Colour Theory, Actually Explained
Colour theory gets taught as rules. Complementary colours, the colour wheel, warm vs. cool. Useful, but incomplete.
The Wheel Is a Map, Not a Law
The colour wheel is a simplification. Real pigments don't behave like the wheel predicts — mix two "complementary" paints and you often get mud, not neutral grey. Understanding why requires knowing the difference between light mixing (additive) and paint mixing (subtractive).
Temperature Is Everything
Warm and cool isn't about hue — it's relational. Cadmium red is warm next to violet, but cool next to orange. Every colour decision is contextual.
This is why painting from life is irreplaceable. The light source dictates the temperature logic of every object in the scene.
Simultaneous Contrast
A grey square looks different depending on the colour surrounding it. This isn't a trick — it's how the eye calibrates. As a painter, you're not painting colours, you're painting relationships.
Practical Starting Point
- Work with a limited palette — three primaries + white.
- Mix every colour you need from those.
- Notice what goes muddy and ask why.
The theory will emerge from the practice, not the textbook.