鶹Լ

Key facts about tertiary colours

The twelve Tertiary colours in blocks, making up a wheel.

This image shows an example of a .

You might be able to spot the and the .

The tertiary colours in the colour wheel sit between a primary colour and a secondary colour. They are the six 'in-between' colours.

In the colour wheel, tertiary colours sit between the two colours that you can mix together to make them.

The twelve Tertiary colours in blocks, making up a wheel.
Back to top

The six main tertiary colours

There are six main tertiary colours. Artists use what they know about colours to help them make their art.

Image gallerySkip image gallerySlide 1 of 6, One orange and one yellow paint splodge adding up to make an amber paint splodge., Yellow and orange mix to make yellow-orange or amber
Back to top

Who was Hilma af Klint?

The painter Hilma af Klint was born in 1862 in Stockholm, Sweden and died in 1944. Hilma used many primary, secondary and tertiary colours in her work.

She is said to be one of the first painters.

Find out about the life and work of Hilma af Klint

Back to top

Hilma af Klint's paintings

Hilma af Klint's work uses bold colours and geometric shapes. She also used shades and tints of colours - lighter and darker tones.

Image gallerySkip image gallerySlide 1 of 4, A black and white photo of Hilma Af Klint sitting in a chair, relaxed with her elbow leaning on a table and hand propping up her head., Hilma Af Klint in her studio in 1895. She was one of the first women to study at the Royal Academy of Fine Arts in Stockholm.
Back to top

Hilma af Klint factfile

Date of birth 26 October 1862. Place of birth Stockholm, Sweden. Type of art painting. Known for abstract art.
Back to top

Watch: learn about mixing tertiary colours to use in your paintings

Back to top

Activity

Back to top

Did you know?

A bowl of fruit, and some placed on the table around it.
  • The scientist Sir Isaac Newton created the first colour wheel in 1704.
  • Primary, secondary and tertiary colours can all be found in nature. Just look at this bowl of fruit!
A bowl of fruit, and some placed on the table around it.
Lake George Reflection by Georgia O'Keeffe in 1922
Image caption,
Lake George Reflection painted by Georgia O'Keeffe in 1922 © Georgia O’Keeffe Museum / DACS 2023
  • Many other painters use tertiary colours in their work, for example Georgia O'Keefe in this painting of the New Mexico landscape in the southern USA.
Back to top

Quiz

Back to top

Play Art Gallery Rescue. game

Help Lily and Will rescue the art gallery!

Play Art Gallery Rescue
Back to top

Bitesize Primary games. game

Play fun and educational primary games in science, maths, English, history, geography, art, computing and modern languages.

Bitesize Primary games
Back to top

More on Painting

Find out more by working through a topic