The wonderful world of color theory
White light actually contains all the colors we naturally see
When an object gets hit by light, it will absorb a lot of the colors but reflect some back. The color it reflects is the colour we see.
The colors we see are actually different levels of energy bouncing off of objects around us. Different animals can see into the ultraviolet and/or infrared colors as well. This means that they can see colors that do not exist to the human eye!
The Color Wheel There are 12 hues in the spectrum of color. They are divided into three categories…
The primary colors are the 3 colors that cannot be created by mixing other colors together They are red, yellow and blue
The secondary colors are created by mixing 2 primary colors together Eg: blue and yellow make green The secondary colors are green, violet and orange
The Intermediate colors are created by mixing a primary and a secondary color together Eg: blue and green make blue-green Intermediate colors are named “primary first” The intermediate colors are yellow-green, blue-green, blue-violet, red-violet, red-orange, yellow-orange.
Complimentary Color Scheme Complimentary colors are any 2 colors opposite each other on a color wheel Complimentary colors “pop” - they are exciting. Complimentary color pairs are: Red and Green, Yellow and Purple, Blue and Orange
Neutral Colors
Color and Value Colors have their own natural value i.e. yellow is lighter in value than blue. Individual hues can be made lighter or darker by adding white or black Tint = white + hue and is lighter Shade = Black + hue and is darker
Which is an example of a tint value scale and which on is a shade value scale?
Monochromatic What does mono mean? A color scheme of different values of a single color. Strong unifying effect on an image
When complimentary colours are mixed, they make a dull muddy colour. Notice how these colours become very dull in the middle where they mix
Analogous Colour Scheme any 3-5 colours beside each other on a 12 part colour wheel basically - a few colours close together
Warm vs. Cool Colours The colour wheel is split in two with warm on one side and cool on the other. Warmer colour approach viewer while cooler colours recede.
Warmth and Excitement Warmer colours are exciting while cooler colours are calmer Human eyes are naturally attracted to red
Cool and Relaxation Cool colours have a calming effect Hospitals use a blue green paint on their walls for this reason
Warm mourning dove Cool mourning dove
Colours are affected by the colours around them The perceptions of the values and hues of a certain colour can be altered by placing different colours nearby
Squares A and B are actually the same colour
A rectangle of the same colour now connects squares A and B
The 2 circles here are the same colour
When a colour is placed next to its complementary colour it will “pop” When a colour is placed next to an analogous colour, the effect is much more subdued