"TERTIARY COLORS"

“TERTIARY COLORS”



Two former blog posts have been about primary colors and secondary colors but color doesn’t stop there for this is another color category. And without it, our world would be bland.

To get tertiary colors you mix a primary color with a secondary color.

Here are some examples:

Mixing yellow with green =yellowish green. Think of olive green for that is this tertiary color. And it’s one that I love, wear and have all over my house. I am almost as drawn to it as red—have no idea why but I am, trust me. This is a WARM color! If you were to add more yellow to olive green, you would get lime green. When I was little, lime green was called “chartreuse.” Try that word on someone today and he or she will look at you like you are from Mars!

Mixing blue with green=bluish green. Think of this color as turquoise. What’s not to love about this color? It’s the color of some oceans, the sky at times, some gemstones [turquoise, some topazes] and yes—on a peacock definitely! If there is a jump out color, this is it. A little of this color goes a long way in decorating and decorators take it easy while using it. But I have seen one specific room repeated in several magazines and that room is in turquoise overload and extremely disturbing if not downright JOLTING!

Mixing blue with purple=bluish purple. This is a beautiful color that is a cool color and it is found in nature if one were to look at mountains in the distance or bodies of water. Think of a bunch of grapes that are this color or again, some gemstones. This color works well with reds, blues, yellows and most other colors: It all depends upon one’s taste. The more blue that you mix in, the darker the combination will be. In decorating, this color is used either heavily as on walls or lightly as with objects such as accent pillows, pottery or paintings with this color. If the walls are painted this color, then the furnishings should be complimentary and not be the same color. White looks great with it. Do I wear this color? Yes, sometimes but only with accessories. Is it in my house? Not really but it is in some of my artworks.

Mixing red with purple=reddish purple. Right off the bat, I think of a can of plums and how they look after you open that can—the plums are a reddish purple. And it is a wow of a color and definitely not a SHY color at all. Since red is mixed with purple it takes on a more warm feeling—unlike bluish-purple. Some people have called this color “wine” and yes, if mixed correctly, it could be called that. A lot of flowers in nature are this color, sunsets can have it, bruises on one’s body can definitely be this color and again, a lot of gemstones—the high-end pricey ones. Do I wear this color? Definitely! I love it as well as its cousin, burgundy. Is it in my house? YES! But only in small doses for too much would take on a depressing air and who would want that?

Red with orange=reddish orange. This is a WOW of a color as well and definitely a warm color if ever. Think of fire, some red peppers, paprika, some flowers [hibiscus can be this color,] sunset color—usually is the most vivid in them and a gemstone that is so expensive that only can be afforded to buy the synthetic version. Decorators use this color either sparsely to add some SPICE as with pillow accents or the like or paint some walls this color—but never all walls for that would make the occupant go plain wild. If a couch is this color, then complimentary colors work well with it or neutral colors. Restaurants use this color a lot—think of the plastic trays on which you set your food if you are in a fast food restaurant! No doubt it’s used a lot in places such as this for it is an appetite increaser if ever. Do I have this color in my house? Yes, in small doses. Do I wear it? ABSOLUTELY! I love to wear this color and have lots of clothes and accessories that are “paprika” colored.

Yellow with orange=yellowish orange. Think of the color of persimmons, apricots, some tomatoes, some yellowish peppers, again the color in some sunsets, tiger lilies and trees in the fall. Warm color? Exactly! But again when decorating with this color, a little goes a long way—it is primarily used for accents; however, I have seen couches this color with a white stripe that looks lovely. And chairs this color look well with complimentary colors [green works really well with it] or neutrals and add some PIZAZZ to a room. It’s a knock-out color if ever. Do I have this color in my house? Not much but again I do have it in some artworks or glassware that is visible. Do I wear this color? YES! I mentioned before that I have olive skin and this color works well for me—but not from head to toe.



These are the six tertiary colors. What’s left to come? Well, there will be a post about tints, hues, shades and some surprises! Meanwhile, if you are out and about and in a big hardware store, grab some of those paint samples that are on paper strips [like in the picture above] and test yourself to see if you can find the tertiary colors!



Sherry Hill

*Brown? If you mix red with green, you will get brown. Tertiary?