Understanding Complementary Colors for Beginners

Complementary colors are colors that are opposite each other on the color wheel. If you look at a color wheel, the opposite of yellow is purple, so purple is the complement to yellow.

The same is true for other colors. The opposite or complement of blue is orange, and the opposite or complement of red is green.

That is the basics of complementary colors, but there is so much more to learn about them, and this knowledge will help you choose the colors for your artwork and understand how colors work with and enhance each other.

If you haven’t yet read my post on basic color theory, you might want to check it out before reading about complementary colors to gain an understanding of color theory. If you are already a little familiar with color theory, then continue reading.

The Color Wheel 

The color wheel visually represents colors arranged according to their chromatic relationship. The primary colors, red, yellow, and blue, are the building blocks from which all other colors are made. Mixing these primary colors gives us the secondary colors: green, orange, and purple. This basic understanding is important as it sets the stage for identifying complementary colors.

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Basic Complementary Colors

If you look at the color wheel below, you will see that the opposite of the primary colors, yellow, blue, and red, are secondary colors made from the other primary colors.

The opposite of yellow is violet ( or purple if you prefer that name), which is a combination of red and blue. The opposite of blue is orange, which is a combination of yellow and red. The opposite of red is green, which is a combination of blue and yellow.

These color combinations are known as secondary colors.

So, the complement of each primary color is a secondary color combination of the other two primary colors.

It’s a little confusing, I know. This chart of complementary color examples may help you see it more clearly.

Tertiary Colors

Along with secondary colors, we also have tertiary colors. These colors are a combination of one primary and one secondary color. There are six tertiary colors.

For example:

A combination of blue (primary) and violet or purple (secondary) will give you blue-violet (tertiary).

A combination of blue (primary) and green (secondary) will give you blue-green (tertiary).

A combination of yellow (primary) and orange (secondary) will give you yellow-orange (tertiary).

A combination of yellow (primary) and green ( secondary) will give you yellow-green (tertiary).

A combination of red (primary) and violet (secondary) will give you red-violet (tertiary).

A combination of red ( primary) and orange ( secondary) will give your red-orange (tertiary).

It is easier to understand if you have your own color wheel to refer to. I use this color wheel and find it helpful.

If you don’t have a color wheel handy, you can print off the one below or take a screenshot so you have something to refer to while going through this article.

Of course, there are various tints, tones, and shades of all of these colors. There are thousands of colors, and it wouldn’t be practical to put them all on a color wheel. This basic color wheel is the easiest way to understand and see that complementary colors are opposite each other on a color wheel.

If you are interested in learning more about tints and shades, you can read my post on Tints, Tones, and Shades.

Color Temperature

Colors are also categorized as warm or cool. **Warm colors** (like red, orange, and yellow) evoke warmth and excitement and are often used to express comfort and energy. **Cool colors** (such as blue, green, and purple) suggest calmness and serenity. Understanding this distinction can make using complementary colors a little easier, especially when mixing your own.

Split Complementary Colors

Split complementary colors are a variation of the standard complementary color scheme. In this scheme, you choose one base color, and instead of using its direct complement on the color wheel, you use the two colors next to its complement. This creates a color scheme that offers high contrast, like the complementary color scheme, but with less tension, making it more versatile and easier to balance.

Examples of Split Complementary Colors

1. Blue with Yellow-Orange and Red-Orange: If blue is your base color, instead of using just orange (its direct complement), you would use yellow-orange and/or red-orange. This combination still provides a vibrant contrast but with a softer harmony than pure blue and orange.

2. Red with Blue-Green and Yellow-Green: Here, red is the base color. Instead of pairing it with green, you use blue-green and/or yellow-green. This scheme is particularly appealing for artworks and designs where you want a striking visual effect without the starkness of direct complements.

3. Yellow with Purple-Blue and Purple-Red: With yellow as the base, the split complements are purple-blue (often referred to as blue-violet) and purple-red (red-violet).

This color scheme allows artists more flexibility in shading and depth compared to using strict complementary colors. It also reduces visual tension while maintaining contrast.

Using Complementary Colors

Now that you understand complementary colors let’s see how you can use them in your painting.

Applying Complementary Colors in Art

Historically, artists like Vincent van Gogh and Claude Monet used complementary colors to bring vibrancy and a sense of life to their paintings. Van Gogh’s “Starry Night” shows dynamic contrasts with bright yellows against deep blues, illustrating how these opposites appear harmoniously yet very strikingly. Similarly, Monet’s use of oranges against blues in his Water Lilies series provides a soothing yet vibrant visual experience.

Toning Down a Color with Its Complement

To begin with, mixing a color with a tiny amount of its complement will tone down that color.

For example, if you are using a red that is too vibrant, you can add a tiny amount of green to tone it down. The more green you add, the duller the red will become. See the chart below.

Enhance the Vibrancy and Contrast

Complementary colors can also be used to enhance the vibrancy of the opposite color in your painting. Contrast is most intense when two complementary colors are placed next to each other.

If you paint blue or yellow flowers on a field of green grass, the blues and yellows tend to blend into the grass. This is because green is a combination of blue and yellow, so the green field seems to absorb the flowers.

If, however, you paint red flowers on a sea of green, both colors become more vibrant because of the striking contrast. They “complement” each other. Landscape painters often use dark red in shadows to complement the dark greens of the grasses and trees.

Use Complementary Colors for Shading

Use complementary colors for shading in your painting. Mix a little of the complement into your base paint to get a natural, earthy shade. The more of the complementary color you mix in, the darker the shade will be.

Go slowly when mixing these colors. Remember, when you mix all three primary colors (red, yellow, and blue) together in equal amounts, you will get brown ( or, as I like to call it, “artistic mud”).

When you mix a color and its complement, you are essentially mixing all three primaries, so start with a little of the complementary color and build up to the color you want.

Practice Using the Color Wheel

A color wheel is a valuable tool for artists. Get one and practice mixing complementary colors.

Make swatches to keep for reference and notes of which colors you mixed and in what ratios. This will help you if you ever get stuck on how to add vibrancy or shadows to your paintings.

Remember, there are slight variations in colors between brands, so you may get slightly different results depending on the brand of paint you use. I hope you enjoy experimenting.

If you have questions, you can leave them in the comments below. You can also join our free Facebook group, Trembeling Art Creative Corner, where you can ask questions, post your work and get to know some fantastic artists from all genres and skill levels. 😊

Thanks for reading.