Design Element- Color: ANSWER KEY
Color Wheel
Non-colors
Black:
White:
Neutrals (N)
Brown:
Grey
Color Sets:
Primary Colors: The fundamental colors, cannot be created by mixture (R, Y, B)
Secondary Colors: Mixing two primaries (G, O, V)
Tertiary Colors (Intermediate): Mixing a primary with the adjacent secondary color
Color Systems:
Achromatic: Without color (black and white)
Monochromatic: Uses one hue and all the values of that hue
Analogous: Colors that sit side by side on a the color wheel and share a common hue.
Triadic: Three colors equally spaced on the color wheel.
Complementary: Opposite colors on the color wheel
SplitComplementary: The combination of one hue plus the hues on each side of it’s
complement (R + YG + BG)
Other Color Terms:
Pigment: Finely ground, colored powders, when mixed with a paint vehicle, form paint,
pastels, crayons, etc.
Paint vehicles: The binder that holds together the pigments. (ex.: wax in crayons, egg in
egg tempera, linseed oil in oil paint, latex in household paint, etc.)
Optical Color: The color the results when a true color is affected by the atmosphere or by
unusual lighting (impressionists emphasized optical color)
Color – Adding Dimension
Hue: The name of a spectral color (colors on the color wheel)
Tint: A light value of a hue (add white)
Tone: A neutralized value of a hue (add grey)
Shade: A dark value of a hue
Highlight: The brightest, best light part of an object. Value is lighter than the local color.
Local Color: The true color of an object in natural light
Value: The lightness or darkness of a color, by adding black or white
Intensity: Brightness or dullness of a hue (pure hue vs. adding the complement to it)
Key: High key paintings, landscapes in bright sunlight
Low key paintings, landscapes on a gloomy day
Color Temperature:
Warm Colors Cool Colors
R, RO, O, YO, Y(BV,YG) ?G, BG, B, BV, V
Visual Effects of color:
- Cool colors recede; give the illusion of distance
- Warm colors advance or pop out
- A small amount of a brilliant color will “balance out” a large area of a neutral color.
- A warm, advancing color dominates an area when used with a cold receding color.
Color affects our perception: name a few ways this occurs by naming things we taste or smell that are associated with a certain color.
Green:
Red:
Blue:
Yellow
Neutrals
Color neutrals
Mix blue and redMix yellow and blueMix yellow and red
Add a little yellowadd a little redadd a little blue
Mix equal red and green Mix equal yellow and violet Mix equal blue and orange
Tint: add whiteTone: add greyShade: add grey