Color Theory Visual Art Academy Copyright 2017

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Melanie Elinor McDaniel
6 years ago
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1 Color Theory

2 The Color Wheel An illustrative organization of color hues around a circle

3 Primary Colors Red, Yellow and Blue. Colors can not be made by mixing any other colors. Triad - a color triad is composed of three colors spaced an equal distance apart on the color wheel. The contrast between triad colors is not as strong as that between complements.

4 Secondary Color Secondary - by mixing two primary colors, you create a secondary color: Red + Yellow = Orange; Yellow + Blue = Green; and Blue + Red = Purple (Violet)

5 Warm Colors Warm colors - suggest warmth and seem to move toward the viewer and appear closer, e.g., red and orange are the colors of fire.

6 Cool Colors Cool colors - suggest coolness and seem to recede from a viewer and fall back, e.g., blue and green are the colors of water and trees).

7 Complementary Colors Complementary - two colors opposite one another on the color wheel, e.g., Blue and Orange, Yellow and Purple, Red and Green. When a pair of high intensity complements are placed side by side, they seem to vibrate and draw attention to the element. Not all color schemes, based on complementary colors are loud and demanding -- if the hues are of lowintensity the contrast is not too harsh. Intensity can only be altered by mixing a color with its complement, which has the effect of visually neutralizing the color creating neutral colors like Browns and Grays.

8 Complementary Color Couples

9 An easy way to remember the complementary color couples are to think of 3 holidays. Christmas Red and Green

10 Halloween Orange and Blue (substitute the blue for black)

11 Easter Purple and Yellow

12 Monochromatic Color Monochromatic - One color. A monochromatic color scheme uses only one hue (color) and all values (shades or tints) of it for a unifying and harmonious effect.

13 Color Value Scales Tints Pure Hue Shades Tints Pure Hue Shades Tints Pure Hue Shades Value and Color Value refers to the lightness and darkness of a color. For example, if light falls on a green ball the part of the ball nearest the light will be lightest in value because it reflects the most light. The part of the ball opposite the light will be the deepest in the shadow and thus darkest in value. Remember - you can also change the value of a color by adding black (shade), or white (tint), or gray (tone). As white is added to a color it becomes "higher" in value (lighter). As black is added it becomes "lower" in value (darker). Remember that value is the relationship of light to dark.

14 Tints - color plus white Shades - Color plus black Tint White Hue Tone Gray Shade Black

When neutrals are added to a color only the value changes, however; if you try to make a color darker by

15 Neutral Neutral colors - contain equal parts of each of the three primary colors - black, white, gray, and sometimes brown are considered "neutral". When neutrals are added to a color only the value changes, however; if you try to make a color darker by adding a darker color to it the color (hue) changes. Consider that black and white are thought of as neutrals because they do not change color. Black, White and Gray Brown

Analogous Color Analogous - colors that contain a common hue and are found next to each other on the color wheel, e.g., violet, red-violet, and red create a sense of harmony.

16 Analogous Color Analogous - colors that contain a common hue and are found next to each other on the color wheel, e.g., violet, red-violet, and red create a sense of harmony. Remember adjoining colors on the wheel are similar and tend to blend together. They are effective at showing depth.

17 Intermediate Colors Intermediate - colors are created by mixing a primary and a secondary: Red-orange, yellow-orange, yellowgreen, blue-green, blue-purple, and red-purple.

18 The Psychology of Color Physiological Effects - Color psychology is widely used in marketing and branding. Many marketers see color as an important part of marketing because color can be used to influence consumers emotions and perceptions of goods and services. Color symbolism - our responses to color are not just biological. They are also influenced by color associations from our culture. Emotional effects - the actual emotional effect of a specific color in an artwork depends partly on its surroundings and partly on the ides expressed by the work as a whole. To be surrounded by blue lighting in an installation is quite different from seeing a small area of blue in a larger color context. For many of us the emotional effects of art may be difficult to articulate. Red Orange Yellow Passionate Vibrant Stimulating Energetic Fun Confident Friendly Cheerful Warm Green Blue Violet Natural Healthy Peaceful Tranquil Trustworthy Responsible Wise Successful Wealth

19 Brown Black White Earthy Dependable Simple Luxury Exclusive Prestigious Pure Innocent Practical What companies or products do you think of when certain colors come to mind?

Colour Theory. Colour Theory is a system of rules and guidance for mixing various colours in order to: Produce Maximum Readability and Clarity

Colour Theory. Colour Theory is a system of rules and guidance for mixing various colours in order to: Produce Maximum Readability and Clarity Colour Theory Colour Theory Colour Theory is a system of rules and guidance for mixing various colours in order to: Create Aesthetically Pleaasing Blends Produce Maximum Readability and Clarity Draw on