1. LIFE’S RAINBOW…
Photo by L. E. Denyer

2. ARTISTIC ELEMENTS:
COLOR
2

4. “COLOR in a picture is like enthusiasm
in life”
 --by Pablo Picasso

5. WHAT FEELINGS DO THE
FOLLOWING COLORS CREATE?

6. Jane Anybody 2nd
Course Name
Take out your Whiteboards
 For each of the following color slides,
 Write one or two words that relate to
the emotions created by the following
colors
 Then hold up your whiteboards for the
teacher to see

16. COLOR
 Is the visual perceptual property
 Corresponding in humans
 To the categories called red, yellow, blue
and others

17. COLOR
 Color derives from the spectrum of light
 (distribution of light energy versus
wavelength)
 Interacting in the eye
 with the spectral sensitivities of the
light receptors

18. COLOR
 Color categories and physical
specifications of color are also associated
with
 objects, materials, light sources, etc.
 Based on their physical properties such
as
 light absorption
 Reflection
 or emission spectra

19. COLOR
 Color is one of the most powerful of the
artistic elements
 It has tremendous expressive qualities.
 Understanding the uses of color is
crucial to effective composition in
design
 A knowledge of color terms helps us
to appreciate the different ways that
color may be used in art and design

20. Reminder: The Elements
• LINE
• SPACE
• COLOR
• SHAPE AND MASS
• TEXTURE
• PATTERN

21. Remember this picture?
 An example of lines
 Also an excellent
illustration of vibrant
color
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22. Color Systems
 Color classification "systems" have been
devised to organize and identify color
relationships
 A most familiar one is the 12 hue "Color
Wheel"
 introduced by Johannes Itten (1888-1967)

23. Light Spectrum

24. Light Spectrum
 The spectrum is the colors of the
rainbow
 arranged in their natural order:
 Red - Orange - Yellow - Green - Blue -
Indigo - Violet.
The mnemonic for this is ROY G BIV
 Or RGB

25. Hues
 A hue is one of the colors of the spectrum
 Hue is the correct word to use to refer to
just the pure spectrum colors
 Any given color can be described in terms
of its value and hue
 In addition, a range of physical
phenomena and psychological effects
combine
 to affect our perceptions of a color

26. Hues on a Color Wheel
 Hues have a circular order as illustrated in
the color wheel
 The color wheel is a useful device to help
us explain the relationships between
Primary, Secondary and Tertiary colors

27. Color Wheel (using Hues)

28. Three Main Color Classifications

29. Color Classifications
 Primary colors
 These colors are pure-you can’t create them from other colors and all others are
created from them.
 Red, blue, and yellow
 Secondary colors
 These colors are formed when equal parts of two primary colors are combined.
 Orange, green, and violet
 Intermediate colors-These colors are formed by mixing a primary
color with a secondary color next to it.
 All kinds of other colors….

30. Primary Colors
 On the color wheel
 Places the PRIMARY colors equidistant from each
other.

31. Which ones are the Primary
Colors?

32. Secondary Colors
 In-between the primaries are the
"SECONDARY" colors. In between the
primary and secondary colors are the
INTERMEDIATES
 (also called the TERTIARIES).

33. Creating Secondary Colors
 Secondary colors are made by mixing two
primary colors together:
 red and yellow to get orange
 yellow and blue to get green
 red and blue to get purple
+ =
+ =
+ =

34. Note…
 The secondary color you get depends
on the proportions in which you mix
the two primaries

35. Secondary Colors
 Which are
the
secondary
colors?

36. Tertiary Colors
 If you mix three primary colors
together,
 you get a tertiary color
 Also thought of as a combination of primary
and secondary colors

37. The Six Tertiary colors
 Red-Orange
 Yellow-Orange
 Yellow-Green
 Blue-Green
 Blue-Violet
 Red-Violet
What is another place where you have heard the term Tertiary?

38. Easy way to remember names
 An easy way to remember these names is to
place the primary name before the other color
 So, the tertiary color produced when mixing the
primary color blue with the secondary color
green, is called 'blue-green“
 And so on…

39. Tertiary
 Which
are the
tertiary
colors?

40. COLOR HARMONIES
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41. Harmonies
 In decoration, harmony refers to a
combination of colors that is
pleasing to the eye

42. The Color Harmonies
 Monochromatic
 Complimentary
 Split Complimentary
 Triadic
 Analogous

43. Monochromatic
 One Color – Different shades
 The monochromatic color scheme uses
variations in lightness and saturation of a single
color
 This scheme looks clean and elegant
 Monochromatic colors go well together
 producing a soothing effect
 The monochromatic scheme is very easy on
the eyes,
 especially with blue or green hues

44. Monochromatic
 You can use it to establish an overall mood
 The primary color can be integrated with
neutral colors such as
 black, white, or gray
 However, it can be difficult, when using this
scheme, to highlight the most important
elements.

45. COMPLIMENTARY
 Colors that are opposite each other on
the color wheel are considered to be
complementary colors
 example: red and green
 The high contrast of complementary
colors creates a vibrant look especially
when used at full saturation
 This color scheme must be managed well
so it is not jarring

46. COMPLIMENTARY
 Complementary colors are tricky to
use in large doses,
 but work well when you want
something to stand out
 Complementary colors are really
bad for text

47. SPLIT COMPLIMENTARY
 The split-complementary color
scheme is a variation of the
complementary color scheme
 In addition to the base color,
 it uses the two colors adjacent to its
complement

48. SPLIT COMPLIMENTARY
 This color scheme has the same
strong visual contrast as the
complementary color scheme
 but has less tension.
 The split-complimentary color scheme
is often a good choice for beginners
 because it is difficult to mess up

49. TRIADIC
 A triadic color scheme uses colors
that are evenly spaced around
the color wheel
 Triadic color harmonies tend to
be quite vibrant, even if you use
pale or unsaturated versions of
your hues

50. TRIADIC
 To use a triadic harmony successfully,
 the colors should be carefully
balanced
 let one color dominate
 and use the two others for accent

51. ANALAGOUS
 Analogous color schemes use
colors that are next to each other
on the color wheel
 They usually match well and
create serene and comfortable
designs

52. ANALAGOUS
 Analogous color schemes are often
found in nature and are harmonious
and pleasing to the eye
 Make sure you have enough contrast
when choosing an analogous color
scheme

53. ANALAGOUS
 Choose one color to dominate
 A second to support
 The third color is used
 along with black, white or gray
 as an accent

54. What were the Color Harmonies
Again?
 Monochromatic
 Complimentary
 Split Complimentary
 Triadic
 Analogous