An introduction to the color

wheel and working with color.

What is Color?• Color is what we see when light, striking an object, is

reflected back to the eye– Learning color mixing and relationships will allow you to utilize

color in your work effectively– Color can be used to create specific visual effects or to assign a

mood to a piece

• Color has three properties: Hue, Intensity, and Value– Hue – simply the name we assign to a color, i.e. Red, Blue, etc.– Intensity – How bright or dull a color is, sometimes referred to

as saturation– Value – The lightness or darkness of a color

• The primary colors are Red, Yellow, and Blue.

• These colors can be mixed to make any other color (along with white and black) but can’t be mixed themselves (they are natural)

• Primary colors are the origin of all of the colors on the color wheel

Primary Colors

Secondary Colors• The secondary colors are Green, Orange and

Violet.• These colors are made by mixing one primary

color with another

Tertiary Colors• Tertiary colors are made by mixing one primary

color with one secondary color

Red + Orange = Red-OrangeRed + Violet = Red-VioletYellow + Green = Yellow-GreenYellow + Orange = Yellow-OrangeBlue + Green = Blue-GreenBlue + Violet = Blue-Violet

Warm colors are reds, oranges, and yellows. These colors suggest heat, love, anger, violence, etc.

Cool colors are blues, greens and violets. These colors suggest sadness, night, the ocean, winter, etc.

Warm Colors & Cool Colors

Georgia O'Keeffe

Warm Color Scheme Cool Color Scheme

Complementary Colors

• Complementary colors are high contrast colors directly opposite each other on the color wheel.

• Complementary colors appear stronger and more vivid when placed next to each other in a work of art.

• Complementary colors can be mixed to create neutral tones.

Vincent van Gogh uses a complementary color scheme in this painting titled La Berceuse (1889; Oil on canvas).

Color Schemes

• Color Scheme defintion– a group of colors that work together visually

• Artists choose color schemes for their work to:– heighten the emotional content of the work – achieve a specific desired visual effect – Create visual unity within their piece

• Monochromatic – a color scheme with multiple values of a single color

• Monochromatic color schemes are often used in place of black and white work or to establish a mood.

Tint = color + white (to make the color lighter)

Shade = color + black (to make the color darker)

Monochromatic Color Scheme

Analogous Color Scheme

• Analogous colors are next to each other on the color wheel. They are naturally harmonious but lack contrast.

Triadic Color Scheme

• A triadic color scheme uses colors at the points of an equilateral triangle (three colors spaced equally on the color wheel).

• Sometimes referred to as a balanced color scheme– i.e. yellow-green, red-

orange, and blue-violet

Color Wheel Mandalas