Color Theory and Psychology Intro to Stagecraft

COLOR Is the reflection of light from a pigmented surface. Color is the personality of a design.

Cool and Warm Colors Colors are also divided into cool and warm categories. Warm colors are red, orange and yellow. The cool colors are green, blue and violet.

Warm Colors The warm colors are red, orange, yellow, and anything in between. They are called warm because they remind you of the sun or fire. Warm colors seem to come out at you in space.

Cool Colors The Cool colors are blue, green, purple and anything in between. They are called cool because they remind you of the earth or a cool creek. Cool colors seem to recede from you in space.

Neutrals Neutrals don't usually show up on the color wheel. Neutrals include black, white, gray, and sometimes brown and beige. They are sometimes called “earth tones.” In Snow in New York, Robert Henri uses many different neutrals. You can see a few glimpses of red paint, but the overall effect is of natural browns, whites and grays--like those you might see in rocks, sand, dirt, or clay.

Color Terms Color Harmony: using colors in a pleasing way. Color Scheme: the make up of colors Hue: color, any color Monochromatic: scheme consists of different values Complementary: colors that are directly across from each other on the color wheel

Hue Hue refers to the name of a color.  For example red, blue, and purple are hues.

Monochromatic Colors A monochromatic scheme consists of different values (tints and shades) of a single color. An example of a monochrome color scheme could include any color mixed with white or black. The example above is a green monochromatic color scheme. A shade of green is made by mixing green and black. A tint of green is made by mixing green and white.

Complementary Colors Complementary colors are the colors that are directly across from each other on the color wheel Blue & Orange Red & Green Purple & Yellow

Psychological Properties of Color Stagecraft

Red- Physical Positive: Physical courage, strength, warmth, energy, basic survival, 'fight or flight', stimulation, masculinity, excitement. Negative: Defiance, aggression, visual impact, strain.

Blue- Intellectual Positive: Intelligence, communication, trust, efficiency, serenity, duty, logic, coolness, reflection, calm. Negative: Coldness, aloofness, lack of emotion, unfriendliness.

Yellow- Emotional Positive: Optimism, confidence, self-esteem, extraversion, emotional strength, friendliness, creativity. Negative: Irrationality, fear, emotional fragility, depression, anxiety, suicide.

Green- Balance Positive: Harmony, balance, refreshment, universal love, rest, restoration, reassurance, environmental awareness, equilibrium, peace. Negative: Boredom, stagnation, blandness, enervation.

Violet- Spiritual Positive: Spiritual awareness, containment, vision, luxury, authenticity, truth, quality. Negative: Introversion, decadence, suppression, inferiority.

Orange Positive: Physical comfort, food, warmth, security, sensuality, passion, abundance, fun. Negative: Deprivation, frustration, frivolity, immaturity.

Pink Positive: Physical tranquility, nurture, warmth, femininity, love, survival of the species. Negative: Inhibition, emotional claustrophobia, emasculation, physical weakness.

Grey Positive: Psychological neutrality. Negative: Lack of confidence, dampness, depression, hibernation, lack of energy.

Black Positive: Sophistication, glamour, security, emotional safety, efficiency, substance. Negative: Oppression, coldness, menace, heaviness.

White Positive: Hygiene, sterility, clarity, purity, cleanness, simplicity, sophistication, efficiency. Negative: Sterility, coldness, barriers, unfriendliness, elitism.

Brown Positive: Seriousness, warmth, Nature, earthiness, reliability, support. Negative: Lack of humor, heaviness, lack of sophistication.