Yellow Clipart

Yellow exists in the middle of the visible color spectrum, between green and orange. In terms of wavelength, yellow light vibrates at frequencies of 570–590 nanometers. Yellow is a primary subtractive color, meaning it reflects light rather than emitting it directly. When all colors are combined, yellow contributes to the sensation of white light.

Scientifically speaking, yellow stimulates both red and green color receptors in the human eye, creating the perception of yellow in the brain. Yellow has the highest luminosity of any color, meaning it is the brightest to our eyes.

Psychological and cultural meanings

The color yellow carries a range of psychological and symbolic meanings, both positive and negative. Yellow is often considered sunny, bright, cheerful, energizing, illuminating, fresh, and fun. However, it can also represent cowardice, deceit, illness, and hazard when used negatively.

Different cultures also attribute unique meanings to yellow. In China, yellow signifies royalty and imperialism. In Egypt, yellow conveys mourning. In Greece, yellow represents the gods. Yellow takes on new nuances in various spiritual traditions and regions.

Different shades and tints of yellow

Popular varieties of yellow include:

• Lemon – A bright, acidic yellow, like the fruit
• Gold – A metallic, shimmering yellow-orange tone
• Amber – A warm reddish-yellow reminiscent of fossil resin
• Cream – A very pale, desaturated yellow, like dairy cream
• Blond – A pale whitish yellow, similar to some hair colors

Yellow also blends into yellow-greens, yellow-oranges, ochre yellow-browns, and lighter tints like buff, butter, and daisy yellow.

Yellow in nature

As one of the brightest naturally occurring colors, yellow often appears prominently across the biological world:

• Sunlight
• Lightning
• Lemon and lime fruits
• Golden corn
• Daffodils and marigolds
• Canary birds
• Bees gathering yellow pollen
• Yellow butterflies like swallowtails
• Amber tree resin
• Feldspar mineral crystals

Yellow signals warmth, nectar, fertility, and light across habitats.

Uses and symbolism in culture

From ancient times to today, people have incorporated symbolic and functional yellows into:

• Bright golden masks, jewelry, fabrics in ancient Latin America
• Historic yellow dye made from saffron crocus flowers
• Prominent yellow stars, including the Sun’s yellow radiation
• Iconic yellow cabs and school buses for visibility
• Yellow hazard signs and emergency symbols
• Yellow legal pad notebooks popular with writers
• Happy face emojis and smiley face stickers

Cultures rely extensively on yellow’s attention-grabbing luminance.

A brief history

Prehistoric artists used yellow ochre pigments over 30,000 years ago. Ancient Egyptians first created yellow orpiment dye. In the Renaissance era, painters mixed costly saffron pigments. The 19th century ushered in new bright aniline yellow dyes from coal tar derivatives. 20th century artists like Vincent Van Gogh featured vivid yellow tones.

The complexity of producing stable intense yellows meant they remained elusive for much of human history. Modern chemistry expanded access to a full palette of yellow for all.

Yellow as a primary color

Yellow sits between green and orange on the visible spectrum. In color theory, yellow is considered one of the three primary colors, along with red and blue. Mixing yellow with equal parts magenta yields red. Mixing it equally with cyan makes green.

Unlike green and violet Secondary colors, yellow cannot be created by blending other primaries. Most other hues contain at least traces of yellow. Adding white makes yellow lighter, adding black dims it towards olive hues.

Using and mixing shades of yellow

Pure yellow takes on new personalities by incorporating neighboring colors:

• Yellow + red = orange
• Yellow + blue = green
• Yellow + black = olive green
• Yellow + purple = chartreuse
• Yellow + white = bright cream tints

Further variations come through pale washes, rich saturated hues, metallic shimmers, and more.

Yellow in famous artworks

Historical art showcasing yellow includes:

• Egyptian yellow orpiment sarcophagi pigments
• Vincent Van Gogh’s vivid yellow sunflowers series
• Gustav Klimt’s gilded paintings with yellow gold leaf
• Ancient Chinese Huang Daopo yellow glazed porcelain
• Georgia O’Keeffe’s oil paintings of yellow flowers
• Andy Warhol’s silkscreen prints of yellow banana imagery

Modern digital color picking tools allow artists to select any precise yellow imaginable.

Finding and using yellow clipart

Clipart refers to pre-made downloadable graphics designers can use. Yellow clipart contains yellow images related to various themes.

Common yellow clipart categories include:

• Smiley faces and happy emojis
• Sunbursts and rays emitting light
• School buses, taxis, hazard signs
• Baby ducks, chicks, chickens, bees
• Sunflowers, daffodils, dandelions and more

Yellow clipart comes in many artistic styles such as line art, abstract, retro, and watercolor. Using digital editing tools, designers recolor, combine, and customize clipart for unique projects.

The luminosity of yellow in both nature and culture contributes to its enduring symbolic power across millennia.