1. Colour Theory

2. Overview There are 3 terms that artists use when talking about colour
Hue – the name of the colour (ie. Green is a hue)
Value – the lightness or darkness of a colour
Intensity – the brightness or saturation of a colour

3. Piet Mondrian, Composition with Red, Yellow and Blue, 1921
Primary Colours
Red, yellow, and blue
From these, all colours can be made
Piet Mondrian, Composition with Red, Yellow and Blue, 1921

4. Secondary Colours
By mixing two primary colours you create a secondary color:
Red + yellow =orange
yellow + blue = green
blue + red = violet

5. Henri Matisse, Le bonheur de vivre (The Joy of Life), 1905-06
Tertiary Colours
These are created by mixing a primary and a secondary:
Red + orange = red-orange
Red + violet = red-violet
Yellow + orange = yellow-orange
Yellow + green = yellow-green
Blue + green = blue-green
Blue + violet = blue-violet
Henri Matisse, Le bonheur de vivre (The Joy of Life),

6. Colour Schemes

7. Monochromatic
Uses only one hue (color) and all of its values (lightness and darkness) to create a unifying and harmonious effect.
A tint is created by:
adding white (when painting)
applying less pressure (using using colour pencil)
A shade is created by:
adding black (when painting)
applying more pressure (using colour pencil)

8. Analogous
Colours that contain a common hue and are found next to each other on the color wheel, e.g., violet, red-violet, and red create a sense of harmony. Remember adjoining colours on the wheel are similar and tend to blend together. They are effective at showing depth.

9. Warm colours Suggest warmth and seem to move toward the viewer.
Ex. red and orange are the colours of fire.
Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec, The Kiss, 1892

10. Vincent Van Gogh, Starry Night, 1889
Cool Colours
Suggest coolness and seem to recede from a viewer.
Ex. blue and green are the colours of water and trees.
Vincent Van Gogh, Starry Night, 1889

11. Complementary Colours
Two colors opposite one another on the color wheel
blue and orange,
yellow and violet,
red and green.
When a pair of high intensity complements are placed side by side, they seem to vibrate and draw attention to the element. Intensity can only be altered by mixing a color with its complement, which has the effect of visually neutralizing the color. Changing the values of the hues, adding black or white, will soften the effect.
Henri Matisse, Woman with the Hat, Paris,

12. Split Complimentary
The split-complementary color scheme is a variation of the complementary color scheme. In addition to the base color, it uses the two colors adjacent to its complement.

13. Colour Theory Quiz

14. A B C Which artwork is an example of: Primary colours
Monochromatic colours
Complementary colours B C

15. D E F Which artwork is an example of: Primary colours Cool colours
Complementary colours E F

16. J K L Which artwork is an example of: Monochromatic colours
Warm colours
Primary colours L