COLORRR
Topics Color Definitions Subtractive/Additive Color Theory Color Codes Johannes Itten Successive Contrast The Seven Color Contrasts Color Harmonies In Class Assignment Homework
Color Definitions Hue The attribute of a color by virtue of which it is discernible as red, green, blue. Saturation The intensity of a hue. How pure the color is. Value (or Shade or Tint) How much black or white is mixed with a hue.
Subtractive Color Theory (Paints) When you combine Red, Yellow, and Blue, you get black. The more colors you add the closer you get to black, the more you subtract the closer you get to white.
Additive Color Theory (Computer/Light) When you combine Red, Green, and Blue, you get white. The more colors you subtract, the closer you get to black.
RGB (Red, Green, Blue) Screen (0-255, 0-255, 0-255) White = 255, 255, 255 Black = 0, 0, 0 CMYK (Cyan, Magenta, Yellow, Black) Print (0-100%, 0-100%, 0-100%, 0-100%) White = (0, 0, 0, 0) Black = (100, 100, 100, 100) HSB (Hue, Saturation, Brightness) Screen (0-360, 0-100%, 0-100%) White = 0, 0, 100 Black = 0, 0, 0
Johannes Itten Came up with "The Seven Color Contrasts" Was one of the Bauhaus masters and developed the basic course on form and color...on color "Doctrines and theories are best for weaker moments. In moments of strength, problems are solved intuitively, as if of themselves."
Successive Contrast If you look at a square of color for a while and then close your eyes, you should see the complimentary color.
(You should've seen green.)
(You should've seen purple.)
The Different Kinds of Contrast
1. Contrast of Hue (Red/Yellow/Blue) The easiest to use and recognize. The example uses contrasting red, blue, and yellow to draw attention to the figure. Grunewald Resurrection
Francisco 2. Light Dark Contrast Still Life with Lemons Oranges and a Rose (White/Black) Much asian art relies on black/white contrast, such as chinese and japanese ink drawing. Other examples are the woodcut, copperplate, and etching. The example shows a contrast in light and dark by keeping the different colors in a similar tone.
Monet 3. Cold Warm Contrast The Waterloo Bridge (Red Orange / Blue Green) The most emotional kind of contrast. Good for expressing music or thought in color. Monet's paintings expressed light and dark in cold/warm instead of white/black.
4. Complimentary Contrast (yellow/violet, blue/orange, red/green) Mixing of two complimentary colors (which create grey.) This is done in traditional painting by layering the colors, or within pointillism the dots are placed near each other and your eye combines them. The example shows how orange and green are used to balance the picture, in the areas where the colors overlap, grey is formed. Paul Cezanne La Montagne Saint Victoire Barnes
5. Simultaneous Contrast Van Gogh Cafe Terrace at Night (Similar to Successive Contrast) Simultaneous contrast results from the fact that for any given color the eye simultaneously requires the complementary color, and generates it spontaneously. The example shows large areas of yellow and blue force the eye to generate areas of purple and orange.
Paul Klee Magic Fish 6. Contrast of Saturation Saturation, or quality, refers to the degree of purity of a color. A saturated color can then by diluted by adding white, black, grey, or by a corresponding complementary color(adding yellow to violet). The example uses areas of bright saturation against areas of dark saturation to provide contrast.
Pieter Brueghel the Elder Landscape with Fall of Icarus 7. Contrast of Extension Using the amount of area a color occupies (in relation to the rest of the design) to either balance or draw focus. In the example, red is used very little, so that the eye is drawn to the figure.
Color Harmonies
Monochromatic Colors Different shades of the same hue (color). Example: Red-Purple/Purple/Purple-Blue
Complimentary Colors Pairs of colors that are opposite on the color wheel. Example: Red/Green, Yellow/Purple
Analagous Colors Colors that are next to each other on the color wheel. Example: Yellow/Green/Blue, Red/Purple/Blue
Triadic Colors Colors that are evenly spaced on the color wheel. Example: Red/Blue/Yellow Orange/Purple/Green
In Class Exercise During the break, take a picture with your phone or camera. Use either your computer, or paper/markers to identify a color scheme from it. Then label what color harmony it is using. Present to the Class.
Adobe Kuler http://kuler.adobe.com Lets you experiment, create, and share color schemes. You can then export these to Illustrator or Photoshop.
Homework Example In class pick 3 words out of the hat. Sad Define a color palette (five colors) for each word. Monochromatic Create three abstract compositions (one for each word) using the color palettes and simple shapes. The composition can be as simple or complicated as you want, but be sure you can justify your choices in class. You can do this in photoshop, illustrator, or any non-digital way you like (paint, construction paper, crayons, etc).