A closer look at color

Colors are often symbolic Color can affect our performance abilities and change our moods. Let’s talk about what role color plays and its impact on history.

Red What does red make you think of? – Food – Objects – Brands Red is the highest arc of the rainbow. Bees can't see the color red, but they can see all other bright colors. Red flowers are usually pollinated by birds, butterflies, bats, and wind, rather than bees.

Orange What does orange make you think of? – Food – Objects – Brands American Indians associate the color orange with kinship. Orange is representative of "gluttony" in Christianity.

Yellow What does yellow make you think of? – Food – Objects – Brands Yellow is psychologically the happiest color in the color spectrum. 75% of the pencils sold in the United States are painted yellow.

Green What does green make you think of? – Food – Objects – Brands Green was the favorite color of George Washington, the first President of the United States

Blue What does blue make you think of? – Food – Objects – Brands Owls are the only birds that can see the color blue Mosquito's are attracted to the color blue twice as much as to any other color.

Violet What does violet make you think of? – Food – Objects – Brands In stained glass, the color purple or violet is seen as uniting the "wisdom" of blue and the "love" of red and symbolizes justice and royalty.

In China… Yellow has religious significance and is still the Imperial color today!

In Greece and Rome… Red was believed to have protective powers. Purple was restricted to use by nobility.

The Egyptians The colors of clothing were predominantly white which symbolized purity. This a good color to wear in the sun and the heat, the color white also. Color came from elaborate and colorful jewelry together with wigs and make-up.

In the Italian Renaissance… Colors were vibrant reds, greens, golds and blues.

In 18 th Century England… There was great elegance. Colors were rich, showing a strong Chinese influence in the use of red and gold.

During the Victorian era … (1832 to 1901) Black and muted colors were popular.

In the Early 20 th Century… Colors were Monochromatic. Mostly black, gray, silver, brown, beige and white.

Where does color come from? A ray of light is the source of all color. Without light, color does not exist. Light is broken down into colors of the spectrum. You can often see a variety of colors in a bright beam when you look at something like a rainbow.

How Colors Are Made… Primary – Red – Yellow – Blue Secondary – Green – Orange – Violet Tertiary/Intermediat e – Red-Orange – Red-Violet – Blue-Violet – Blue-Green – Yellow-Orange – Yellow-Green

Color Wheel

Basic Color Terms Hue- The name given to a color. ex: red or blue Value- The lightness or darkness of a color. – Tint - when white is added to a color – Shade - when black is added to a color – Tone – when gray is added to a color Tint Tone Shade

Value Triangle Tint Tone Shade Hue White Gray Black

More Color Basics Neutral – Black – White – Tan – Gray Cool – Blue – Green – Violet Warm – Red – Orange – Yellow