What is a color wheel chart used for?

Color wheel charts can be used to determine what color is best to use for a project, how to match colors for samples and how to mix colors. Different color wheels are used depending on the needs of the artist or designer.

A common color wheel shows the primary colors (red, blue and yellow), secondary colors (violet, green and orange), and tertiary colors. Tertiary colors are determined by mixing a secondary color with a primary color. By looking at the color wheel, an artist can determine what kind of color combination he wants to use. Popular color combinations include monochromatic, contrasting and complementary.