Color Theory
Ms. Prinkey
What is color?
• Color is what the eye sees when light
is reflected off an object.
The world is full of light. Visible light is made of seven wavelength groups.
These are the colors you see in a rainbow: red, orange, yellow, green, blue,
indigo, and violet—the Mr. ROY G. BIV you might have been introduced to
in elementary school science. The reddish colors are the long wavelengths.
The greenish colors are the mid-size wavelengths. The bluish color are
the short wavelengths
Hue
• Hue is a color’s name.
• Specifically: Hue is the name of a
distinct color of the spectrum—red,
green, yellow, orange, blue, and so on.
It is the particular wavelength
frequency
What is Primary color?
• Primary color’s are called “first”
colors.
• They can be mixed to make all other
colors.
red
yellow
blue
What are secondary
colors?
• They are two primary colors mixed
together.
+
+
+
=
=
=
Red + Blue = Violet
Red + Yellow = Orange
Blue + Yellow + Green
What are intermediate
or tertiary colors?
• Intermediate ( tertiary) colors are
the colors in between the primary
and secondary colors on a color
wheel.
• They are a primary color mixed with
a secondary color.
Color wheel
• A circular arrangement of color which
shows the relationship of color.
Yellow + Orange =
Yellow + Green =
Red + Orange =
Blue + Green =
Red + Violet =
Blue + Violet =
Saturation
• The "purity" of a color—how much Grey is or isn't
in it.
• Fully saturated colors are very rich and bright.
• 100% blue is a very saturated color (high
intensity)
• Less saturated colors look muddier, or less pure.
• Steel blue has gray undertones (low intensity)
Asbjorn Lonvig
Danish artist
“high intensity”
Or very saturated
Low Saturation
• Artwork by Daniel
Alekow.
• Oranges are not
pure.
• Low saturation or
low intensity.
Value
• The lightness or darkness of a color.
• Tint – when white is added to a color.
Makes a light color
• Shade – when black is added to a
color. Makes a dark color.
• “Light in Life,
Value Changes” by
Tanya Bone.
• Show’s changes in
the teapot from
light to dark.
• Where else do you
see changes?
Color Schemes
• Color schemes are color combinations
• Different color schemes have
different effects.
• Some color schemes may have a loud,
disrupting effect, others may be
quiet and dull.
Warm color scheme
• This scheme can be described as
energizing and creating some heat. Warm
colors are very active and grab attention.
A typical warm color scheme includes red,
orange, yellow-orange, yellow and values.
Cool Color Scheme
• This scheme can be
described as quiet and
soothing. A typical cool
color scheme would be
yellow-green, green,
blue-green, blue-purple
and values
• This one can also be
complementary.
• Yellow is the
complement to purple
Monochromatic Color
Scheme
• This color scheme consists of
one color and black & white.
• There are two types of
monochromatic color schemes,
high contrast values and full
range values.
• The high contrast value one
just uses one color. This color
schemes are very good for
drawing attention to a
particular area of your piece.
Monochromatic Color
Scheme
• The other type is full
range values where
you select a color and
use any additional
value of it.
• This is a
monochromatic
painting of a cow by
Richard E. Adams
Analogous Color Scheme
• An analogous color scheme
builds from colors that are
adjacent colors on the color
wheel.
• It is one with the most
harmony because the colors
are right next to each other.
• If you use up to four
adjacent colors the scheme
stays bright.
Complementary
• A pair of two
opposite colors on
the color wheel.
• This is a dynamic
scheme that
offers a nice
contrast and
tension
Which color scheme are
the following pictures?