Color: More than Meets the Eye.

Color!  Did you know color happens in more than one way??  Yessiree bob, it certainly does.  Additive and subtractive are the two main color systems we see in art and design (Launching the Imagination, p. 39).  Additive lighting is a fast paced, and digital process, in which light combinations of red, green, and blue can be used to create different coloring effects.  Additive color is based on reflection, so when one particular color is reflected by a surface, the reflection comes to our eyes to allow us to perceive the surface as that color.  For example, if a website screen looks red, it is because it is reflecting red light, and absorbing blue, and green.  When combined, the primary additive colors (red, green, blue) emit cyan, magenta, and yellow, and ultimately create white when all are combined.

In contrast, the subtractive color system uses pigments, having a primary base of cyan, magenta, and yellow.  The easiest way to visualize how subtractive color works is to think of painting.  When combined, the primary colors create the secondaries of red, green, and blue, and ultimately black.  This is the CMYK combination used for printed products, while the additive color system is the RGB combination used for online or digital art.

Fun fact... Black is a "K" because "B" is already used for blue, and it's easiest to use the last letter.