Art and design
The colour wheel: mixing and relationships
Use a colour wheel to classify primary, secondary and tertiary colours, find complementary pairs and explore tints, shades and tones. The two-page A4 art workbook includes mixing predictions, warm/cool prompts and questions about how artists use colour.
Read the colour relationships, then colour the wheel yourself. The pupil sectors are intentionally unfilled.
Read the complete materialRead the material
Use a colour wheel to classify primary, secondary and tertiary colours, find complementary pairs and explore tints, shades and tones. The two-page A4 art workbook includes mixing predictions, warm/cool prompts and questions about how artists use colour.
Activity. Use the preview for diagrams and layout.
Page 1
NAME CLASS DATE LEARNING GOAL Learn how colours are made, mixed and paired. SUCCESS CRITERIA I can name primary, secondary and tertiary colours. I can find complementary pairs on the wheel. I can make a tint, a shade and a tone. Your colour wheel: colour each part to match its word How: colour every P part first. Then mix the S parts, then the T parts. Keep the letters and words clear. KEY P PRIMARY Red, yellow, blue. You cannot mix them from other colours. S SECONDARY Two primaries mixed: orange, green, purple. T TERTIARY A primary mixed with the secondary next to it. COMPLEMENTARY PAIRS Opposite colours on the wheel. Side by side, they make each other look brighter. A red and green B orange and blue C yellow and purple WARM AND COOL Warm (solid line, top): reds, oranges, yellows. Cool (dashed line, bottom): greens, blues, purples. Yellow- green and red-purple sit on the border. a Which colour is opposite orange? b Which two primaries make green? c Which two colours make blue-purple? d Which colour is opposite red-purple? Colour theory reference chart A R T A N D D E S I G N AG E S 9 TO 1 3 CO LO U R T H E O R Y The Colour Wheel A colour theory reference chart to colour, label and keep. 1 Colour the wheel Gallery 1 3 marks A A B B C C P T S T P T S T P T S T red red- orange orange yellow- orange yellow yellow- green green blue- green blue blue- purple purple red- purple Warm colours: reds, oranges, yellows Cool colours: greens, blues, purples 2 Read your wheel Gallery 2 4 marks 2 Mix 3 Teacher 1 Wheel Page 1 of 2
Page 2
Colour box 1 with one pure colour. Add a little more white, black or grey for each box. 1 TINT: ADD WHITE Each box gets lighter. 1 pure 2 3 4 5 lightest 2 SHADE: ADD BLACK Each box gets darker. 1 pure 2 3 4 5 darkest 3 TONE: ADD GREY Each box gets duller and softer. 1 pure 2 3 4 5 dullest Predict first. Then mix equal amounts and colour the result. No. 4 is a complementary pair. MIX THESE I PREDICT RESULT MY NAME FOR IT No. 1 red + yellow No. 2 yellow + blue No. 3 blue + red No. 4 orange + blue a An artist paints a cold, calm winter evening. Which half of the wheel would you choose from, and why? b Where could an artist put a complementary pair to make one thing stand out? Explain. GO FURTHER Make a small picture with one colour only, using its tints, shades and tones. Colour theory reference chart A R T A N D D E S I G N CO LO U R T H E O R Y S T U D I O A N D G A L L E R Y Tints, shades and mixing 3 Tint, shade and tone Studio 3 marks 4 Mixing experiments Studio 4 marks 5 Colour in art Gallery 3 4 marks 1 Wheel 3 Teacher 2 Mix Page 2 of 2
Page 1
The colour wheel: mixing and relationships Teacher companion Art and Design | Pupils aged 9 to 13 Use with the exact 2-page original file. Keep pupil or staff activity pages separate from this teacher companion. When to use it Use the chart after pupils have met basic colour names and can safely work with the chosen art materials. It invites both visual classification and practical mixing, so allow time for pupils to make and compare swatches. Purpose Classify colours on a wheel, explore mixing and compare tints, shades and tones through written or visual experiments. Start here Read the wheel key and colour the primary sections before mixing the secondary and tertiary colours. A teaching sequence 1. Colour primary regions first, then use the key to classify secondary and tertiary sections. 2. Read the warm/cool and complementary-pair notes and answer the wheel questions by locating opposites and combinations. 3. Make tint, shade and tone scales using the materials the teacher provides; predict the effect before mixing. 4. Complete four mixing experiments and apply one colour relationship to a small picture, explaining why it suits the intended effect. Ask, “What changed when you added white, black or grey?” Compare the observed mixture with the prediction. Checking guidance Look for correct classifications, predicted and observed mixtures, and an explanation of how a colour relationship serves an intended effect. Ask: “What changed when you added white, black or grey?” Mixing outcomes depend on the actual pigments and should be observed rather than guaranteed from the sheet. Have pupils label prediction and observation separately in one mixing experiment. They can explain a tint, shade or tone using the actual material added; do not prescribe one exact pigment outcome. Support Provide a completed example wheel, name the pigments available and allow oral predictions before writing. Offer pre-mixed samples where colour mixing or drawing is inaccessible, while retaining the explanation of the colour choice. Take it further Ask pupils to design a small image using one complementary pair and a range of tints, shades or tones. Compare how the same colours work in another arrangement and note which feature draws attention. Things to keep in mind The worksheet uses a simplified paint-mixing wheel and does not specify a pigment set. Physical results vary by materials, and monochrome copies will not preserve colour categories. The colour wheel: mixing and relationships Teacher companion | Page 1
A teaching sequence
Classify colours on a wheel, explore mixing and compare tints, shades and tones through written or visual experiments.
