White

What it is

White is both a color and a condition for color: screen white is full emitted RGB light, while paper or ground white is the surface that reflects light back through pigment or ink.

Basics

• In RGB, white appears when red, green, and blue light are all high.
• In painting and print, white is often the ground, paper, or a white pigment.
• White changes nearby colors by making contrast, lightness, and cleanliness more visible.

Notes for later expansion

• Historically important whites include chalk, lime white, lead white, zinc white, and titanium white.
• Lead white needs careful safety labelling when expanded.

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