Kids Mixing Primary Colors, art lesson 12 step color wheel teach

By Spramani Elaun

The most exciting activities in my art classes is when kids mix primary colors for the first time.

The look on their face is magical!

Like their in disbelief when two colors come into contact and change beautifully into a perfect secondary color.

My students get lost in mixing strategies with combinations of primaries.

This activity is very simple and you don’t have to be an advance artist to explore color theory with kids, you just need red, yellow and blue paint.

What is Color Theory?

Learning to mix primary colors into an array of color combinations is the study of color theory.

Color theory learning comes by mixing pigmented colorants together like scientific exploring.

I give young children sufficient opportunities to see colors evolve with numerous curious experimentation.

In my new book “Kids Color Theory” I discuss how I don’t approach formal color theory until ample exploring has taken place through multiple mediums.

Learning to mix the color wheel takes years to master and should be allowed lots of practice over time.

Here’s some ways color primary mixing can be helpful:

1. Mixing colors helps in fine art painting.

2. Practicing mixing colors often will make painting projects more enjoyable.

3. Mixing skills help when color options are limited. Kids can mix up a variety of color combinations.

4. Mixing primaries and secondaries is the basics to understand advance color theory.

5. Mixing colors helps with acrylic painting, watercolor painting, pastel painting, oil painting and color pencil drawing.

6. Color mixing is great art therapy.

7. Mixing colors can teach warm and cool color combinations, how to achieve value intensity and create moods in paintings.

RYB (Red, Yellow and Blue) can create a 12-step spectrum color wheel.

Learning to mix primary colors into secondary colors can be very helpful with all types of mix media projects.

Remember these skills take many years to learn so provide many chances for practicing.

Start very simple with mixing two colors at a time. If you would like to learn more about teaching kids color theory, order my book “Kids Color Theory” here.

Have kids explore painting with these two primaries first, each in a separate lesson.

Lesson 1. Blue + Yellow = Green

Lesson 2. Red + Yellow = Orange

Lesson 3. Red + Blue = Violet

Lesson 4. Red + Blue + Yellow = Brown

Blue + Yellow = Green

Red + Yellow = Orange

Red + Blue = Violet

Red + Blue+ Yellow = Brown

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