Subtractive Color System

Subtractive color is created when light is reflected off a surface. Pigment colors are created through such reflected light. As with the actual red apple, a painted red apple appears when the red wavelengths of light are reflected while the other colors are absorbed.

When we mix colors using paint, or through the printing process, we are using the subtractive color method. Subtractive color mixing means that one begins with white and ends with black; as one adds color, the result gets darker and tends to black.

In subtractive color, red, yellow and blue are the 3 basic primary colors. These primaries are the pure colors which can not be created by mixing any other colors. Secondary hues are the result of mixing any of the two primaries. Tertiary colors result from mixing the secondary hues.