Color

Color

• Color is the most expressive element of art

• Color has strong ties to emotions• An element of art that is derived from

reflected light– You see color because it reflects back to

your eye– No light = no color

Color spectrum

• Always in the same order– Red, orange, yellow,

green, blue, indigo, violet

• Artists place these colors in a wheel (circle) to better see the relationships between the colors

Components of Color

• Hue– the name of a color

in the spectrum

• Value– the lightness or

darkness of a color

• Intensity– the brightness or

dullness of a color

Color Families• Primary– Red, blue, yellow– Used to create ALL other

colors

• Secondary– Green, orange, violet– A mixture of two primary

colors

• Tertiary– Six colors all with

hyphenated names: red-orange, etc.

– Made by mixing a primary with each of its secondary colors

Color Mixing• Red + Yellow = Orange• Blue + Yellow = Green• Blue + Red = Violet

• Creating tertiary Colors– Take a secondary add back it’s two

primary components, creating two new colors

• Orange + yellow = yellow-orange• Orange + red = red-orange

Value

• Darker value– Color + black = a shade

• Lighter Value– Color + white = a tint

Intensity

• The brightness or dullness of a color

• Complimentary Colors– Colors opposite each other on the color wheel

• Mixing a color with its compliment dulls its hue or lowers its intensity

• Eventually two compliments will mix to make a neutral - brown or gray

Color Schemes• A plan for organizing colors according

to their relationship on the color wheel

• Choosing colors is an important step in creating artwork and creates a mood

• Part of your planning this tri will be choosing color schemes for your work

Monochromatic

• Means one color• Color scheme that

uses only one hue and the tints and shades of that hue

• Creates a strong unified effect

Analogous • Colors that sit side

by side on the color wheel and have a common hue

• Usually three hues– Violet, blue-violet, &

red-violet

• Ties work together through use of a common color

Complementary

• Pairing of complimentary colors

• Creates strongest contrast

• Creates sense of visual vibration if the intensity of the colors are strong

Color Triads

• Three colors spaced an equal distance apart on the color wheel– Primary triad– Secondary triad

• Creates strong contrast• Can be a disturbing

color combination if the colors are too intense

Split complements

• Combination of one hue and the colors on either side of its complement– Blue, red-orange,

yellow-orange

• Offers more variety than a straight complementary color scheme

Warm & Cool Colors

• Warm– Yellow, orange, red– Associated with warm

things, happy, vibrant– Come forward

• Cool– Blue, green, violet– Associated with cold

things, sad, calm– Move back

In your sketchbook . . .

• Color wheel– Labeled correctly

• Color names, warm & cool colors

• Value scale

• Intensity scale

• Color matching

• Using brush strokes on objects