3/20/14
Color
Color
•  Color is the most expressive element of
art
•  Color has strong ties to emotions
•  An element of art that is derived from
reflected light
–  You see color because it reflects back to
your eye
–  No light = no color
Color spectrum
•  Always in the same
order
•  Hue
–  the name of a color
in the spectrum
–  Red, orange, yellow,
green, blue, indigo,
violet
•  Value
–  the lightness or
darkness of a color
•  Artists place these
colors in a wheel
(circle) to better see
the relationships
between the colors
•  Primary
–  Red, blue, yellow
–  Used to create ALL other
colors
•  Secondary
–  Green, orange, violet
–  A mixture of two primary
colors
•  Tertiary
–  Six colors all with
hyphenated names: redorange, etc.
–  Made by mixing a
primary with each of its
secondary colors
Components of Color
•  Intensity
–  the brightness or
dullness of a color
Color Families
Color Mixing
•  Red + Yellow = Orange
•  Blue + Yellow = Green
•  Blue + Red = Violet
•  Creating tertiary Colors
–  Take a secondary add back it’s two primary
components, creating two new colors
•  Orange + yellow = yellow-orange
•  Orange + red = red-orange
1
3/20/14
Value
•  Darker value
–  Color + black = a shade
•  Lighter Value
–  Color + white = a tint
Intensity
•  The brightness or dullness of a color
•  Complimentary Colors
–  Colors opposite each other on the color wheel
•  Mixing a color with its compliment dulls its
hue or lowers its intensity
•  Eventually two compliments will mix to make
a neutral - brown or gray
Color Schemes
•  A plan for organizing colors according to
their relationship on the color wheel
•  Choosing colors is an important step in
creating artwork and creates a mood
•  Part of your planning this tri will be
choosing color schemes for your work
Monochromatic
•  Means one color
•  Color scheme that
uses only one hue
and the tints and
shades of that hue
•  Creates a strong
unified effect
Analogous
•  Colors that sit side
by side on the color
wheel and have a
common hue
•  Usually three hues
–  Violet, blue-violet, &
red-violet
•  Ties work together
through use of a
common color
2
3/20/14
Complementary
•  Pairing of
complimentary
colors
•  Creates strongest
contrast
•  Creates sense of
visual vibration if the
intensity of the
colors are strong
Color Triads
•  Three colors spaced an
equal distance apart on
the color wheel
–  Primary triad
–  Secondary triad
•  Creates strong contrast
•  Can be a disturbing
color combination if the
colors are too intense
Split complements
•  Combination of one
hue and the colors
on either side of its
complement
–  Blue, red-orange,
yellow-orange
•  Offers more variety
than a straight
complementary
color scheme
Warm & Cool Colors
•  Warm
–  Yellow, orange, red
–  Associated with warm
things, happy, vibrant
–  Come forward
•  Cool
–  Blue, green, violet
–  Associated with cold
things, sad, calm
–  Move back
In your sketchbook . . .
•  Color wheel
–  Labeled correctly
•  Color names, warm & cool colors
• 
• 
• 
• 
Value scale
Intensity scale
Color matching
Using brush strokes on objects
3