Exercise 4 Complementary Colours

1. Colour wheel based on Chevreul's colour circle
medium used - oils

2. This part consisted of laying each of the twelve colours contained in the colour wheel next to its opposite (complementary) on the wheel. It was easier to match the tones this way than on a value or colour scale, as sometimes it is only when a darker colour is applied next to the lighter colour that the tonal difference becomes clearer.
3. Mixing complementaries. The resulting colours were all very muted, infact some changed to a different colour completely ie. brown - mixed from equal parts red and green. Others were various shades of brown or very muted forms of saturated colours ie. purple/violet. See key below right for more details.

4. Effects that complementary colours have on one another
When juxtaposed each colour makes the other more vibrant than when alongside another colour - orange will make blue appear brighter. Conversely blue will make orange appear brighter. If seen from a distance there is a dulling effect. 
Mixing one complementary with another has the opposite effect - the dominant colour will be subdued. In some cases (as with red and green) a fairly equal mix will result in brown/grey.