Color Theory and Mixing

Before you begin painting with acrylic, it’s important to get to know the basic principles of color theory. Color plays a huge role in the overall mood or “feel” of a painting, as colors and combinations of colors have the power to elicit various emotions from the viewer. On these pages, you’ll learn some of the basic color terms referred to throughout the lessons in this book. And you’ll also discover how colors affect one another, which will help you make successful color choices in your own paintings.

Learning the Basics

The color wheel is a circular spectrum of colors that demonstrates color relationships. Yellow, red, and blue are the three main colors of the wheel; called “primary” colors, they are the basis for ...

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