Understanding Color Temperature

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Watercolors are positioned on the color wheel according to their color temperature. Red, and colors that can be made from red, are positioned on the warm side of the color wheel. Whereas blue, and the colors that can made from blue, are positioned on the cool side of the color wheel.	Understanding Color Temperature
	Learn how to warm up and cool down your colors
		Orange - Violet - Green

But colors on the warm side of the wheel can be known as cool, and colors on the cool side of the wheel can be known as warm, depending on the relationship to their neighboring color.

Color Wheel Temperature
	Warm Side	Cool Side
	When you invision the color red, you think of things that are warm; sun fire	When you invision the color blue, you think of things that are cool; snow ice
	Adding blue to red will create warm shades of violet.	Adding red to blue will create cool shades of violet.

Creating Warmer and Cooler Oranges

	Adding more yellow to orange, will make cooler shades of orange.	Mixing together equal amounts of yellow and red, will make an orange true to those two primary colors.
	Adding more red to orange, will make warmer shades of orange.

Creating Warmer and Cooler Greens

	Mixing tgether equal amounts of yellow and blue, will make a green true to those two primary colors.	Adding more yellow to green, will make warmer shades of green.
			Adding more blue to green, will make cooler shades of green.

Creating Warmer and Cooler Violets

	Adding more red to violet, will make warmer shades of violet.		Adding more blue to violet, will make cooler shades of violet.
		Mixing together equal amounts of red and blue, will make a violet true to those two primary colors.

The Color Wheel

Watercolor Painting Basics

Understanding Color Temperature

Selecting Your
Primary Colors

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