SOME OF THE FIRST APPEARANCES WERE FOUND IN THE NOTEBOOKS OF LEONARDO DA VINCI (C.1490) Color Theory

The color wheel fits together like a puzzle - each color in a specific place. Being familiar with the color wheel not only helps you mix colors when painting, but in adding color to all your art creations.

(No colors can be mixed to create Primary Colors)

VIOLET ORANGE GREEN PRIMARY + PRIMARY = SECONDARY

Red-Orange Red-Violet Blue-Green Blue-Violet Yellow-Green Yellow-Orange (Primary + Secondary = Intermediate)

Color values are the lights and darks of a color you create by using black and white with a color. This makes hundreds of more colors from the basic 12 colors of the wheel. + color = tint color + black = shade

Tints are lightened colors. Always begin with white and add a bit of color to the white until the desired tint is obtained. This is an example of a value scale for the tints of blue. Tints

Shades are darkened colors. Always begin with the color and add just a bit of black at a time to get the desired shade of a color. This is an example of a value scale for the shades of blue. Shades

Color Schemes are a systematic way of using the color wheel to put colors together… in your art work, putting together the clothes you wear, deciding what colors to paint your room….. monochromatic, complementary, analogous, split-complementary, triadic.

“Mono” means “one”, “chroma” means “color”… monochromatic color schemes have only one color and its shades and tints

Leanne Wildermuth, Jayden in Violet

Picasso, (left) The Blue Guitarist (right) The Tragedy Blue Period,

Colors opposite one another on the color wheel and provide a high contrast Red and Green Violet and Yellow Blue and Orange Blue Green and Red Orange Red Violet and Yellow Green

~Alongside each other complementary colors look their most vibrant. ~However, when mixed they create a unique brown.

Irises have a natural complementary color scheme. Artists often are inspired by the color scheme and aim to capture its beauty. Stained Glass, right

Three to four colors side by side on the color wheel, a mutual color is shared between them. Provides very little contrast. Why wouldn’t you go more than four colors?.

Vincent Van Gogh, Sunflowers

Three colors, including any color and the two colors surrounding its complementary color.

Bev Larson, Watercolor

Triadic- Three colors of equal distance apart on the color wheel

Jewelry by Laurie Eller

Piet Mondrian, Composition with Yellow, Blue, and Red, The asymmetrical placement of color gives a harmonious balance to the composition.

Portions of Violet and Yellow are found in both Warm and Cool Colors Cool colors are found in snow and ice and tend to recede (go back) in a composition. Warm colors are found in fire and the sun. They make objects look closer in a painting or drawing.

Cool vs. Warm

Color Wheel Assignment On a final sheet of paper create a color wheel and 7 color schemes. Use only your primary colors to complete the color wheel. Correctly label color schemes and color wheel.