________ colors are opposite each other on the color wheel.

________ colors are opposite each other on the color wheel.

• A. Complementary
• B. Monochromatic
• C. Triadic
• D. Analogous

Answer: (A)

Opposite colors on the color wheel are complementary colors. This pairing is all about how colors relate to each other through contrast: when you place complementary colors next to each other, they seem to vibrate and stand out because they are as different in hue as possible. In painting, these pairs—red with green, blue with orange, and yellow with purple—are often used to create emphasis or to balance a composition; when mixed in pigment, they tend to neutralize each other, producing a dull brown or gray. By contrast, monochromatic uses variations of a single hue, analogous uses colors side by side on the wheel, and triadic uses three colors evenly spaced around the wheel.

Opposite colors on the color wheel are complementary colors. This pairing is all about how colors relate to each other through contrast: when you place complementary colors next to each other, they seem to vibrate and stand out because they are as different in hue as possible. In painting, these pairs—red with green, blue with orange, and yellow with purple—are often used to create emphasis or to balance a composition; when mixed in pigment, they tend to neutralize each other, producing a dull brown or gray. By contrast, monochromatic uses variations of a single hue, analogous uses colors side by side on the wheel, and triadic uses three colors evenly spaced around the wheel.