Color theory-elementary

ColorColor

Color

•The primary color wheel consists of three colors. These cannot be made by mixing other colors. All other colors are created with these three.

•Red•Yellow•blue

red + yellow = orange yellow + blue = green red + blue = purple

red + yellow = orange yellow + blue = green red + blue = purple

These 3 new colors are created by combining colors that are side by side on the primary color wheel.

These 6 colors are the colors formed by mixing one primary and one secondary color.

Colors relate to different feelings.

•Blue – coolness

•Yellow – warming

• Blues• Purples• Greens

Warm Colors Cool Colors

Neutral ColorsBlacks,Blacks, Whites,Grays, & Tans

• Reds

• Oranges

• Yellows

Reds• energy, war, danger, strength,

power, passion• intense• high visibility• danger• Pinks for romance, love, and

friendship

Oranges• joy, sunshine, and the tropics

• a very hot color - not as aggressive as red

• color of fall and harvest

Yellows• sunshine• attention getter

Green• nature• safety

Blue• sky and sea• tranquility and calmness

Purple• Royalty

• extravagance

WhiteWhite• Innocence and purity

• Color of perfection

• Clean

Black• strength • formal

MonochromaticMonochromaticVariations of a single colorVariations of a single color

AnalogousAnalogousColors are adjacent to each other on the Colors are adjacent to each other on the color wheelcolor wheel

ComplementaryComplementaryTwo colors Two colors oppositeopposite each other on the color each other on the color wheel wheel complementcomplement each other. each other.

These color schemes consist of two colors opposite each other on the color wheel. This means that with any color choice , it will be a combination of a warm color and a cool color.

Examples:

Xanti Schawinsky

Stanley William Hayter

Uses variations in lightness and saturation of a single color.

»a clean look » elegant effect»soothing feeling»easy on the eyes

Paul Levy

Closely related colors used together - examples:

•Warm colors (red, yellow, orange)

•Cool colors (blue, green, purple)

Analogous Scheme

Analogous Scheme

Mary Cassatt The Boating Party, 1893/1894

Analogous Colors

Fall tree and leaf sunrise photos from Wisconsin 2008. Photos by Mike Fisk, http://soul-amp.blogspot.com/2009/05/sunrise-close-ups-of-autumnfall-leaves.html

• Color wheel – shows the colors and their relationships.

• Color scheme – complementary, monochromatic, and analogous schemes.