How We See Color

Color is derived from Reflected Light.White light from the sun is actually a combination of all colors.

When light passes through a prism, a wedge-shaped glass, the beam of light bends and separates into bands of color, called the Color Spectrum. A Rainbow is a natural example of the color spectrum, because light passing through water causes the same effect.

Color has 3 properties:

1) Hue: name of a color in the color spectrum

2) Value: lightness or darkness of a color

3) Intensity: the brightness or dullness of a hue

The color wheel organizes the hues of the color spectrum. It is actually the spectrum bent into a circle.

We will be working with a 12-color wheel which consists of :

1. 3 Primaries

2. 3 Secondaries

3. 6 Intermediates

Color Families

The color wheel helps us organize the hues into specific families.

The first family is the PRIMARY COLORS: Red, YellowYellow and Blue.

You cannot make these colors, but through combinations of them and with black and white you can produce EVERY other color.

Keith Haring. Red- Yellow- Blue- 21

The next color family is the SECONDARY COLORS:

The primaries mixed in equal parts create the

secondaries:

R + Y = ORANGE

Y + B = GREEN

R + B = VIOLET Vincent Van Gogh. Irises, St. Remy, c. 1889

The third color family is INTERMEDIATE or TERTIARY COLORS and are created by mixing a primary with it’s secondary.

R + O = RED-ORANGE

R + V = RED-VIOLET

B + G = BLUE-GREEN

B + V = BLUE-VIOLET

Y + G = YELLOW-GREEN

Y + O = YELLOW-ORANGEReiko Hervin. Hot

Romance. Watercolor

Another color family is created by the COMPLEMENTARY COLORS.

These colors are opposite each otheropposite each other on the color wheel.

When COMPLEMENTARIES are placed closely together in a composition they create the strongest contrast of a huethe strongest contrast of a hue.

Artists use them in Optical Illusion artwork to create “visual vibration.”

Robert Holman. La Sera I

The color family ANALOGOUS COLORS are created from colors of a common hue that sit side by sideside by side on the color wheel usually 3-4 hues. Analogous colors are relatedrelated. ANALOGOUS COLORS are commonly used to create a design that ties one shape to the next through a common color.

The color family WARM/COOL COLORS are created by splitting the color wheel in half splitting the color wheel in half

diagonallydiagonally. They are used to create temperature temperature or moodor mood in artwork. WARM COLORS seem to move toward the viewer and COOL COLORS

seem to recede, or move away.

.

Edward Hopper. Girl At Sewing Machine. c. 1921.

Warm Color Painting

Michele Hausman. Summer Cool.

Cool Color Painting

Analogous Color Painting

Student Work.

Color Value

LIGHT = WHITE = TINT

ABSENCE OF LIGHT = BLACK = SHADE

Adding white to the hue lightens it, adding black to the hue, darkens it.

Richard E. Adams. Animal Interior Still Life. Acrylic Painting

Now, it’s your turn to practice!

• Using the color wheel handout, a scrap of paper, and ONLY red, yellow, and blue paint; paint the color wheel mixing primaries to make the secondaries and intermediates.

• Next, use white to create TINTS of all colors. CLEAN YOUR PALETTE!

• Last use black to create SHADES of all colors.

• BE CAREFUL NOT TO MIX GRAY WITH ANY COLORS!