one primary colour with the closest adjacent primary will give a brighter and cleaner secondary colour than those further away on the colour wheel. 
    The concept of Colour Temperature (Warm (w), Cool (c), or neutral is useful.  When creating a painting, choosing all warm colours or all cool colours will produce a more harmonious result than carelessly mixing them.  Painting a small area of the opposing temperature can then be used to add emphasis or interest to a particular part of the subject matter.

• Red :- Alizarin Crimson (c); Quinacridone Red (c); Cadmium Red Light (w).
• Orange :- Cadmium Orange.
• Yellow :- Cadmium Lemon Yellow (c); Cadmium Yellow Light (w).
• Green :- Phthalocyanine Green (c); Emerald Green (w).
• Blue :- Ultramarine Blue (w); Cobalt Blue; Phthalocyanine Blue (c).
• Purple :- Dioxazine Purple.
• White :- Zinc White (c);Titanium Dioxide (w).
• Black :- Lamp Black (c); Ivory Black (w).

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