How To Make a Color Wheel

Painting can be very rewarding, enjoyable, and educational, but when you start you need some type of guide to show you how to mix colors. The best type of guide is a color wheel, and these are very simple to make. Some art supplies sell these, but there really is no point in buying one when you can create an easy one by using paper, pencil and a little paint.

You will need a few items before beginning:

• a pencil
• a piece of white cardboard the size of an 8 X 10 piece of paper
• red, yellow, and blue paint
• a paint brush
• a compass
• a ruler

Directions:

1. First take the ruler and draw a large triangle on the cardboard. At each corner of the triangle you are going to paint a circle of color. At the top of the triangle place yellow, on the right corner of the triangle place a blue circle of paint, and on the left corner of the triangle place a red circle of paint.
2. Then take the compass and draw a circle in pencil through each of the painted circles and around the triangle.
3. Then mix equal parts of yellow and blue, and create green. Paint a green circle between the yellow and blue circles on the penciled circle you drew.
4. Then mix equal parts of blue and red, which will create purple, and paint a circle of purple between the blue and red circle.
5. Mix equal parts of red and yellow, to create orange, and paint a circle between the red and yellow circle on the penciled circle.
6. Take your ruler and draw a line from the orange circle to the green, and from the green to the purple, then to the orange. This will create an inverted triangle, and you’ll have a basic color wheel to use whenever you paint.

Color wheels can be made in any type of media, be it acrylic, oil, or water color. They are really worth keeping on hand when you are painting, because you can determine which combinations of colors you need to make any certain color. Every color in the world can be achieved when you have your primary colors, which are yellow, red, and blue. Mix these primary colors together in certain ways. Add a little black, or white and you have every shade imaginable. If you are painting in watercolor, then you can attain different shades by adding more or less water to your color.