How to Make a Color Wheel at Home

Professional artists are not the only people who can make use of a color wheel. People designing crafts, jewelry or the interior of their homes can also benefit from having a color wheel to help them develop a color scheme. Making a color wheel yourself is simple and quick, it does not require any special tools or math calculations, and you can customize the size and the strength of the colors (bold, pastel or in between) to suit your likes and needs.

Things You'll Need

• Poster board
• Watercolors or tempera paints
• Paintbrushes
• Paper plates
• Old cloths
• Eraser
• Marker

Instructions

1. Cut the poster board according to the size you want the color wheel to be; cut the board in a square shape about 3 inches larger all around than the wheel itself.

2. 

   Trace the wheel. Draw a freehand circle, or trace around a circular template such as a bowl or plate. Lightly number the outside of the circle from one to 12 in a clock formation.

3. 

   Paint wedges of red, yellow and blue--the primary colors--at numbers 12, four and eight. The wedges do not have to extend all the way to the center of the circle.

4. 

   Paint wedges of orange, green and violet--the secondary colors--at numbers two, six and 10.

5. 

   Mix tertiary colors on paper plates. At the appropriate remaining numbers on the color wheel, paint wedges of red-orange, yellow-orange, yellow-green, blue-green, blue-violet and red-violet.

6. 

   Blend the colors. Rinse your brush in water, and blot it on an old cloth. Swish your brush in clean water, and gently blend adjacent colors together. Rinse and blot again, then blend the next adjacent colors with more clean water on your brush. Continue all the way around the color wheel.

7. Let the color wheel dry. Erase the penciled-in numbers, and label each color on the perimeter of the wheel with a marker.

Tips & Warnings

• Do not worry about getting exact measurements or sharp paint lines. The color wheel is for your own use, so it does not have to be perfect.

• Protect your work surfaces with plastic tablecloths and your clothes with a smock, even if you use washable paint. The pigments may come out, but water can damage and leave stains, especially on wood.

References

• Color Theory: The Color Wheel
• Color Wheel