Basic color schemes Introduction to Color Theory In the visual arts , color theory or color theory is a body of practical guidance to color mixing and the visual effects of a specific color combination. There are also definitions (or categories) of colors based on the color wheel : primary color , secondary color [1] and tertiary color . Although color theory principles first appeared in the writings of Leone Battista Alberti (c. 1435) and the notebooks of Leonardo da Vinci (c. 1490), a tradition of "color theory" began in the 18th century, initially within a partisan controversy over Isaac Newton 's theory of color ( Optics , 1704) and the nature of primary colors . From there it developed as an independent artistic tradition with only superficial reference to colorimetric and vision science . The Color Wheel The color wheel ...