History of Color• Colors are often

symbolic.• Let’s talk about what

role color has played in different times in history.

In China…• Yellow has religious

significance and is still the Imperial color today!

In Greece and Rome…• Red was believed to

have protective powers.

• Purple was restricted to use by nobility.

The Egyptians• Adorned walls of

tombs and temples with brilliant colors of blue, tangerine, and green.

In the Italian Renaissance…• Colors were vibrant

reds, greens, golds and blues.

In the Rococo period…• Tastes became

very feminine, colors became less vibrant.

In 18th Century England…• There was great

elegance. Colors were rich, showing a strong Chinese influence in the use of red and gold.

During the Victorian era…• There was great

Eclecticism known for it’s abundance of “things”.

• Colors were mostly dull reds, greens, browns, and mauves.

In the Early 20th Century… • Colors were

Monochromatic. There were sleek surfaces and strong contrasts with black, gray, silver, brown, beige and white.

In the 1920’s…• All-white interiors

became popular which gave way to delicate pastels with bright accents.

In the 1950’s..• Light colors were

preferred.• However,

American interest turned to Mexico and a shift to bright colors with bright contrasts.

And in the 1990’s…• Regal gold, blue,

and red were used. Southwestern remained popular and Victorian was being revived.

• Ivy league also becomes popular with forest greens and cranberry reds.

Where does color come from?• A ray of light is the

source of all color.• Without light, color

does not exist.• Light is broken down

into colors of the spectrum. You can often see a variety of colors in a bright beam when you look at something like a rainbow.

Color• Color can alter the

appearance of form and space.

• Color can affect our performance abilities and change our moods.

Pigments• Pigments are substances that

can be ground into fine powder and used for adding color to dyes and paints.

• Pigments were originally derives from animal, mineral, and vegetable sources.

• Examples:– Purple from shellfish– Red dye from the dried bodies

of scale insects• To create our own color wheel,

we will be mixing different pigments together to create all the colors in the color wheel.

The Color Wheel• The color wheel is a basic tool we

use when working with colors. • It is based on the standard color

theory known as Brewster/Prang. • In addition to the traditional color

wheel, there are two color systems that are useful when more detailed colors are required.– The Munsell system:

• Has 5 principles hues and 5 intermediate hues. A numbering system helps designers identify the exact hue they need.

– The Ostwald system:• Made from pairs of complementary

colors. The color circle has twenty-four hues.

The Color Wheel

• There are 12 hues in the spectrum of color.

• They are divided into three categories…

Red-vio let

V io let

B lue-vio le tB lue

B lue-green

G reen

Yellow -green

Yellow

Yellow -orange O range

Red-orange

R ed

The Primary Colors• Red, Yellow, and

Blue• These colors

cannot be combined from mixing any colors together.

R ed-vio le t

V io let

B lue-v io le tB lue

Blue-green

G reen

Yellow -green

Yellow

Yellow -orange O range

R ed-orange

R ed

The Secondary Colors• Green, violet, and

orange• Made by

combining the Primary colors together.

R ed-vio le t

V io let

B lue-v io le tB lue

Blue-green

G reen

Yellow -green

Yellow

Yellow -orange O range

R ed-orange

R ed

The Tertiary Colors• Yellow-green, blue-

green, blue-violet, red-violet, red-orange, yellow-orange.

• Made by combining a primary and a secondary hue.

• Named by the Primary color first.

R ed-vio le t

V io let

B lue-v io le tB lue

Blue-green

G reen

Yellow -green

Yellow

Yellow -orange O range

R ed-orange

R ed

Color Wheel Assignment• Now it’s your turn to create

your own color wheel! • You decide whether you

want to earn full credit by completing the assignment as shown here…

• Or you can earn extra credit, by creating another picture with your color wheel…– A rainbow, a tire, a flower,

etc.• Make sure to label all twelve

colors correctly, and label your assignment in architectural writing with your name, assignment name and period.