Assignment 1
Color Wheel
This assignment involves developing a 24-step color wheel using only primary color acrylic paint.
You will mix pigments and create secondary, tertiary, and quaternary colors from the primary paint.
Step 1:
Make graphite paper and trace your color wheel onto a canvas board (see supply list)
Carefully review the Minarsch Color Wheel handout
Find where the three primary colors go and lightly mark them in pencil
Paint in your three primary colors to provide reference points (make sure you erase the pencil marks before painting)
Step 2.
Mix three secondary colors.
PAINT ONTO THE PRACTICE TEST-SHEET HANDOUT TO FIND YOUR COLORS BEFORE PAINTING
DIRECTLY ONTO THE WHEEL.
Add a “little” red to yellow until you make orange
Add a “little” red to blue until you make purple
Add a “little” blue to yellow to make green
Caution: If you add yellow to the other primary pigments you will run out of yellow paint and have to purchase
more.
Fill three small plastic film cartridges to at least ½ full; one with orange, one with green and one with purple and
store each for later use.
Step 3.
Mix six tertiary colors
Mix a secondary with the primary and the result will be tertiary
Add a “little” red to orange until you make Red/Orange (tertiary)
Add a “little” orange to yellow until you make Yellow/ Orange (tertiary)
Add a “little” green to yellow to make Yellow/Green (tertiary)
Add a “little” blue to green to make Blue/Green (tertiary)
Add a “little” blue to purple to make Blue/Purple (tertiary)
Add a “little” red to purple to make Red/Purple (tertiary)
Once again, make lots of each color paint and store each in an airtight container for later use
Step 4.
To mix the twelve quaternary colors follow the same procedure: For example:
Add Red/Orange to Red to make Red/Red/Orange (quaternary),
AND SO ON….
You will not need to make as much quaternary paint to save, but you will still need to make about a teaspoonfull of
each. Again, store each in an airtight container for later use.
Step 5.
Value Study painted onto Color Wheel
Value is defined as the relative lightness or darkness of a color. Develop an equal step value scale from each of your
paints. Emphasis should be placed on equal steps. Your color wheel will include tints and shades of a given color.
To create a tint begins with white and add the hue.
To create a shade begin with the color paint and add a tiny amount of black (black acts as a sponge so you need to
add it in tiny amounts)
Turn in wheel on due date: see syllabus. The wheel must be covered with tracing paper with a name plate on the
back lower right side.
Name plate to be typed and include the following:
Your name:
Semester:
Instructor:
Course title:
The tracing paper must be cut exactly to fit the canvas with a two inch overlap on the back where you glue down the
tracing paper.
IF YOU DISREGARD THIS REQUIREMENT YOU WILL AUTOMATICALLY LOOSE 5% OF THE
OVERALL GRADE FOR THIS ASSIGNMENT.