Colour Theory

Colour refers to the visual reaction to the reflection of light. When light hits objects it bounces back in various amounts at different angles. Lighter colours bounce back the most and darker colours the least

Hue Hue is another word for colour, the attribute that describes colours by name. Ex. Red, purple, green

Intensity This term is used to describe the brightness or the dullness of a colour. Lessen the intensity of a colour by adding a small amount of the complementary colour. Increase the intensity of a colour by surrounding it with its complement.

Colour Schemes

Primary Colour that cannot be made by mixing any of the colours on the colour wheel. Red, yellow, blue

Primary colours are the most popular choice for cartoon characters. Let’s see…..

Secondary A colour that is made from 2 of the primary colours Green, orange, purple

Tertiary A colour made by mixing a primary colour with a neighbouring secondary colour on the colour wheel Blue-green, blue-purple, red-orange, red-purple, yellow-orange, yellow-green

Warm Colours Are vivid in nature. They are bold and energetic. Warm colours are those that tend to advance in space, therefore caution must be taken so you do not overwhelm your design with eye-catching hues. If an element in your design needs to pop out, consider using warm colours to do that.

Cool Colours Are soothing in nature They give an impression of calm and rarely overpower the main content or message of a design. Cool colours tend to recede, therefore, is some element of your design needs to be in the background, give it cool tones.

Complementary Complementary colours are those that appear opposite to one another on a colour wheel Red and green, blue and orange, yellow and purple

Complementary colours are often utilized in marketing

Split-Complementary Refers to a colour and the two colours that rest on either side of its complement on the colour wheel. Blue, yellow-orange, red-orange

Monochromatic A picture done in various shades of the same colour. One colour with the addition of black to darken or white to lighten

Analagous 3-4 colours closely related on the colour wheel Ex. Yellow, yellow-green, green

Achromatic Black, white and greys, artwork that is executed without colour

Triadic 3 colours evenly separated on the colour wheel Ex. Orange, green, purple

Value Tint: to make a colour light by adding white paint or water. Shade: to make a colour darker by adding black.

Quiz! Let’s apply our learning! What colour schemes are the following examples?

Fin