COLOR THEORY 101
COLOR THEORY 101
Light: the Visible Spectrum
The Color Wheel
The color wheel is a way to visualize and organize the
entire color spectrum of light. The ends of the spectrum
are bent around a circle to form a color wheel
Types of Color Theories
Additive Color (RBG)
The additive (light) theory deals
with radiated and filtered light.
Subtractive Color (CMYK)
The subtractive (pigment) theory
deals with how white light is absorbed
and reflected off of colored surfaces.
Additive Theory
• White (sunlight) radiates ALL light
• Black radiates no light
• Light-emitting media use the process
of capturing and radiating light,
therefore they use Additive (Light)
Theory
• Primary colors in Additive Theory:
• Red
(R)
• Green ( G )
• Blue
(B)
• All the primaries mixed together to
make WHITE
• Additive (Light) Theory is used in
computer monitors, television,
theater lighting, and video
production.
Subtractive Theory
• Black absorbs most light
• White reflects most light
• Colored Pigments absorb light and
reflect only the frequency of the
pigment color.
• All colors other than the pigment
colors are absorbed, so this is called
subtractive color theory.
• Primary colors in Subtractive Theory:
– Cyan
(C)
– Magenta ( M )
– Yellow ( Y )
– Black
(K)
• Subtractive or Pigment Theory is
used in desktop and commercial
printing.
Subtractive Color: RYB Color Model
• Traditional “Painter’s
Color Wheel”
• Primary Colors (RYB)
are pure pigments
that cannot be mixed:
o Red
o Yellow
o Blue
• RYB is used primarily
with traditional
pigment-based art
media (like painting)
The Color Wheel
Colors on the wheel can
be described using three
elements:
1. Hue: pure color
2. Saturation:
brightness or dullness
3. Value: lightness or
darkness
Color Theory 101
Hue
• The technical name for color
• Describes the position of a color on a classic color wheel
• Used to name the color (Yellow, Orange, Red, etc.)
Color Theory 101
Saturation
• Saturation refers to how vivid and intense a color is
Tone = Shade + Tint
Color Theory 101
• Painter’s Color Wheel
Primary Colors
Secondary Colors
Color Theory 101
• Color Temperature
Warm / Cool Colors
Color Schemes: Warm
• Warm Colors: Right half
of the color wheel contains
colors associated with fire,
heat
Artist: Jan Vermeer
Title: Girl Asleep at a Table
Year: 1657
Color Schemes: Warm
Paul Cezanne
The Basket of Apples, 1894
Color Schemes: Warm
Henri Matisse
The Dessert, Harmony in Red, 1908
Color Schemes: Cool
Artist: Pablo Picasso
Title: Femme Allongée Lisant
Year: 1939
Cool: Left half of the wheel
has cooler colors
associated with ice, water
Pablo Picasso
The Old Guitarist, 1903
Color Theory 101
Color Schemes: Monochromatic
Monochromatic uses different values of the same hue,
including tints and shades
Color Schemes: Monochromatic
• Monochromatic uses
different values of the same
hue, including tints and
shades
Artist: Georges Braque
Title: Le Portugais
Year: 1911
Color Schemes: Monochromatic
Pablo Picasso, Guernica, 1937
Color Schemes: Monochromatic
• Monochromatic color
palettes in interior design
Color Schemes: Monochromatic
Color Theory 101
• Color Schemes: Analagous
• Analogous: A selection of
colors that are adjacent on
the color wheel
Color Schemes: Analogous
Artist: Vincent van Gogh
Title: The Iris
Year: 1889
• Analogous: A selection of
colors that are adjacent on
the color wheel
Color Schemes: Analogous
Color Schemes: Analogous
Color Schemes: Analogous
Color Schemes: Analogous
Color Theory 101
• Color Schemes: Complementary
• Complementary: Colors
that are opposite on the
wheel. High Contrast
Color Schemes: Complementary
Vincent Van Gogh
The Café Terrace on the Place du Forum, Arles, at Night
1888
• Complementary: Colors
that are opposite on the
wheel. High Contrast
Complementary Colors in Art
Georges Seurat, Le Chahut, 1889-90
Complementary Colors in Art
Eugène Delacroix, Women of Algiers, 1834
Complementary Colors in Graphic Design
Complementary Colors in Fashion
Color Theory 101
• Color Schemes: Triadic
Triadic
Triadic Color Schemes in Design
Triadic Color Schemes in Design
Triadic Color Schemes in Art
Andy Warhol
Piet Mondrian
HINT: Choosing ONE common color can help
tie random color schemes together