Color
properties and understanding the color wheel.
by Rosemary Pipitone
|
The beginning of wisdom
is calling things by their right names
-Chinese Proverb |
In the last article, we took
a Color IQ test. In this article we will deal with the pesky terminology.
You may want to get a beverage before you begin reading this article.
Remember, last time I did warn you that this was really dry. |
| Color theory is not a set of rules
or guidelines that must be followed. It is merely an explanation of how
colors behave in relation to other colors. How you choose color is an entirely
personal choice, but theory helps you to understand the effects of any combination.
Understanding color concepts will help you to create or enhance the mood
of an image. |
The Primary colors are Red, Blue, and Yellow. Primary colors cannot
be mixed by any combination of other colors. Mixing equal
amounts of Red, Blue and Yellow paint will produce a dark
Gray. Mixing two of the primary colors makes Secondary colors. Blue mixed with Yellow will yield Green, Red mixed
with Yellow will yield Orange and Red mixed with Blue will
yield Violet. Tertiary colors are primary colors
that possess a secondary bias; Blue-Green, Red-Violet, Yellow-Orange
and are made by mixing a primary and a secondary color together.
|
|
Color
Wheel |
Color possesses four
characteristics Hue, Value, Saturation and Temperature.
Hue identifies the color family or color name i.e.; Blue, Red,
Yellow, etc. Hue is just another word for the name of the color.
|
Value also known as Brightness or Luminance; describes
the relative lightness or darkness of the color. This quality
is due to the amount of white or black added to the color
i.e. Light Blue vs. Dark Blue. A black and white photograph
eliminates the hues leaving only the values to create the
image. Within value are Tints, Shades and Tones.
A Tint is made
by mixing a hue with white (or Extender with photo oils)
to create a light color or value. A Shade is made by mixing
a hue with black (or Neutral Tint with photo oils) to create
a dark color or value. A Tone is made by mixing a hue with
gray to create a medium color or value. With Photo oils
this can be accomplish by mixing Neutral tint with extender
then adding that mixture to a hue.
|
|
|
Saturation also
referred to as Chroma or Intensity, is the brightness
or purity of a color. This is the hardest quality to envision. Another
way of looking at this is how sharp or dull a color appears.
All colors have a warm
and cool variation referred to as Temperature. There are
few truly neutral pigments available in tubes. Red, Yellow and Orange
are considered warm and Blue, Green and Violet have been considered
cool colors. However, all colors have a warm and cool variation.
Vermillion red has an orange or warm bias, while Carmine red has
a blue-violet or cool bias.
So how warm is Hot
Pink? It really isn't warm at all, just a less saturated red with
violet bias. So don't let the cute names fool you. Look at the color
and if you aren't sure check it against something that you are confident
about calling warm or cool.
In 1666, Sir Isaac
Newton began his experimentation with light and color. He was the
first person to develop a circular diagram of colors comprised of
seven colors; Red, Orange, Yellow, Green, Blue, Indigo and Violet.
Newton did not make public these findings until 1672. The color
wheel logically arranges colors in sequence of pure hues. In 1766,
Morris Harris published the full color wheel, as we know it today
with twelve colors. Color wheel is an indispensable tool used to
understand color relationships and creating harmonious color schemes.
Color Harmony is a pleasing
arrangement of hues. This is where science meets art or separate,
depending on your point of view! The science of Color Harmony categorizes
color groupings. Art takes over in knowing how to use these groupings
and in what proportion and order. The concept of harmony is more
subjective that scientific. This is where we become individualist
in our representations. |
Complementary colors are colors opposite on the color wheel. Blue and Orange
or Red and Green are examples of Complementary colors. Complementary
colors will brighten each other when placed side by side.
However, complements will reduce each other's brightness when
mixed together. If your orange is too bright, adding a touch
of blue will reduce the brightness of the orange. Complementary
colors bring out attributes of each other. Notice how blue
enhances the warmth of orange.
|
|
|
Three colors that are equally spaced on the color wheel are
called Triadic Complements. Red, Yellow and Blue or
Green Orange and Violet are examples of Triadic complements.
|
|
|
Split
Complements are a color plus the two colors on the sides
of its direct complement. Red with Blue-Green and Yellow-Green
is one example of a Split complementary.
|
|
|
Monochromatic colors are variations of tints, shades and tones of the same color including
warm and cool variations of that same hue. While Colors located
side by side each other on the color wheel are called Analogous
colors also referred to as Adjacent colors. Blue, Blue-Green
and Green is one example of analogous color schemes.
Johannes Itten, renowned
Swiss color scientist, was the first to identify the harmony present
in color combinations with regard to their spatial relationship
to one another. He found that color relationships are best explained
with reference to seven types of color contrast.
Contrast of Hue is the effect from using different colors. As one can see there
is a difference between Yellow and Blue. There are only a few color
families there are millions of colors.
Light-Dark Contrast
is the effect created when using Dark, Medium, and Light variation
of a hue. You can see examples of this in many ordinary objects.
Think about a ball, it is lightest on the side facing the light
source and darkest on the side furthest from the light source. Light-Dark
contrast gives shape and dimension to an object. |
Hues have a
warm and cool variation, which can be used simultaneously
or adjacent to each other are called Cool-Warm Contrast.
I often will use a warm and cool variation of a color within
the same object to give the illusion of flickering light.
Warmer, darker
colors advance while cooler, paler colors recede. Combining
warm and cool variation of the same hue can yield more depth
and interest within an area.
Some examples
of Cool-Warm Contrast are; the coolness of Blue next to
the warmth of Orange, the coolness of the shadows as compared
to the warmth of the sun. Objects in the foreground are
warmer and cools down into the background.
|
|
|
Complementary
Contrast are opposite colors on the color wheel. Yellow
and Violet, Blue and Orange and Red and Green are examples
of complementary contrast.
|
|
|
For any given color,
the eye requires the complementary color and will spontaneously
generate it if it not already present. This is called Simultaneous
Contrast
Contrast of Saturation describes the degree of purity in a color. Look at the difference
between intense, pure, vivid colors vs. dull, muted or pastel colors. Contrast of Extension is the relative space or area of two
or more colors.
So how does this all
work together to create an image? Begin with the color wheel; examine
your subjects, what colors are they made up of? You don't need to
apply each concept to every element in your artwork. How do you
want to represent your subject?
How can you apply these
principles to your artwork? Begin by determining the overall color
scheme that you desire. As you work on each element, apply the concepts
that best exemplifies the desired result or effect. Think in smaller
terms or spaces. Also, study the artworks of your favorite painters.
Examine how color is used, the proportions and the effects, as well
as the techniques. Remember the Kiss Rule - Keep It Simple (Stupid)
For more detailed information
on color theory, there are two wonderful books written by Johannes
Itten, The Elements of Color and The Art of Color.
Itten examines and explains the physics, theories and effects of
colors theorists in history.
|
|
Interested in using this article in your publication, newsletter or web site? Contact Rosemary at: rosemary@handpaintedphotography.com
|
|
