Color

Color Theory

Element of Art

Elements of Art

• Line

• Shape

• Color

• Value

• Texture

• Space

• Form

Hue

• The name of a color

Primary Hue

• Pure color

• Red, yellow, blue

• Place a swatch of each on

your paper….label

• You can not make the primary hues

• Try it now…..

• Primary hues make all other colors.

• Piet Mondrian

Secondary hues

• Made by mixing two primary hues

• Green

• Yellow + Blue

• Orange

• Yellow + Red

• Violet

• Red + Blue

• Place a swatch of each on your paper….label

Tertiary/Intermediate Hues

• Made by mixing a primary and secondary hue

• Red-orange = Red + Orange

• Yellow - Orange

• Yellow-green

• Blue - green

• Blue-violet

• Red-Violet

• Make one now…….label

Value

• The element of art that describes the darkness or lightness of a color.

• The amount of light a color reflects determines its value.

• Yellow is the lightest hue because it reflects the most light.

• Yellow is the lightest hue because it reflects the most light.

• Violet is the darkest hue because it reflects the least light.

Tint, Tone, Shade

• Tint – light value of a hue, add white

• Make a tint

• Shade – a dark value of a hue, add black

• Make a shade

• Tone – add grey

• Make a tone

Intensity

• The brightness or dullness of a hue.

• Pure colors are most intense.

• High intensity - pure

• Low intensity - mixed

• Make an intense hue

• Make a dull hue

Low High

Color schemes

Understanding color

Complimentary

• Complimentary colors…

• Colors opposite each other on the color wheel.

• Red and green

• Blue and orange

• Yellow and Violet

• Place each next to each other on your page…..

• Tend to vibrate, stand out

• Difficult to focus on the point where the colors touch

• Can cause seizures and headaches , grab attention- electricity.

• Mix two complimentary colors and they appear grey – absorb/neutralize each other….try it.

Pablo Picasso

“The Death of Casagemas”

Mondrian “View from the dunes”

Monochromatic Color Scheme

• One hue, various tints, tones and shades.

• Can be boring

• Make swatches of a monochromatic color

scheme, choose one hue, make a tint,

tone and shade.

Pablo Picasso – Blue Period

Analogous Color Scheme

• Colors that sit side by side on the color wheel and share a common hue.

• Red

• Red-orange

• Orange

• Orange-yellow

• Limit it to three hues

• Make one….

• Georgia O'Keeffe

• “Feel the awesome

• fire goddess”

Split Compliments

• The combination of one hue plus the hues

on either side of it’s compliment.

• Red, blue and green. (Red and green are

compliments…blue is next to green.)

• More variety than a complimentary color

scheme. Because you have three vs. two

colors to work with.

• Make a split compliment color scheme…

Warm color scheme

• Red, orange and yellow.

• Associated with warm things

• Tend to come forward

• Make a warm color scheme…

Cool color scheme

• Blue, green, violet

• Associated with cool

things

• Tend to recede

• Note – complimentary color schemes consist of one warm and one cool color.