Color

Color Theory

Element of Art

7 Elements of Art• Used in line project……..• Line• Shape• Value

• Color* Texture* Space• Form* Also used in line project

Color

• Color is an element of art that is derived fromreflected light.

• Color = light• Color = darkness

• You see color because light waves are reflectedfrom objects to your eyes.

• White light is all colors.• Darkness is absence of color

Color Spectrum

• When light passes through a wedge ofshapes glass, called a prism, the beam ofwhite light is bent and separated intobands of color, called the color spectrum.

• The colors always appear in the sameorder – red, orange, yellow, green, blueand violet.

• Rainbows - light bent by water.

Why is an apple red….

• An apple is red because all of the othercolors are absorbed and red is reflectedback to your eyes. Special color detectorsin your eyes detect the color of thereflected light waves.

Hue

• The name of a color

Let’s make a color wheel….

Primary Hue

• Pure color• Red, yellow, blue• Place a swatch of each on your paper….label• You can not make the primary hues• Try it now…..• Primary hues make all other colors.

• Piet Mondrian

“Tableau”

“Composition with yellow, red and blue”

Color Wheel

Secondary hues

• Made by mixing two primary hues• Green• Yellow + Blue• Orange• Yellow + Red• Violet• Red + Blue• Place a swatch of each on your paper….label

Tertiary/Intermediate Hues

• Made by mixing a primary and secondary hue• Red-orange = Red + Orange• Orange-yellow• Yellow-green• Green-blue• Blue-violet• Violet-Red• Make one now…….label

Value• The element of art that describes the darkness

or lightness of a color.• The amount of light a color reflects determines

its value.• Yellow is the lightest hue because it reflects the

most light.• Yellow is the lightest hue because it reflects the

most light.• Violet is the darkest hue because it reflects the

least light.

Value web site…

• http://www.ficml.org/jemimap/style/color/wheel.html

Neutral Colors• Black, white and grey are neutral colors.• Paint a swatch of black, white and grey….label

• White = all colors• Object does not absorb any colors – all reflected

back.• Black = no colors – absence of all colors.• Object absorbs all colors – none are reflected

back.• Grey in the middle

Neutral Painting

Tint, Tone, Shade

• Tint – light value of a hue, add white• Make a tint

• Shade – a dark value of a hue, add black• Make a shade

• Tone – add grey• Make a tone

Earth tones…….

Browns……

Intensity

• The brightness or dullness of a hue.• Pure colors are most intense.• High intensity - pure• Low intensity - mixed

• Make an intense hue• Make a dull hue

Low High

What hue is the most intense?

Color schemes

Understanding color

Let’s make a color cube!!!!

Warm color scheme

• Red, orange and yellow.• Associated with warm things• Tend to come forward• Make a warm color scheme…

Cool color scheme

• Blue, green, violet• Associated with cool things• Tend to recede

• Note – complimentary color schemesconsist of one warm and one cool color.

Complimentary• Complimentary colors…• Colors opposite each other on the color wheel.• Red and green• Blue and orange• Yellow and Violet• Place each next to each other on your page…..• Tend to vibrate, stand out• Difficult to focus on the point where the colors touch• Can cause seizures and headaches , grab attention-

electricity.• Mix two complimentary colors and they appear grey –

absorb/neutralize each other….try it.

Pablo Picasso“The Death of Casagemas”

Mondrian “View from the dunes”

Monochromatic Color Scheme

• One hue, various tints, tones and shades.• Can be boring• Make swatches of a monochromatic color

scheme, choose one hue, make a tint,tone and shade.

• Pablo Picasso• “The Tragedy”

Pablo Picasso – Blue Period

Analogous Color Scheme

• Colors that sit side by side on the colorwheel and share a common hue.

• Red• Red-orange• Orange• Orange-yellow• Limit it to three hues• Make one….

• Georgia O'Keeffe• “Feel the awesome• fire goddess”

Color Triads

• Composed of three colors spaced outequally on the color wheel.

• Red, yellow and blue. (Primary colors)• Green, orange and violet (Secondary triad)• Make a triad swatch….• A high intensity triad (primary) is very

difficult to work with, the hues are sointense that viewer may feel veryuncomfortable.

• Piet Mondrian

Split Compliments

• The combination of one hue plus the hueson either side of it’s compliment.

• Red, blue and green. (Red and green arecompliments…blue is next to green.)

• More variety than a complimentary colorscheme. Because you have three vs. twocolors to work with.

• Make a split compliment color scheme…

Pablo Picasso“The Death of Casagemas”

Arbitrary Color Scheme

• Artists use color toexpress feelings.Make their colorchoice by personalpreference. Expressmeaning.

• Wassily Kandinsky• “Synaesthetic

Experience”

Tonality

• Sometimes artists letone color dominatethe work of art. Thepainting does haveother colors present.

• Childe Hassam• “Jellyfish”

Color Schemes

Choose one color scheme• 1. Primary color scheme• 2. Secondary color scheme• 3. Tertiary color scheme• 4. Neutral color scheme• 5. Complimentary color scheme• 6. Analogous color scheme• 7. Monochromatic color scheme• 8. Split compliment color scheme• 9. Color triad color scheme• 10. Warm color scheme• 11. Cool color scheme• 12. High intensity color scheme• 13. Low intensity color scheme• 14.Tonality• 15. Arbitrary color• 16. Earth tones

Water color project

• Choose a color scheme• Draw a squiggly line with thick black

sharpie• Paint• Teach watercolor techniques

Computer color project….• Computer design Project due next class

• Execute your abstract watercolor study on thefollowing computer program. You must do yourproject in the opposite color scheme. For example, ifyou used warm colors for your painting, then usecool for the computer project.....then print.

• Download The program is available for free.Download it here and execute the downloaded file

• Drawing for Children version 2.2 (1.2M)• http://www.smartdraw.com/downloads/index.htm?WT.svl=link01• http://artbiangazzo.subnet1.de/index.html

Homework• Make a color wheel• Take this piece of paper, make a color wheel

using water colors• Label everything.• Must include• Primary, secondary and all tertiary colors.• Use these web sites to help you….• http://teachvu.vu.msu.edu/public/contentAnalysis

/color/color2000.htm• http://www.suzannecooper.com/classroom/color

wheel.html

Homework…Counts as three!

• Go on line…..• Find and print an example of each in

a art work – must label and list website.

• List title, artist, name of painting andweb site.

1. Primary color scheme2. Secondary color scheme3. Tertiary color scheme4. Neutral color scheme5. Complimentary color scheme6. Analogous color scheme7. Monochromatic color scheme8. Split compliment color scheme9. Color triad color scheme10. Warm color scheme11. Cool color scheme12. High intensity color scheme13. Low intensity color scheme14.Tonality15. Arbitrary color

Extra credit – Optical Color find andimage and explain

All examples must be from differentweb sites – if you do not FULLYLABEL – you will receive zero credit!!

• You may not use any examplesshown in class or in the text book –good luck!!

• Due……_________________

Extra Credit

• Watch Paul Klee DVD• Relates to color• Answer questions while taking the test• Three points on your average!!!