Colour Theory

History of Colour Colours are often symbolic. Let’s talk about what role colour has played in different times in history.

In China… Yellow has religious significance It is still the Imperial color today!

In Greece and Rome… Red was believed to have protective powers. Purple was restricted to use by nobility.

The Egyptians Adorned walls of tombs and temples with brilliant colors of blue, tangerine, and green.

In the Italian Renaissance… Colors were vibrant reds, greens, golds and blues.

In the Rococo period… Tastes became very feminine, colors became less vibrant.

In 18 th Century England… There was great elegance. Colors were rich, showing a strong Chinese influence in the use of red and gold.

During the Victorian era… There was great Eclecticism known for it’s abundance of “things”. Colors were mostly dull reds, greens, browns, and mauves.

In the 1920’s… All-white interiors became popular which gave way to delicate pastels with bright accents.

In the 1950’s.. Light colors were preferred. However, American interest turned to Mexico and a shift to bright colors with bright contrasts.

And in the 1990’s… Regal gold, blue, and red were used. Southwestern remained popular and Victorian was being revived. Ivy league also becomes popular with forest greens and cranberry reds.

Where does color come from?

The Science of Colour was developed by Sir Isaac Newton in 1704.

Newton explained that there were 3 “pure” colours. Today we call them PRIMARY COLOURS

Primary Colours Primary colours will produce white light when mixed together. Primary colours can be mixed to produce any other colour

Colour Combinations Red and Blue make Magenta Red and Green make Yellow Green and Blue make Cyan All colours together make White No colour is Black

Colour Wheel A colour wheel is a way of organizing colours so they are easier to work with.

Analogous colors Analogous colors tend to look good together because they are closely related on the colour wheel.

Complimentary Colours Complimentary colours are opposite each other on the colour wheel and provide maximum contrast.

Applications of Colour Dramatic Effect

Applications of Colour Colour Printing

Applications of Colour Old TV’s and Monitors

Applications of Colour LCD and Plasma TVs

Applications of Optics Telescopes

Hubble Space Telescope

Applications of Optics Microscope

Applications of Optics Fiber Optic Cables

Colours of Light visible light consists of a spectrum of colours.  We know this because when white light is refracted through a prism, we observe a spectrum of colours (eg. rainbow)

Colours of Light The colour(s) that we see shown on any material is not actually from the material but the resulting refracted light that reflects to our eyes after the material has absorbed other colours from the spectrum  eg. we see green leaf because when visible lights strike the leaf, it absorbs red, orange, yellow, blue, indigo and violet light and reflects green light.

Colours of Light - colours are detected by the cones structures of the retina - mixing light colour is different from mixing pigment (eg. paint, ink) colours: mixing light colours has an additive effect whereas mixing pigment colours has a subtractive effect.

Mixing of Colours The primary colors of light are red, blue, and green.  ADDITIVE The primary colors for pigments (such as paints or inks) are yellow, cyan (a bluish-green) and magenta (purplish-red).  SUBTRACTIVE