Color Theory
• The color wheel fits together like a puzzle each color in a specific place.
• Being familiar with the color wheel not only
helps you mix colors when painting, but in
adding color to all your art creations.
• In 1672 Sir Isaac
Newton 1st represented
the relationship of colors
to one another in the
form of a circle after he
observed a beam of
sunlight passing through
a prism, producing a
rainbow
Color Can Evoke Emotion
• One hundred years later, Johann
Wolfgang van Goethe, a German writer
and scientist, studied how colors make us
feel
– He discovered that blue evoked quiet moods
and that red evoked cheerfulness
Bay Side, Helen Frankenthaler, 1967
The Golden Wall, Hans Hofmann, 1961
Haystack At Giverny, Claude Monet, 1891
The Scream,
Edvard Munch,
1893
Still Life, Tulips,
Emil Nolde, 1930
Voodoo, Judy Pfaff, 1981
The Old Guitarist,
Pablo Picasso,
1903
Blue, Orange, Red,
Mark Rothko, 1961
Starry Night, Vincent van Gogh, 1889
Self Portrait, Vincent van Gogh
Sunflowers,
Vincent van Gogh,
1888
The Magic Flute,
Marc Chagall,
1966
Blumenstilleben St.
Jean Cap Ferrat,
Marc Chagall, 1956
At the Moulin Rouge, Toulouse-Lautrec, 1892
Goldfish,
Henri Matisse, 1912
Woman with a Hat,
Henri Matisse, 1905
A Glimpse of
Notre-Dame in
the Late
Afternoon,
Henri Matisse,
1902
Cirebon Sawah, Gwen Shackleton, 2007
Where do we come from? What are we?
Where are we going?, Paul Gauguin, 1897
Primary Colors
Colors from
which all other
colors are made
• Red
• Yellow
• Blue
Secondary Colors
Colors that are
created from
mixing equal
amounts of a pair
of primary colors
• Orange
• Green
• Violet
Intermediate Colors
Colors made from
equal amounts of a
pair of primary and
secondary colors
•
•
•
•
•
•
Yellow-Green
Yellow-Orange
Blue-Green
Blue-Violet
Red-Violet
Red-Orange
Neutral Colors
The principles of color mixing let us describe a
variety of colors, but there are still many colors
to explore. The neutral colors contain equal
parts of each of the three primary colors. Black,
white, gray and sometimes brown are
considered "neutral”.
Tints
Tints are lightened colors. Always begin
with white and add a bit of color to the
white until the desired tint is obtained.
This is an example of a value scale for the
tints
of blue.
Shades
Shades are darkened colors. Always begin
with the color and add just a bit of black at
a time to get the desired shade of a color.
This is an example of a value scale for the
shades
of blue.
Color Schemes are a systematic way of
using the color wheel to put colors
together… in your art work, putting
together the clothes you wear, deciding
what colors to paint your room…..
monochromatic, complementary,
analogous, warm and cool.
Monochromatic
“Mono” means “one”, “chroma” means
“color”… monochromatic color schemes
have only one color and its values. The
following slide shows a painting done in
a monochromatic color scheme.
This non-objective
painting has a
monochromatic
color scheme blue and the
values (tints and
shades) of blue.
Complementary
Complementary colors are opposite on the
color wheel provided a high contrast - if
you want to be noticed wear
complementary colors!
This painting has
complementary
colors and their
values - blues and
oranges.
Analogous
The analogous color scheme is 3-5 colors
adjacent to each other on the color wheel.
This combination of colors provides very
little contrast.
Analogous colors are
illustrated here:
yellow, yellowgreen, green and
blue-green.
Warm
The colors found in fire and the sun. Warm
colors make objects look closer in a
painting or drawing.
This is an illustration
of the use of warm
colors - reds,
oranges and
yellows.
Cool
The colors found in snow and ice and tend
to recede in a composition.
Note the cool color
scheme in this
painting (greens,
purples and
blues).
Complementary
Colors
• Colors opposite
each other on the
color wheel
• Ex:
• Red & green
• Blue & orange
• Yellow & violet
Analogous Colors
Three consecutive
colors on the color
wheel
• Who is wearing a monochromatic
shirt today?
• Are wearing mainly warm colors?
• Aare wearing mainly cool colors?
• Is anyone wearing a shirt that uses
complementary colors or analogous
colors?
• Can you think of an example of
complementary colors being used
together?
• Tint: a color plus white
• Shade: a color plus black
• Monochromatic: one color in
different tints and shades
• Neutral: white, black, gray
Complex Color Wheels
• Create a complex design that follows the basic
format of a color wheel while showing the
Primary,
Secondary,
and Intermediate colors
and the various tones
and shades of each
• You can take this assignment one step further
by demonstrating your knowledge of
complementary colors also