COLOR THEORY NOTES

Hue = another name for color

• Primary – red, yellow, and blue

• Secondary – mixing two primaries together (orange, green, and purple)

• Tertiary/Intermediate – mixing one primary and one secondary (red-orange, red-purple, yellow-orange, etc.)

• Tint = one color plus white

• Shade = one color plus black

• Tone = one color plus grey

• Warm colors – red, orange, yellow (think “sun” colors)

• Cool colors – blue, green, purple (think “water” colors)

• Complementary colors – opposite pairs on the color wheel ( red/green, blue/orange, yellow/purple)

• Monochromatic – one color plus black and white

• Analogous – colors next to each other on the color wheel (“neighbor colors”)

• Split complementary = a variation of the complementary color scheme. In addition to the base color, it uses the two colors adjacent to its complement.

Sketchbook Assignment

• Find in a magazine or create an example for EACH vocabulary word (except Hue).– Primary– Secondary– Tertiary– Warm– Cool– Complementary– Analogous– Tint– Shade– Split Complementary