Complementary colours — what are they
By: Everything Cj
Tags: Colors, Tempera, Paint, Guides And Tutorials, Painting

Complementary colours — what are they

Complementary colours

Complementary colours have been used by great painters and continue to be used successfully, both in painting and in photography, design, makeup.

To successfully use complementary colours in the paintings you make, if you want to know what painting accessories you need, this article is for you.

Contents:

Complementary colours — Definition

In order to understand the complementary colours it is important to mention the primary colours first:

Red,

yellow

blue

From the mixture of primary colours, in equal quantities, the secondary colours are obtained:

orange = red + yellow

green = yellow + blue

purple = red + blue

Complementary colours mean for each primary colour (red, yellow, blue) the mixture in equal quantities of the other two primary colours. More precisely:

red has a complementary colour, the mixture between yellow and blue = green

has a complementary colour, the mixture between yellow and blue = yellow colour complements the mixture between red and blue = purple

colour complements the mixture between red and blue = blue has a complementary colour, the mixture between red and yellow = orange

Therefore, complementary colours are colours that are opposite on the colour circle.

Photo source: Wikipedia

What are the complementary colours?

Complementary colours are opposite on the circle of colours and have the role of complementing each other. When placed next to each other, they balance the colour of the painting. Complementary colours are:

red — green

yellow — purple

blue — orange

When you know the complementary colours it is very easy to make very good decisions for painting the picture. Complementary colours create contrast and can be used when you want to highlight something.

Complementary colours in painting

Complementary colours are pleasing to the eye and add value to your painting when combined with each other, so not in its purest form.

Below is how complementary colours are used in Van Gogh’s paintings.

Complementary colours — Red — Green

Portrait of Gaugin, 1888, Vincent van Gogh, photo source: vangoghmuseum.nl

Complementary colours — Yellow — Purple

Grapes, 1887, Vincent van Gogh, photo source: vangoghmuseum.nl

Complementary colours — Blue — Orange

The Bedroom of Arles, 1888, Vincent van Gogh, photo source: vangoghmuseum.nl

What do you have to do? Place on your palette the two desired complementary colours, for example red and green. Then, to familiarize yourself with the mixture of the two, take a sheet of paper and do an exercise. You have the primary colour red, come with a little green, its complementary colour. Place the shade on the paper. Then take even more green and mix it with red and put the newly obtained shade next to the previous one. Continue the exercise, mixing an increasing amount of green with red (the primary colour). You will notice that when you gradually add a little of the complementary colour, the resulting mixture becomes less and less intense. Finally, the colour is completely neutral.

Photo source: Quora.com

This is the perfect way to easily blur the intensity of any colour, if it is too strong, vibrant.

Thus, when you want to reduce the intensity of a vibrant colour, do not rush to use black, use the complementary colour (and you will keep the basic tone), but be careful, the colours change very quickly, so put small amounts.

Why do you get neutral tones with the help of complementary colours?

Each of the three pairs of complementary colours (red — green, yellow — purple, blue — orange) always contains a cold and a warm shade, are the colours with the highest contrast

Each complementary colour pair always contains a combination of all three primary colours; for example, in the pair yellow — purple, yellow is the primary colour, and purple is a mixture of the other two primary colours, red and blue

When you combine all three primary colours you get a dark neutral, and because we always have these three basic colours in the complementary pairs, it turns out that they are easily neutralized when mixed together

Simultaneous contrast

If the complementary colours are mixed, neutral tones are obtained. If they are in a pure state next to each other, they interact differently, namely they intensify each other, because they are at the opposite pole on the circle of colours, so they have the greatest contrast. In colour theory this phenomenon, of placing red next to green, so complementary colours, is called simultaneous contrast.

Photographers and artists take advantage of this simultaneous contrast to create intense drama. Maybe this is also the reason why we are attracted to the sunset (the contrast between orange and blue vibrates to attract our attention).

Photo source: Pixabay.com

Mixing complementary colours

Below is also a painting by Van Gogh, you can see how he used the complementary colours orange and blue to paint the subject (coat, beard).

Notice how it blends blue to darken certain areas of the face, in the corner of the eye and slightly on the cheekbones, in the lower part of the lips. Also, look at how he added orange to the collar to provide brightness and reduce the intensity of the blue.

The gradual mixing of the complementary colours pair creates harmony. Otherwise, each colour would have struggled to gain the viewer’s attention and would have offered the feeling of salt on the canvas.

Self-portrait, 1887–1888, Vincent van Gogh, photo source: vangoghmuseum.nl

Complementary colour mix — Coloured greys

Coloured greys are obtained from the mixture of complementary colours with white. Therefore:

red — green + white = coloured greys

yellow — purple + white = coloured greys

blue — orange + white = coloured greys

Create endless tones by mixing a larger or smaller amount of white with the chosen complement pair; you manage to paint an entire picture, using only two colours + white; the resulting combinations are delightful;

Keep in mind, therefore, that, in addition to obtaining neutral tones obtained from the mixture of complementary pairs, the most beautiful shades of gray result with the inclusion of white;

For an even wider palette of shades, so endless variations, which will never collide, use in addition to the pair of complements, both white and black; play with the quantities, more or less and your painting will be a real success.

Painting accessories recommendations

Whether you are a beginner in painting, it is already an old hobby of yours or on the contrary, you can be proud of a series of paintings you have made.

For your first practical lesson in coloured greys, here’s what we recommend.

Tempera colours

Tempera colours

In order to have the complementary colours at hand, we therefore recommend the three pairs, therefore the six colours: red — green, yellow — purple, blue — orange to which to add white for the coloured greys. You can choose the following shades:

Carmine red + Chrome green

Orange + Ultramarine Blue

Lemon Yellow + Violet

White of Titan

A 40 ml tempera tube (the shades specified above) costs 12.40 each, so you will have a total of: 7 x 12.40 = 86.8

Tintoretto brushes

Tintoretto brushes

Choose 4 different sizes:

Size 4 = 19.24

Size 6 = 23.00

Size 10 = 46.01

Size 12 = 58

Hartie Fabriano Painting

Hartie Fabriano Painting

Fabriano Pittura paper is suitable both for tempera painting and for acrylic paint or oil painting . The size of the sheet is 50 x 70 cm and is sold in a package of 10 sheets.

So, use complementary colours in your painting, play with shades. Increase work!

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