Color Theory Part-2
- Hari N
- Jan 2, 2024
- 3 min read
Color is a property of light.
-Objects have no color of their own, they just reflect a particular wavelength from the color spectrum. (For example, a blue object absorbs all the wavelengths, EXCEPT for blue. The remaining wavelengths enter our eyes and this is what we see.)
-Light is made of all colors
-White reflects all the wavelengths of the color spectrum.
-Black absorbs all the wavelengths of the color spectrum.
- The spectrum of colors is created by passing white light through a prism.
Color Mixing:
Additive System– Color is created from projected light.
(Computer art, photography, interior design…)
.Colors mix to create white in an additive system.
Subtractive System– Color is created from pigments, (Painting, drawing, etc…)
Color Wheel – the most common organization of color for the
subtractive system.
Properties of Color:
Properties of Color: Hue
Hue - The name of the color
There are not many hues but there are many colors.
Example: Pink, scarlet, maroon, and crimson are colors, but they all have a hue of Red.
Color sharing the same hue can have many different names. (It’s a commercial sales thing.)
Color Wheel:
The most common organization for the relationship of the basic colors is the 12-step color wheel. (It comes from the early 18th c.)
3 Primary Colors:
Red
Blue
Yellow
3 Secondary Colors - mixtures of the primary colors.
Orange
Green
Violet
6 Tertiary Colors - mixtures of a
primary and a secondary color.
2. Properties of Color: Value:
Value - Lightness or Darkness of a hue
Tint - adding white to a hue
Shade - adding black to a hue
“Most people can distinguish at least 40 tints and shades of any color.”
“Normal” Color ValueDiffer
• “Not all the colors on the color wheel are shown at the same value.”
Properties of Color: Value
Changing Color Value • When working with paint you can thin a color by adding medium. • You also alter the value by mixing hues. • Value is changed by its surroundings.
The same color will appear to change in value, depending upon the surrounding color.
Color Interaction
• Colors change with context.
• Amounts and repetition are also
critical factors.
3. Saturation
Saturation = brightness of a
color (also called intensity)
2 ways to lower saturation: (or make a color duller)
• Mix with Gray
• Mix with hues opposite the color wheel: Complement or Split Complement
Influence of Context:
The file
A saturated,vibrantcolorwillnotshowmuchchangedespitedifferentsurroundings
Hue& Saturation
Color Mixing: Complementary & Split Complementary Colors
ColorMixing
Complementary Colors –opposite on the color wheel
• Red-Green
• Blue-Orange
• Yellow-Purple
Placing 2 complementary colors side by side creates a brighter image.
Mixing 2 complementary colors creates gray – desaturating the color
Mixing: Complementary Colors
• Mixing complementary colors will help you achieve more neutral, naturalistic tones.
. Avoid using black, you can achieve darker and more neutral values by mixing complements. You will find that your painting will have interactions.
Intensity/Complementary Colors:
To Make Colors Appear Brighter use the:
• Simultaneous contrast– when 2 complements are next to each other they increase the visual brilliance of each other
Afterimage Effect:
• Afterimage effect – when you stare at an intense color and then look away you will see the complementary color.
Mixing: Split Complements
Split Complementaries– one color and the two hues adjacent to the compliment
Split complements function similarly to complementary colors mixing and as a compositional tool.
More complex color structure and is widely used.
Color Temperature
An artist may use warm and cool color relationships to create depth and volume.
• Color temperature is also used to create a strong sense of light.
Warm Colors
Red, Orange, Yellow
Warm colors advance partially
Represents– Fire, Sunlight
•Implies – Happy, energy, anger
Cool Colors
Blue, Green, Purple
•Cool colors recedespatially.
•Represents – Sky, Water, Grass
• Implies – Sadness, Depression, Night
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