Primary colors Color is a property of light, not an object in itself. Objects have no color of their own, but merely the ability to reflect a certain section of the visible spectrum. Objects reflect what we perceive, and absorb what we don't see The additive and subtractive color wheels. Additive Rays of light are direct light, whereas the color of paint is reflected light. Color from light combines and forms new visual sensations, this is additive color.
Lights projected from different sources mix according to the additive method.
Overlapping, thus mixing, the three primaries, red, green, and blue in this manner results in white, yellow, cyan, and magenta. Absence of light results in black. Cyan, magenta and yellow are the photographic primary colors and are used to create separations for photographic and ink color printing. Subtractive Pigments combine in the subtractive system. Artists that work with physical media are concerned with the subtractive method since we work primarily in pigments.