Color is one of the most expressive elements because its quality affects our emotions directly and immediately. In representational art color serves to identify objects and to create the illusion of space. Janet Fish Orange Sunflower/ Red Cellophanes, 2005
Color Wheel: The Color Wheel is a diagram that organizes colors. The purpose of the color wheel is to show the relationship of colors to each other. It also helps us to find ways colors look good together (color schemes).
Primary Colors Cyan, Magenta and Yellow
Secondary Colors Created by mixing two primary colors together. Yellow +Magenta = Orange Yellow + Cyan= Green Cyan + Magenta = Violet
Tertiary Colors There are the six colors you get when mixing one primary with one secondary. Yellow + Green = Yellow-Green Cyan+ Green = Cyan-Green Cyan + Violet = Cyan-Violet Magenta + Violet = Magenta-Violet Magenta + Orange = Magenta-Orange Yellow + Orange = Yellow-Orange
Hue is another word for color and it is basically means the color pigment present. Value: involves the lightness and darkness of a color. A color is made lighter by adding white and darker by adding black. All of these have the basic hue of red! The 3 properties of color
Intensity: The brightness or dullness of a color, achieved by the colors complement. Left example has high intensity. It's very bright.Right example is low in intensity. It's very dull.
Monochromatic: A range of value for one color from light to dark. Tint: The light end of a monochromatic value scale; made with one color and varying degrees of white Shade: The dark end of a monochromatic value scale; made with one color plus varying degrees black. Achromatic: A range of value going from black to white Color Value
Color Harmony: Color Schemes are used as a guide to find groups of colors that consistently look good together. They are based on the color wheel. Complimentary Pairs: cyan/orange; yellow/violet; magenta/green. These colors are directly across from each other on the color wheel. When mixed together they make a neutral tone. When juxtaposed they flicker. You can make a color less bright and intense by blending in a small amount of its complement. What is the complement of cyan? What is the complement of magenta/orange?
Vincent Van Gogh Fritillaries 1880 Cezanne La Montage Saint Victoire 1886
Split Complementary: a color scheme consisting of a color plus the two colors on either side of its compliment. Example: Magenta, yellow-green, cyan-green. There are always three colors in this color scheme. What are the colors that are split complements of magenta-orange? What are the colors that are split complements of cyan?
Analogous: colors that are next to each other on the color wheel. Example: Yellow, yellow-green, green What are 2 colors that would be analogous with blue? Vincent Van Gogh The Iris 1889
Warm Colors Left side of color wheel Cool Colors Right side of color wheel Above we have the same composition but with warm and cool dominance differences. These groups of colors create different emotional reactions. Warm colors advance in a picture plane; cool colors recede in a picture plane.
Jan Vermeer Girl Asleep at a table 1657 Pablo Picasso The Tragedy 1903
Visual Color Mixing Some artists don't blend their colors together. They allow the viewer's eyes to visually mix the colors together. George Seurat A Sunday on La Grande Jatte 1884