When two hues are placed side by side or on top of each other, your vision produces the illusion of a third colour – this is called optical mixing. Optical mixtures emit an inner glow that you cannot get with physical mixtures – the colours retain their intensity and brightness.

What is meant by optical mixing?

Optical mixing, also known as partitive color, is the perception of color resulting from the combination of adjacent colors. In other words, when color is mixed optically, the blending occurs perceptually, and takes place between our eyes and our brain. The perceived blending of color increases with distance.

What are optical colors in art?

Optical color mixing is created through our perception of color. When one looks at two small amounts of different colors laid down side by side the two appear to create a different color. This color is usually something similar to the result when the two are mixed in pigment.