Color terminology Warm/active. (a western concept) hues associated with heat, fire, sun Cool/passive. (a western concept) hues associated with water, sky, ice Values. The amount of light or dark in a hue Tints. Hue and white. Shade. Hue and black.
Color
Objects have no color of their own, they display an ability to reflect specific wavelengths of white light. Blue objects absorb all the rays of light except the blue ones, these are reflected into our eyes. The significance of this fact is that as light changes, color will change.
Color Perception and the Influence of Light Colors of things change when light changes. Color constancy - the false notion we hold within our mind that the grass is green despite the visual evidence.
Color Systems - The Source of Color Additive System- light is mixed or added to create color. Color as a result of combining separate wavelengths (colors) of light from different sources. Light is composed of: Red, green and blue Use in electronic media
Primary Colors of Light The three primary colors of light are red, green, blue. Separate colors of light combine to form white light. Black is absence of all colors
Color Systems - The Source of Color Subtractive System- Pigments are mixed and light reflects a specific color. White light reflecting specific hues to our eyes as a result of varying pigments. This is subtractive because it subtracts or absorbs all the other colors except the specific hue that is reflected into our eyes. Used in any painted/printed piece
Primary Colors of Paint (pigment) All colors in the visible spectrum are subtracted or absorbed but the one we see it is reflected. The three primary colors of paint are red, blue and yellow. These colors combine to give you a neutral grayish muddy color. In the ideal world, they would combine and form black.
The first property of color: Hue Hue - the first property of color. It refers to the name of the color on the color wheel. Hue and color are often used synonyms, but the term color refers to the name of the color - pink, rose, magenta, etc.
Mixing colors All colors can be mixed from the basic colors. These are called primary colors. Mixing equal parts of any two primary colors will yield one of the secondary colors Tertiary colors are achieved by a mixture of primary and secondary hues A relatively simple device that shows the relationships among colors is the color wheel.
Color Wheel an organization of the relationships of color into twelve hues. Primary colors - 3 colors: red, yellow and blue (magenta, yellow and cyan for printing). Secondary colors - 3 colors: red + yellow = orange, yellow + blue = green, red + blue = purple. These colors are a mixture of two primaries. Tertiary colors - 6 colors: red orange, orange yellow, yellow green, blue green, red purple. These colors are a mixture a primary color and its adjacent secondary color.
The second property of color: Value This refers to the lightness or darkness of a hue. Tint - the result of adding a lighter color such as white. Tone (Shade) - the result of adding a darker color such as black.
Each color has a inherent value. Take for an example yellow and blue. Yellow is a lighter value therefore it will have more tones than tints. Blue on the other hand is a darker value, therefore it will have more tints than tones.
A color value can also be altered by mixture of other hues that are either light or darker in value. Caution beware not to change the hue in the process - red + yellow = orange.
The third property of color: Intensity Intensity - A color s brightness. The purity of the color. Color is at its fullest when it is unmixed and pure. Because color is relative a color can appear more intense when it is surrounded by colors that are less intense.
Decreasing intensity Neutralizing a color or lowering its intensity can be achieved a color is mix with any other color. This change is small in contrast when a neutral gray is mixed with the hue. When mixing a hue s complimentary color you can lower the intensity. Complementary colors - blue/orange, red/green, yellow/purple.
Increasing intensity A color can be be made brighter by using simultaneous contrast adding a color that has greater intensity Simultaneous contrast - example blue appears more brilliant when placed next to orange. Beware of changing its hue.
Color harmony = A pleasing arrangement of parts It engages the viewer and it creates an inner sense of order, a balance in the visual experience. When something is not harmonious, it s either boring or chaotic. At one extreme is a visual experience that is so bland that the viewer is not engaged. The human brain will reject under-stimulating information. At the other extreme is a visual experience that is so overdone, so chaotic that the viewer can t stand to look at it. The human brain rejects what it can not organize, what it can not understand. The visual task requires that we present a logical structure. Color harmony delivers visual interest and a sense of order.
Color Combinations Color combinations may pass unnoticed when pleasing, yet offend dramatically when compositions seem to clash. One outcome we seek in the final form or composition, is a successful use of color.
Color Schemes Monochromatic Color Scheme - the use of only one hue and white and black to tint and tone the hue.
Analogous Color Scheme the use of several hues that are next to each other on the color wheel. Red, Orange and yellow are an example. Tonality - the over all dominance of a single hue.
Complementary Color Scheme One hue and its opposite color on the color wheel. Example - Orange and Blue.
