What are the eight basic colors?

The eight basic colors are red, orange, yellow, green, blue, purple, brown and black. These are typically the basic colors for crayons sold in eight-count packages.

Primary colors occur naturally without being mixed first; they are red, yellow and blue. Secondary colors are orange, green and purple. These are formed by mixing two of the primary colors together; as an example, red mixed with blue results in purple. Black, when mixed with other colors, creates darker shades of colors. White has the opposite effect, creating lighter tints of colors. Brown is formed by mixing all three primary colors together, or by mixing primary colors with secondary colors.