Not quite. These are the names given to a particular range of paints by a
particular manufacturer. I have the same colours by other manufacturers and
they carry different names and different ingredients. Furthermore, the range
in question is from the lower end of the students' quality range which, by
definition, contain the minimum of pigment and the maximum of body. If you
read the text alongside the samples you will see the colours were chosen
solely on the fact the word 'Primary' occured on the tube. The next task is
to create a similar test using top of the range artists' colours and make a
comparison.

More importantly, transparent printers' inks are pale colours, each with a
covering capacity (opacity) of approximately 33%. They are dependant on the
reflected white light from the paper for their success. Magenta and Yellow
(strictly pale yellow) printers' inks, overlaid on white paper will produce
a very good red. Magenta and Yellow paint, mixed on a palette, will produce
a pale orange. Cyan and (pale) yellow transparent ink will produce a good
green (33% opacity on 33% opacity = 66% opacity). The same colours in paint
will produce a pale green. A magenta/cyan ink overlay creates a strong blue
whereas a similar paint mix produces a pale purple. The three colours that
cannot be made by mixing any paint are red, blue and yellow - the defining
factor in establishing the primaries within the RBY system.

--

regards, alan

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"Danny Rich" wrote in message
et...
Mark,

This is great - our artist friend's Red, Blue Yellow primaries are
Quinacridone - a blue-shade red (also known as quinacridone magenta),
Pthalocyanine Blue - the standard SWOP cyan, and azo Yellow (the SWOP
yellow). So, in fact, his standard RBY primaries are in reality CMY.

End of discussion.


"Mark Jackson" wrote in message
...
"Jo [actually Alan] Taylor" writes:
You are correct in saying I don't think it's as simple as that...
but
not for the right reasons.

a. Cyan, Magenta and Yellow are not paint primary colours but
transparent
printers' ink primaries and rely on overlay not pre-mixing for the
effect.
Paint primaries are red, blue and yellow and, in emulsion paint, are
opaque.

Alan Taylor made this same argument nearly a month ago here.
Eventually he made some example images available on the Web;
unfortunately viewing them required one to be a member of the Yahoo
BritArt group. I have rehosted them with his commentary; see
http://www.alumni.caltech.edu/~mjackson/color.html. He's got some
further words that should accompany the images, but I don't have access
to my alumni account from work so will leave it to him to make any
additional points here.

--
Mark Jackson - http://www.alumni.caltech.edu/~mjackson
Learning without thinking is useless. Thinking without
learning is dangerous. - Confucius