Split Complementary Color Scheme two hues that are next to each other and one color that is opposite to one of the two colors on the color wheel. Example - Red, Orange, and Blue. Or red, yellow-green and blue
Triadic Color Scheme Three hue equally spaced on the color wheel. Red, Yellow, Blue. Orange, Green, Purple is another.
Planning Color Schemes (Harmonies) Have a plan on what you what to accomplish with color before you start. Become familiar with the Scheme or Harmonies of color. This knowledge will help you unity and Emphasis.
Emotional Color Color has an emotional response. Yellows, Oranges and Reds can create a feeling of warm, happy, cheerful reactions. Blues, Greens and Purples can express melancholy, mystery, etc.
Observing Color (Color Interaction) Color is relative - our perceptions of color changes according to its surroundings even in the same light.
Interaction of color Because of color interaction, the same color can be seen in many different ways at different times. Color is relative
No color is conceived as what it actually is physically We never see a color singly, or by itself.. but only in relationship Josef Albers
Visual Color Mixing (Optical Mixture) Two pure or more intense colors that are next to each other are mixed optically from a distance.
Pointillism the use of small bits of juxtaposed color to make different colors. A TV scene is composed of thousands of tiny dots of the light primaries red, blue, green that mix visually. Pointillism - Seurat
Identifying Color s Temperature Certain colors cause psychological effects of cool and warm. Warm Colors - Generally speaking they are Red, Orange, and Yellow. Associated with heat, fire, sun Cool Colors - Generally speaking they are Green, Blue, Purple. Associated with water, sky, ice
Color and Space Colors are used to create volume and depth. Warm colors advance and cool colors recede. Create the illusion of depth The properties are that warm colors advance and cool colors recede.
Color & Balance Balance in an asymmetrical composition is achieved with color. Value and Color have weight. The degree of value and its size determines its weight. In color the intensity, size and color relationship gives a color its weight.
Color as Emphasis Emphasis is created by using a larger area of color changing a shape isolating one element by itself
Color & Contrast Every visual presentation involves figureground relationships. This relationship between a subject (or figure) and its surrounding field (ground) will evidence a level of contrast; The more an object contrasts with its surrounds, the more visible it becomes.
Color and text When we create visuals that are intended to be read, offering the viewer enough contrast between the background (paper or screen) and the text is important. Text presentations ideally offer at least an 80% contrast between figure and ground. (Black text on a white background is ideal.) If there is not enough contrast between figure and ground, a viewer will squint to view the text, causing eye fatigue.
Complementary colors bring out the best in each other. When fully saturated complements are brought together, interesting effects are noticeable. This may be a desirable illusion, or a problem if creating visuals that are to be read. Note that Vibrating Boundaries may occur when opposing colors are brought together
After Images When our eyes are exposed to a hue for a prolonged period, the rods & cones become tired. You might notice this if you are reading something on colored paper, and then look away, you often see the inverse, or complement, of the image. This occurrence can be advantageous if you are seeking the opposite, or contrast, of a color. This may be dismaying to a viewer if presented with prolonged exposure to colored screens or reading materials. Every color has an opposite, and although individual's perceptions do vary, the range of after images seen is consistent.
Take the After Image Test Stare at this image for at least 20 seconds.
When choosing complementary colors, fully saturated colors will offer the highest level of contrast. Choosing from tints or shades within the hue family reduces the overall contrast of the composition.
Color contrasts Contrast of hue This is the simplest one. It makes no great demands upon color vision because the colors are undiluted in their most intense luminosity. Some obvious combinations are: Red yellow blue Red blue green Blue yellow violet Violet green blue orange black Just as black-white represents the extreme of light-dark contrast, so yellow/red/blue is the extreme instance of contrast of hue. At least three clearly differentiated hues are required.
Light and dark contrast The strongest expression of light and dark contrast are white and black opposites with the realm of grays and chromatic colors between them. On the color wheel, yellow is the lightest, violet the darkest. Contrast of saturation Saturation, or quality, relates to the degree of purity of a color. Contrast of saturation is the contrast between pure, intense colors and dull, diluted colors. Cold-warm contrast Red-orange versus blue green, the two poles of cold-warm contrast.
Complementary contrast They are opposite on the color wheel, they incite each other to maximum vividness when adjacent; and they annihilate each other, to grey-black when mixed together. Simultaneous contrast Results from the fact that for any given color the eye simultaneously requires the complementary color, and generates it spontaneously if it is not already present.