Introducing Primary Hue - Handout 3 Page 1 of 4

Exploring Colour Basics …with Diana Gordon

An Art has no Distance online course for Painters and other Creatives, April 2020

This triptych example uses the 3 primary colours right out of the tube.

With such bright colours, it looks like a graphic poster.

1 TOPIC: INTRODUCING THE PRIMARY HUES

Red, Yellow, and Blue are considered the PRIMARY HUES for colour mixing with

paints. These colours cannot be made from any other colours. This first triad (3

hues) is in COLOUR HARMONY, meaning that these hues look aesthetically

pleasing together.

The 12- Hue Colour Wheel with only the Primary Colours

Source: Paintbasket.com

Introducing Primary Hue - Handout 3 Page 2 of 4

Piet Mondrian 1930 Composition II in Red, Blue and Yellow National Museum Belgrade. This is a well-known work of Abstraction, using the primary hues, with white and black for

contrast.

2 INTRODUCING TONAL VALUE

The primary hues have different VALUES relative to each other. Yellow is the

lightest, Red is a medium value, while Blue is relatively dark.

AT-HOME: You can sort out your tube paints into Lights, Mediums and Darks, much like

sorting your laundry.

I used a paint store chip with 6 values as a GREYSCALE in this photo. Light Grey on the left through

Medium Grey to very Dark Grey on the right. Greys are NEUTRAL hues (ACHROMATIC).

The Greyscale helps you determine the TONAL VALUE of a pigmented paint. TIP: Just move the colour

card up and down the Greyscale. The correct value is the one it blends into.

Introducing Primary Hue - Handout 3 Page 3 of 4

AT-HOME: Take photos of red, yellow and blue objects with your cell phone. Then use the

PHOTO EDITOR/ EFFECTS to make a Greyscale version. Save and compare the two versions.

(Look up on the Internet how to photo edit images on your specific type of phone.)

3 INTRODUCING SATURATION

The third characteristic of colour, after Hue and Value, is SATURATION. It is also

called Intensity, Brightness or Chroma. Pigmented paint right out of the tube is

usually fully saturated. Colours can be on a sliding scale between saturated and

desaturated, or bright and dull. For example cadmium yellow is a saturated yellow

hue, while yellow ochre is a desaturated version of the same hue.

Think of making soup.

Sometimes you need to intensify the taste or add more flavor (SATURATE).

Sometimes you need to dilute or dull down the taste (DESATURATE).

Norval Morrisseau (Anishinaabe 1931-2007) Children with Tree of Life (AGH)

acrylic on canvas

The primary hues dominate this colour palette, and they are bright and intense.

This is a desaturated version of Morrisseau’s painting. How does the change in saturation affect the visual

impact of the painting?

AT-HOME: Look for images that use full saturation compared to desaturated ones. What

different stories do these images tell? How did the choice of saturation in colour add to that

story?

Introducing Primary Hue - Handout 3 Page 4 of 4

AT-HOME: Compare the saturation of primary hues in these 2 posters.

(D. Gordon: L’éspace entre nous)

I used Liquitex Basics Naphthol Crimson; Cadmium Yellow Light; Ultramarine Blue as primaries

hues, unmixed, and at full saturation.

Which one is more dramatic?

Which one is easier to look at for

a long time?

Do you notice any vibration in the

top image?

WHY is there no such vibration in

Pablo Picasso’s poster?

(Source: Front Cover of book Picasso Posters by Maria Costantino, 2002)

End of Introducing Primary Hues Handout 3… D. Gordon April 2020.