Color Theory Reading notes

Color is both the most elusive and most emotionally complex design element.

Color theory is the art and science of color interaction and effects.

Additive color is created using beams of light (RGB)

Subtractive color is created when white light is reflected off a pigmented or dyed surface.

-The subtractive primaries a re blue, red, and yellow.

cyan blue, magenta red, and yellow: the transparent primaries (or process colors) commonly used in mass production

When white light passes through a prism,it is refracted, or bent. This creates a wide spectrum of hues, which is dominated by red, orange, yellow, green, blue, blue-violet, and violet

red as the longest and violet as the shortest

surface reflects same color (white – reflects all colors)

Color overtones – a secondary hue bias in a

primary color

achromatic black and white, which have no hue.

Color interaction refers to the way colors influence one another.

simultaneous contrast - profoundly affected by the surrounding colors.

Bezold effect - change in a single color can substantially alter our perception of an entire pattern

According to opponent theory, the cones can register only one color in a complementary pair at a time.

Afterimage – due to fatigue in the cones, the color sensors in our eyes.

hue, or name of a color

itten

Red, blue, and yellow primary colors

secondary colors of green, orange, and violet

mixture of a secondary color and the adjacent primary color creates a tertiary color.

Temperature refers to the heat a color generates, both physically and psychologically

Color temperature can help create the illusion of space. Under most circumstances, warm colors advance, while cool colors recede.

Value refers to the relative lightness or darkness of a color

When white is added to a hue, the resulting tint will be lighter in value. The addition of g ray produces a tone. The addition of black creates a darker shade.

Intensity, saturation, and chroma all refer to the purity of a color. The primary colors are the most intense. This intensity generally diminishes when colors are mixed.

Adjacent colors on the color wheel are used in an analogous color scheme

Complementary colors are opposites on the traditional color wheel. When mixed together, they ca n lower intensity and produce a wide range of browns. When paired in a composition, complementary colors become ideal partners. Each increases the power of the other.

By mixing two complements plus black and white, we can create a range of colors that begins to suggest the power of

a full spectrum.

split complementary color scheme - Rather than pair colors that are in opposite positions on the color wheel, the artist completes the scheme using the two colors on either side of one of the complements.

Key Questions

• Which will work better in your design, a

limited or a wide range of hues?

• What proportion of warm and cool colors

best communicates your id ea?

• What happens when you combine low intensity

colors with high-intensity

colors?

triadic color scheme - located in a triangular

position, equally spaced around

the wheel, used when variety and a strong

impact are essential

A chromatic gray is made from a mixture of various hues, rather than a simple blend of black and white.

Earth colors - Often warm in temperature, when used together they create a type of analogous harmony(raw sienna and burnt sienna, raw and burnt umber, and yellow ochre)

Key Questions

• What are the advantages of each of the traditional

color schemes?

• When a limited palette is used, how can a few

colors produce the greatest impact? When

a full palette is used, how can the colors

become unified?

• What happens when your composition is

dominated by earth colors or chromatic

grays? How does it change when an intense

color is added?

• Which is more suitable for the idea you want

to express: traditional color harmony or some

form of disharmony?

Key Questions

• How much space is needed in your composition,

and how can color increase the illusion

of space?

• How can color shift the visual balance in your

composition?

• Can color shift or enhance the emphasis in

your composition?

A dominant color, or color key, can heighten psychological

as well as compositional impact

Key Questions

• Will deeper space strengthen your composition?

If so, what colors might you choose?

• Will a shift in coloristic balance improve your

design?

• Will a dominant color key increase the emotional

impact of your design?

• Considering the ideas you want to express,

which is more effective: an even distribution

of color or focused use, as a way to emphasize

a particular shape or word?

Color can increase the power of a given shape,

shift compositional weight, and create a focal point.

It can enhance the illusion of space, suggest volume,

and heighten emotion. Well used , color is one of the

most expressive elements of art and design.

SUMMARY

Color immediately attracts attention. Its emotional

and physiological impact strengthens communication

and heightens expression.

Red, green, and blue are the additive color

primaries. Blue, red , and yellow are the subtractive

color primaries.

The three basic qualities of color a re hue (the name

of the color), value (i ts lightness or darkness), and

intensity (its purity).

Using a monochromatic, analogous, complementary,

split complementary, or triad ic color scheme can

increase harmony in your design.

The level of color harmony must match the expressive

intent. In the right context, disharmony can be

more expressive than harmony.

In a composition, color can enhance the illusion of

space, shift visual weight and ba lance, and help

emphasize compositional details.

Distribution and proportion can help unify disharmonious

colors.

Colors are never emotionally neutral. A dominant

color key can heighten psychological impact, while a

symbolic color provides a cultural reference.