In the traditional model , a complementary color pair is made up of a primary color and a secondary color ( green , violet or orange ) .
Because of the limited range of colors that was available throughout most of the history of art , many artists still use a traditional set of complementary pairs , including : The complement of each primary color ( red , blue , or yellow ) is roughly the color made by mixing the other two in a subtractive system ( red + blue = purple ; blue + yellow = green ; red + yellow = orange ) .