Art Lesson: Complementary Contrasts

In art terms, complementary colors are colors directly opposite each other on the color wheel. They are called complementary colors because although they are opposite from each other, they go together harmoniously. When placed directly next to each other, these colors tend to "vibrate" (try it with color swatches from the paint section).



For the primary colors (Red, Yellow, Blue) their complementing colors are the secondary colors (Green, Violet, Orange).

Being a designer and an artist I have a knack for colors and I see colors in their entirety. If you point out any color to me I can tell you just how much of each color is mixed in and if you give me paint, I can replicate it. (Crazy huh?)

The traditional color combos are commonly seen anywhere colors are used - fashion, makeup, and nail trends.

For this week's manicure, I wanted to display my love and understanding for color in the most basic of ways. Complementing them.

Using summer hues, I went with the Blue-Orange approach. What do you think?

You can try the same combination or experiment with other combinations like Red-Green or Yellow-Purple (Violet). If you don't like to be limited to just primary/secondary colors, look at opposing colors in the color wheel and combine those. Have fun with it!

Good luck & Stay Maganda!<3
-K