The Color Circle and Color Systems

The Color Circleand

Color Systems

Why the Color WheelWhy a Color System?

• Helps humans organize the world• Gives order to spectral hues• Permits us to isolate one Hue• Assists us in formulating relationships

between Hues• Reveals gradual change and process of

how two hues can create a third color

Color Discovery….

• Lightness & Darkness• RED is #1!• Primitive human interaction w. Nature

Yellow, Green, Blue, Orange, & Brown

• Philosophical, then Empirical studies

Yellow - Earth Blue - Sky

Green - Water Red - Fire

Andy Goldsworthy’s Rivers and Tides….

Ch.1, 1 – 4:30Ch.5, 27 – 37Ch.7, 43 – 46Ch.10, 1:13:00 – 1:26:30

Pythagoras-500b.c.- a Greek mathematician, natural philosopher & mystic…believed Colors sit on surface, emission from eyes

Aristotle-384-322b.c. colors come from B &W

Leone Battista Alberti-1404-1472 (Renaissance)- an Italian architect, author, poet, linguist, philosopher, priest, cryptographer….saw Color as dependent on Light. The 4 elements associated with 4 colors.

Pythagoras ~550BC Aristotle ~350BC

More Color Theorists….

• Frances Bacon (1561-1626)-empirical studies, scientific experimentation

• Rene Descartes (1596-1650)-light reflection

• Sir Isaac Newton (1642-1727)-color physics

• Johann Wolfgang von Goethe (1749-1832) German Polymath…opposed Newton’s rigid, scientific reports on color…an engager, one who observed color, embracing the phenomena, rather than classifying analytical data.

Light spectrum, from Theory of Colours – Goethe thought that colour arose at the edges, and the spectrum occurs where these colored edges overlap.

Color Wheel creationsbased on the

subtractive system…

Goethe’s Color Circle:3 subtractive primaries & 3 secondary hues,

placement determined by color opposition

Moses Harris’ Circle: Indicates each Hue + Tints and Shades

The Munsell Color Tree: Three Properties of Color in 3-dimensions

(Hue, Value, Intensity)

Albert H. Munsell Tree

The Traditional 12pt. Color Wheel

Features of the 12 point Subtractive Color Wheel

Feature 1:Twelve Hues – 3 primary,3 secondary, 6 tertiary

3 primaries (RYB)

3 secondaries (GVO)made from two Primaries

Remaining Hues 6 tertiaries:(YO, YG, BG, BV, RV, RO)made from One Primary + One Secondary Color

DETAILS on Feature 1 Hue Contrast

Black & White

Green, Violet, Orange

Red, Yellow, Blue

DETAILS on Feature 1Value Contrast

Neutrals or Achromatic Colors (Black, White, Gray, i.e. Colors with no detectable Hue) can be seen as Hue effectors. Color variations are made from a combination of Neutrals and Hues.

-2 halves of the color circle: WARM & COOL-Warm, saturated, light value hues are "active" and visually advance. -Cool, low saturated, dark value hues are "passive" and visually recede.

Feature 2:Temperature

Hue Relationships on the Color Circle

Feature 3:Color Relationships – families/harmoniesVS. color opposites

A. Simple Color Families / Harmonies

Analogous Harmony (family)

Analogous Harmony using R, RO, RV as well as tints, shades and/or tones

B. Contrasting or Opposing Harmonies /

Families

Complementary or Dyad Harmony

Cool / Warm Harmony

Double Complement Harmony

Double Complement Harmony based on

RV-YG and R-G, plus tints, shades, tones

Split Complement Harmony

Split Complement Line Study based on B & RO-YO

C. Balanced Color Harmonies

Triadic Harmonies

Primary TriadHarmony

SecondaryTriad

Harmony

Color Harmony based on Secondary Triad, as well as tints, tones, and/or

shades.

Tetrad Harmony

Another Tetrad Harmony

GROUP PROJECT: Simulated Transparency

• Intro. Mini Colleges

• Due Next week: 2 mini collages & bring color-aid paper & exacto knife for cont’d work

on Mini Colleges etc.

Discuss Colorblind Painter Write-up Requirements…

OK Go!

This Too Shall Pass

Rube Goldberg Machine (also inspired by The Way Things Go…)

• http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qybUFnY7Y8w