color theory

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color theory
Red Orange Yellow Green Blue Indigo Violet
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Colors are created from natural pigments found
in minerals. Minerals are ground into fine
powders then combined with a binder to create
artistic materials such as paints or oil pastels.
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saturation, brightness, value
Saturation refers to the amount of pigment being
used in a color. A color that is desaturated is
closer to a neutral. When a color is at its
fullest saturation, it appears vibrant.
Brightness refers to how much white is in a
color, the more white, the brighter. Value refers
to the amount of black in a color. The more
black, the darker the value.
michelangelo
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primary vs. secondary
Red Yellow Blue These colors are the basis for
all other colors and cannot be created through
mixing. RED YELLOW Orange RED BLUE
Purple BLUE YELLOW Green Green, Purple,
Orange are considered secondary colors and are
created by mixing two primaries together.
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complementary colors
Complementary colors are colors that are opposite
eachother on the color wheel. EX Red
Green Blue Orange Purple Yellow Placing
complementary colors next to eachother highlights
an area bringing attention to the contrast
created by the opposites. While these colors
often create a vibrant look, they do not always
look good next to eachother.
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analogous colors
Are colors that are directly next to eachother on
the color wheel. These create almost no
contrast between them but rather work well
together. For example Blue Green Red
Orange Purple Red
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warm vs. cool colors
Warm colors are colors such as red, orange and
yellow. They are called such because they make
one think of such things as fire and
warmth. Cool colors are colors like blue,
purple, and green. These are called cool as they
make one think of such things as water, grass,
and other such cool objects. Neutral colors are
colors such as greys and browns which do not
contrast with other colors and are considered
dull.
titian
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color qualities
Notice how a color appears to stand out or fade
away based on the proximity to other colors.
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Shading with colors
When you attempt to shade something and are using
colors, rather than mixing black / adding black
to the color, you change the color. For example,
when you look at a tree, the leaves hit by the
sunlight appear to be white or yellow. The
leaves in shadow, can appear anywhere from dark
green to blue, to purple. Look at how the
following image changes with shadows based on
color schemes.
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Summary
Remember these things as you begin to experiment
with coloring your renderings and struggle with
color placement. Be sure in your practice ones
to experiment with color mixing so you can see
what might work together and what fails. And if
all else fails, consult reference images for
help.