Which colors are considered the primary colors?

The primary colors are foundational colors that cannot be created by mixing other colors together. The primary colors in traditional color theory, often used in art and design, are red, blue, and yellow. These colors serve as the base colors from which a wide variety of secondary and tertiary colors can be made through combination and mixing.

When mixed in equal measure, red and blue produce purple, blue and yellow produce green, while yellow and red create orange. This ability to mix and create a broad spectrum of colors makes red, blue, and yellow essential to color theory in art education.

Other options, such as green, orange, and purple, are secondary colors made from the primary ones, while cyan, magenta, and yellow are considered primary colors in the subtractive color model used in printing, which operates differently but does not change the traditional primaries of red, blue, and yellow. Black, white, and gray are achromatic and do not qualify as primary colors.