As previously mentioned, colour theory is based primarily on historical precedent with colours that was discovered through scientific means and then transposed onto the art scene. Perhaps the one exception to this idea is the basic principle of colour theory that still exists to this very day, the principle of primary colours.

Primary colours, also known by some as primitive colours, are red, yellow and blue. They are red, green and blue in computer terms, but in terms of colour mixing yellow has always been the third primary colour as opposed to green. The reason that these three colours are referred to as the primary colours is because in the 19th century it was believed that these colours could be used to form all of the other colours on Earth.

This was the earliest form of expression when it came to primary colours and it was only later through science that red, green and blue were established as being a better way to view the colour chart from a primary position. This is why there are two different sets of primary colours, one of which you learn about in art school and one of which you learn about in science class.

Related posts

• Value, Colour and Graphic Design (0)
• The Importance of Colour Theory (0)
• Introduction to Colour Theory (1)
• Introduction to Adobe Photoshop (0)
• A Brief Summary of Colour Theory History (0)