Standard Color HarmoniesColor Theory is a set of principles used to create harmonious color combinations.

Color relationships can be visually represented with a color wheel — the color spectrum wrapped onto a

circle.

Monochromatic Color SchemeThe monochromatic color scheme uses variations in lightness and saturation of a single color. This scheme looks clean and elegant. Monochromatic colors go well together, producing a soothing effect.

Marcel Duchamp Nude Descending a Staircase #2 24 X 14 ½” Philadelphia Museum of Art New York

Analogous Color SchemeThe analogous color scheme uses colors that are adjacent to each other on the color wheel. One color is used as a dominant color while others are used to enrich the scheme.

Paul KleeViaducts Break

Ranks20 ¾ X 16 ¼”Kunshalle,Hamburg

Complementary Color SchemeThe complementary color scheme consists of two colors that are opposite each other on the color wheel. This scheme looks best when you place a warm color against a cool color, for example, red versus green. This scheme is high-contrast.

Pablo PicassoLobster and Cat20 1/8 X 25”J.K. Thannhauser

CollectionNew York

Split Complementary Color SchemeThe split complementary scheme is a variation of the standard complementary scheme. It uses a color and the two colors adjacent to its complementary. This provides high contrast without the strong tension of the complementary scheme.

Claude MonetTulips in

Holland19 X 24”Louvre, Paris

Triadic Color SchemeThe triadic color scheme uses three colors equally spaced around the color wheel. This scheme is popular among artists because it offers strong visual contrast while retaining harmony and color richness. The triadic scheme is not as contrasting as the complementary scheme, but it looks more balanced and harmonious.

Stuart DavisFigure Five in Gold25 X 20”Metropolitan Museum of ArtNew York

Double Complementary Color Scheme The double complementary scheme is the most varied because it uses two complementary color pairs. This scheme is hard to harmonize; if all four hues are used in equal amounts, the scheme may look unbalanced, so you should choose a color to be dominant or subdue the colors.

Marc ChagallI and the Village24 ½ X 19 “Museum of Modern

ArtNew York

Accented Neutral Color schemes use neutral colors (grays, beiges or whites) as main color and then add a punch with a dark accent color to add visual interest.

Pippin HoraceThe Domino Players15 ¾ X 27Phillips CollectionWashington, DC

Warm colors are vivid in nature. They are bold and energetic. Warm colors are those that tend to advance in space; therefore, caution needs to be taken so you do not overwhelm your content with eye catching hues. If an element in your design needs to pop out, consider using warm colors to do that.Cool colors are soothing in nature. They give an impression of calm and rarely overpower the main content or message of a design. Cool colors tend to recede; therefore, if some element of your design needs to be in the background, give it cool tones.

Warm colors are the reds, oranges, and yellows Cool colors are the blue, greens

and violets

Peter Max Better World 3

24 X 28”

1999

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