Color Theory

Words To Know Color-is the element of art that is produced when light, striking an

object, is reflected to the eye.

Contrast-A principle of art that refers to the arrangement of opposite

elements (light vs. dark colors, rough vs. smooth textures, large vs.

small shapes, etc.)

Tint- is a mixture of a color with white, which reduces darkness, while

a shade is a mixture with black, which increases darkness.

Complementary Colors- one of a pair of primary or secondary colors

opposed to the other member of the pair on a schematic chart or

scale (color wheel), as green opposed to red, orange opposed to blue,

or violet opposed to yellow.

Analogous Colors-any one of a group of related colors that are near

each other on the color wheel, a circular chart that shows gradations

of color: Red, orange, and yellow are analogous colors.

Intermediate Colors- intermediate colors are yellow-green, blue-

green, blue-violet, red violet, red-orange and yellow-orange. In a

color wheel, the intermediate colors are placed between primary

and secondary colors.

What should you know?

What the primary and secondary colors are.

How to mix to get secondary colors.

What is color theory?

Color theory is a term used to describe the collection of

rules and guidelines regarding the use of color in art and

design, as developed since their early days. Color theory

informs the design of color schemes, aiming at aesthetic

appeal and the effective communication of a design

message on both the visual level and the psychological

level.

What is a color wheel?

A circle with different colored sectors used to show the

relationship between colors.

Why are color wheels important?

The reason the color wheel is an important tool for

artists is because it displays the relationships between the

colors. In general, the way the colors contrast with each

other can be defined as either analogous or

complementary. ... Complementary colors, on the other

hand, are across from each other on the wheel.

Mini Lesson 1 Using the provided sheet create a color wheel

using only the primary colors. You will have three

colored pencils and you have to mix to create the

other colors. Label each color on the wheel too.

Tints and Shades In color theory, a tint is a mixture of a color with white,

which reduces darkness, while a shade is a mixture with

black, which increases darkness. Both processes affect the

resulting color mixture's relative lightness. A tone is

produced either by mixing a color with grey, or by both

tinting and shading.

When to apply tints and

shade? If you were representing light areas of a specific

color you should apply a tint.

When creating dark areas or shadows on a color

you should apply a shade.

Mini Lesson 2 Using only Blue or Red along with white and black

colored pencils create a value scale. To show tints and shades.

Contrast

Why is contrast important?

Contrast is the perceived difference in colors that

are in close proximity to each other. Using

contrast effectively not only differentiates your

design from others, it’s the essential ingredient

that makes content accessible to every viewer.

Mini Lesson 3 Create an image using 3 or more geometric

shapes. Fill the shapes with contrasting colors.

Best practice is to use colors opposite each

other on the color wheel. Use colored pencils.

Warm/Cool Colors Warm colors consist of orange, red, yellow, and

combinations of these and similar colors. As the name

indicates, they tend to make you think of warm things,

such as sunlight and heat. Visually, warm colors look as

though they come closer, or advance (as do dark colors),

which is why they're often used to make large rooms

seem cozier.

Cool colors are typified by blue, green, and light purple.

They can calm and soothe. Where warm colors remind you

of heat and sunshine, cool colors remind you of water and

sky, even ice and snow.

Intermediate Colors The intermediate colors are: Red-Orange, Yellow-Orange, Yellow-

Green, Blue-Green, Blue Violet, and Red-Violet The Intermediate

colors are made by mixing equal amounts of a primary and a

secondary color. When naming the intermediate colors, you always

say the primary color name first.

What's another word for intermediate colors (for example, yellow-

green or blue-violet?) Tertiary colors.

Commentary Colors They are colors that are directly across from one another

on the color wheel.

Complementary colors are pairs of colors which, when

combined or mixed, cancel each other out (lose hue) by

producing a grayscale color like white or black.

They contrast each other.

Analogous Colors

Groups of colors that are next to each other on the color wheel.

They must include intermediate colors

They share a common color with one being the dominant color.

Mini Lesson 4 You will be completing 3 assignments here using only colored pencils.

First, I would like for you to draw two simple drawings that are identical,

symmetrical. It could be as simple as geometric shape or patterns. Using the

colored color one drawing using only warm colors and the other drawing using

cool colors.

Second, Draw three pictures each picture use a complementary color set to

color it.

Third, create a drawing using a analogous color set to add color to it.

This is a multi task lesson but it shouldn’t be too detailed take your time, be

creative and think about your color schemes.

Monochromatic Colors

Monochromatic Color:refers to a color scheme that is comprised

of variations of one color. You can use

any color to create a monochromatic

color scheme. For example, adding white

to red creates pink, adding black to red

creates maroon, etc. Then, you could

have a monochromatic color scheme of

pink, red, and maroon.

The use of a monochromatic color provides a

strong sense of visual cohesion and can help

support communication objectives through the

use of connotative color. The relative absence of

hue contrast can be offset by variations in tone

and the addition of texture.

Why should you use

Monochromatic Colors

The Lack of Color

Black and White

Black and White are not colors

because they do not have specific

wavelengths. Instead, white light

contains all wavelengths of visible

light. Black, on the other hand, is

the absence of visible light.

Mini ProjectYou will be appropriating two pieces of my

art to make it yours. I have made two

identical copies of it on the Xerox

machine. One having more black ( lack of

visible light) and one with more white

(having all visible light). Your goal is to

add color in an interesting way to the two

identical images. The catch is you must

use two different monochromatic color

sets. Add the color using colored pencils.

Hint leave dark areas dark, do not color

them. Find an interesting balance of color

and value.