Why C-M-Y?
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I encourage artists to learn and use the C-M-Y wheel, in which cyan stands in for what you know to be primary blue, and magenta fills in for red.
This month we’ll explore why.
Yellow, red and blue have long been considered primaries because they are pure; they have no other colors in them. In theory, all other colors can be created by mixing combinations of yellow, red and blue. (Figure 1.)
Studying a color wheel, you can see why theory says all colors can be made from just three primary colors.
But theory is just that—theory. In practice this is not true.
Press printed material require four colors—not three—to produce a wide range of colors accurately. These colors are referred to as the ink primaries of cyan, magenta, and yellow (figure 2), plus black. This is the four-color ink printing process.
The mixing of the cyan-magenta-yellow primaries creates a broader and more luminous range of colors than the traditional yellow-red -blue primaries of the artists’ wheel. It is difficult, if not impossible, to mix vibrant purples and red-violets using a true blue and red pigment. Because magenta is more luminous than red, using it as a primary rather than red greatly expands the red-pink-purple range.
The traditional primaries and ink primaries form the basis of two workable color wheels, each having its advantage. However, using cyan, magenta, and yellow is far more accurate system. Jim Ames, author of “Color Theory Made Easy,” writes that “the human eye is “programmed” for a spectrum in which cyan, magenta, and yellow are the primary colors. And accurate color theory must reflect the universality of cyan, magenta, and yellows as primaries and serve to explain all color situations in nature and in art.”
This is especially important to bead artists who work with a wide range of colors, yet cannot mix their colors as painters do. If you’re an artist working with a wide range of purples, pinks, teals and blue-greens, the colors of cyan and magenta are critical to your palette.
Look at the complementary combination of green and magenta and compare it to green and primary red. Both combinations have their uses and their appeal. But there’s no disputing that the green/magenta pair is more lively and bold.
When I work directly with the wheel, I use a C-M-Y wheel, because I want that fuller range of colors. And I am particularly drawn to cyan and magenta and the colors they can create. When I look at the traditional artist’s wheel, I immediately sense the lack of luminosity and vibrancy, and find it leaves me visually unfulfilled. The wheel I use, a 5 1/8” spinnable C-M-Y wheel, is available in the “Books, Patterns, & More” section, under “Bead Accessories.”
In studying both wheels, it is important to see them in print, not on a computer screen. There are too many variables from monitor to browser to operating system for color to be accurately represented. On pages 14 - 15 of “The Beader’s Guide to Color” both wheels are represented side by side for comparison.
As you become familiar with both wheels, you’ll notice their nuances and how the switching of 2 primaries changes the other contiguous colors. As a result you’ll be able to make more knowledgeable and striking color combinations.
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