Light and Color
| Type of Color | Light | Pigment | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Interference | Constructive [Additive] |
Destructive [Subtractive] |
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Primary | red green blue |
cyan magenta yellow |
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Combine Primaries |
white | black | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Add together |
brighter | darker | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Color Combinations |
|
|
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
To figure out pigment color combinations, think about the colors of light being reflected off the pigment (ex: magenta reflects red and blue). Do this for both colors being combined. Because pigments are subtractive, the only color you will be able to see when the pigments mix is the color reflected by both pigments.
Example:
Magenta + Yellow → ?
R + B R + G →
red
The magenta will absorb the green that's in yellow, and yellow will absorb the blue that's in magenta. The only color they both reflect is red, so mixing magenta and yellow pigments will give you red.
Why is the sky blue?
The sun gives off the entire electromagnetic spectrum, which includes all the colors of light.
This means that the SUN radiates white light.
The white light travels through empty space until it reaches our atmosphere.
Our atmosphere is composed of molecules.
The molecules can scatter wavelengths of light that are similar in size or smaller.
This means that blue, indigo, and
violet light waves will be captured and then scattered to our eye.
This is why the sky is blue.
The red, orange, yellow,
and green combine to form a yellowish color,
and since they come relatively un-deflected from the sun, the sun looks yellow.
