Introduction to Color and Color Mixing

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Across
  1. 1. The thickness or fluidity of a paint (high viscosity = thick, holds texture and brushstrokes; low viscosity = fluid, good for washes, glazing, or smooth pours).
  2. 4. A hue mixed with white to make it lighter (produces pastel versions of the original color).
  3. 5. three equally spaced colors on the color wheel creating balanced contrast (e.g., red, yellow, blue).
  4. 6. Colors made by mixing a primary color with a neighboring secondary color (e.g., yellow-green, blue-violet), filling the spaces on the color wheel between primaries and secondaries.
  5. 7. colors are created by mixing pigments or inks—mixing absorbs/blocks wavelengths, often making darker results; used in painting and printing.
  6. 10. Colors that sit next to each other on the color wheel (e.g., blue, blue-green, green); they create harmonious, cohesive palettes and are often calming.
  7. 11. the pure color family (like red, blue, or yellow) before any white, black, or gray is added; the basic “name” of a color.
  8. 15. two complementary pairs used together for a diverse yet structured palette.
  9. 16. colors are created by mixing light—adding wavelengths makes lighter colors; used for screens.
  10. 17. Colors made by mixing two primary colors (e.g., red + yellow = orange; blue + yellow = green; red + blue = purple).
Down
  1. 2. the intensity or purity of a color; highly saturated colors are vivid and bright, while desaturated colors look muted or dull.
  2. 3. A color that does not correspond to a single wavelength of light (magenta is perceived when red and blue/violet are combined); it exists because of how our brains interpret mixed wavelengths rather than as a single spectral hue.
  3. 8. A hue mixed with gray (a combination of white and black) which reduces saturation and creates more subtle, muted colors.
  4. 9. Pairs of colors opposite each other on the color wheel (e.g., red and green) that increase each other’s intensity when placed side by side and neutralize each other (produce grays/browns) when mixed.
  5. 12. A hue mixed with black to make it darker (used to create depth but can become muddy if overused).
  6. 13. the set of foundational colors used by a color model (in RYB: red, yellow, blue for paint; in CMY: cyan, magenta, yellow for printing; in RGB: red, green, blue for light) that cannot be created by mixing other colors within that model.
  7. 14. how light or dark a color is; value controls contrast and depth in a composition (lighter = higher value, darker = lower value).