Read the colour relationships, then colour the wheel yourself. The pupil sectors are intentionally unfilled.
Read the complete materialBuild the colour wheel
Colour primary regions first, then use the key to classify secondary and tertiary sections.
Which adjacent primary and secondary colours make this tertiary colour?
Read the colour relationships, then colour the wheel yourself. The pupil sectors are intentionally unfilled.
Read the complete materialRead the relationships
Read the warm/cool and complementary-pair notes and answer the wheel questions by locating opposites and combinations.
Which colour lies opposite orange on this wheel?
Mix tint, shade and tone
Make tint, shade and tone scales using the materials the teacher provides; predict the effect before mixing.
What changed when you added white, black or grey?
Predict, mix and apply
Complete four mixing experiments and apply one colour relationship to a small picture, explaining why it suits the intended effect. Compare the observed mixture with the prediction.
How did the observed mixture compare with your prediction?
Before you teach
Look for the thinking behind an answer, choose the support your class needs and leave room for an independent response.
What to look for
Look for correct classifications, predicted and observed mixtures, and an explanation of how a colour relationship serves an intended effect. Ask: “What changed when you added white, black or grey?” Mixing outcomes depend on the actual pigments and should be observed rather than guaranteed from the sheet. Have pupils label prediction and observation separately in one mixing experiment. They can explain a tint, shade or tone using the actual material added; do not prescribe one exact pigment outcome.
Give a little support
Provide a completed example wheel, name the pigments available and allow oral predictions before writing. Offer pre-mixed samples where colour mixing or drawing is inaccessible, while retaining the explanation of the colour choice.
Take the idea further
Ask pupils to design a small image using one complementary pair and a range of tints, shades or tones. Compare how the same colours work in another arrangement and note which feature draws attention.
Things to keep in mind
The worksheet uses a simplified paint-mixing wheel and does not specify a pigment set. Physical results vary by materials, and monochrome copies will not preserve colour categories.
Keep the idea. Make it yours.
Bring your topic, learning goal and class context to PLAI™, then review what you create.
Ideas to try with your class
Sample teaching perspectives on what to try, what to adapt and what to watch for.
Meet The Creators
Meet a creator whose teaching interests connect with this template.
Tea Break Notes
The two-page wheel distinguishes primary, secondary and tertiary colours, then asks about complementary pairs and warm/cool groups. Pupils colour primary sectors first, mix secondary and tertiary positions, and answer questions using the labelled wheel.
Pocketful of Stories
The chart connects a colour vocabulary reference to mixing, relationships and later tint, shade and tone experiments. The note that yellow-green and red-purple sit on the warm/cool border avoids forcing every colour into an absolute category.
Bright Idea Break
Keeping the letters P, S and T legible while colouring supports matching each sector to its category. Pupils can trace across the wheel to find opposite colours before attempting the written questions about orange, green and blue-purple.
Kindly Red Pen
Printed colour and paint mixing may vary with materials and display conditions. Treat the wheel as a working reference, and ask pupils to describe what their own mix looks like rather than claim that every printed swatch will appear identical.