Colours speak all languages. (Joseph Addison) Colour is all. When color is right, form is right. Colour is everything, colour is vibration like music; everything is vibration. (Marc Chagall) Colours speak all languages. (Joseph Addison)

Colour depends on light, because it is made of light. There must be light in order for us to see colour. The whiter the light the more true the colours will be. Hue, Value and Intensity are the three main characteristics of colour. Look Up Spectrum in Glossary

Colour Spectrum - spreads from infrared to ultraviolet

Colour Mixing and the Color Wheel The coluor wheel is a tool artists use to learn the relationships of colors to each other. The coluor wheel is set up in a Circle using the Primary Colours, Red – Yellow – Blue and usually the Secondary Colours, Green – Orange and Purple. In this color wheel the tertiary Or intermediate colours are also shown – Red-Violet, Blue-Violet, Yellow-Orange, Red Orange, Blue-Green, and Yellow-Green

It's easy to mix paints to make new colours. You can use the primary colors (red, blue, and yellow) plus black and white to get all of the colors of the rainbow.

Mixing Colours Red Yellow Blue = Primary Colors Purple Green Orange = Secondary Colors

Neutrals Black, white, brown and gray are not true colours (or hues). They are considered to be neutral, achromatic colours. Typically, the Neutral Colours are Black, White, Brown and Gray. They are not on the colour wheel because they are neutral and independent from the Primary Colours. Neutral Colours coordinate with all colors. Neutral Colours do not "clash" with any colours. Neutral Colours also do not "make" any "new" colors by mixing them together. Neutral Colors do produce variations of existing colours.

Intensity refers to the brightness or dullness of a colour Intensity refers to the brightness or dullness of a colour. An example is bright red (or dull red). You can reduce the intensity of a Colour by mixing together Complimentary colours. This makes the colour duller or not as bright. Reducing the intensity and Neutralizing a colour are considered the same. This also produces neutrals, also called TONES.

Tones By mixing complimentary colours you can develop a whole tonal range of colours called Tones. Tones are mixtures of complimentary colours that reduce the intensity (brightness) of colours. Tones Here, blue and orange have been mixed together to give a whole range of tones. This method is also called neutralizing colours because many become neutral colours in the process.

Making Colours Lighter or Darker Or --- Working With Value To make a colour lighter in value, add color to white. The more white you add, the lighter the coluor will get. This is called a tint of the original color.    To make a coluor darker (this is called a shade of the original colour), add a small amount of black. If you add too much black, your colour will be almost black. Tints Shades

The pure color of “blue” is called a HUE In the diagram you can see the difference between some of the properties of colour. The pure color of “blue” is called a HUE When white and blue are mixed together it is called a TINT When black and blue are mixed together it is called a SHADE

Artists will use tints and shades when creating Atmospheric perspective In a work of art. In his painting, Bathers, Seurat used tints and shades to create a feeling of depth and perspective in his painting.

TEMPERATURE AFFECTS SIZE the perceived size of an object is affected by its colour warm colours advance, cool colours recede both interior squares are the same physical size but the yellow square should appear to be slightly larger

CONTRAST AFFECTS SIZE the perceived size of an object is affected by its contrast light areas advance, dark areas recede both interior squares are the same physical size but the lighter square should appear to be slightly larger

How do artists choose which colours to use? There are several different colour combinations that artists can use. These different combinations are called “colour harmonies”. On the next several slides, a variety of colour harmonies will be discussed. In the future, you will need to refer to these harmonies, and make decisions for your own artwork.

Monochrome (meaning "one colour") colour harmonies include only one colour in different value (the lightness and darkness of a colour) and intensity (the brightness or dullness of a colour). An example of a monochrome colour scheme could include any colour mixed with white, gray, or black. For example, red, rose and pink (red mixed with white) are monochrome.

Analogous colors (also called Adjacent colours) uses colours that neighbor each other on the colour wheel. An example is a colour scheme that includes various values and intensities of reds and oranges. Adjacent Means “next to”.

Colours that are placed next to, or adjacent to other colours can also COMPLIMENTS hues opposite each other on the colour wheel intensifies the difference between colours Colours that are placed next to, or adjacent to other colours can also appear to be different hues. ANALOGOUS hues next to each other on the colour wheel the colors blend and are harmonious Colours have different moods, temperature and contrast, depending on the colour they are next to. OPTICAL COLOR color is affected by surrounding colours both lighter rectangles are exactly the same colour but each should appear different based on the color around it

Van Gogh used optical colour mixing in his paintings all the time. This style of painting was called Impressionism.

So did Gorges Seurat in Afternoon at La Grande Jatte This style of painting was called pointillism.

Colours opposite each other on the color wheel are called complementary colors. For example, violet and yellow are complementary colors. So are red and green, and blue and orange.

A single split compliment uses a primary colour plus colors on either side of its compliment. An example is a colour scheme that includes various values and intensities of greens, violet-reds and red-oranges.

A double split compliment (also called tetradic) uses two pairs of compliments, one apart on the colour wheel. An example is red, green, orange, and blue.

A triad uses colours at the points of an equilateral triangle (three colours spaced equally on the color wheel). These are sometimes called balanced colours. An example of a triadic scheme could be red, blue, and yellow; green, orange, and purple, etc.

Color Schemes (Color Harmonies):

Colour Has Temperature Warm Colours and Cool Colours: The warm colours include reds, oranges, and yellows; the cool colours include blues, greens and violets. The neutral colours are black, white, and grays.

Analogous: Colours that are Related or Next To Each Other On The Colour Wheel

Cool Colors:

Double Split Complementary

Split Complementary

Triad Color Scheme

Warm Color Scheme

Monochromatic