Color Notes and Color Review!

Color Vocabulary:

The basic colors are "Primary Colors". These colors are "Red, Yellow, and Blue". These colors cannot be mixed by any two other colors. They are the basic building blocks that create all of your other colors.

The "Secondary Colors" consist of "Orange, Violet, and Green". These colors are mixed by combining two primary colors.
RED+YELLOW=ORANGE;   RED+BLUE=VIOLET;   YELLOW+BLUE=GREEN
(We will use the name "Violet" instead of "Purple" even though they seem the same. It will make it easier to distinguish between the colors on the color wheel that way... you will soon see.)

"Intermediate Colors" or "Tertiary Colors" are the third in the order or level of the colors. These colors are mixed in the same way as the secondary colors, however, more of one primary color is added than the other to vary its appearance. There are 6 intermediate colors and they are "Red-orange, Yellow-orange, Yellow-green, Blue-green, Blue-violet, and Red-violet". For example, if you are mixing red-orange you would need to have more red in the orange than yellow. The color would look more "reddish than yellowish".

"Triadic Color Schemes" are color combinations that generally look pleasing to the eye together. These combinations create a triangle on the color wheel. The three primary colors create a triadic color scheme. The secondary colors also create a triadic color scheme. There are two sets of triadic combinations within the intermediate colors.

"Analogous Color Schemes" are color combinations of 3-5 colors that are side by side on the color wheel. For example, Red, Red-orange, and Orange create an analogous combination. Blue, Blue-green, Green, Yellow-green, and Yellow would also create an analogous color scheme.

"Complementary Color Schemes" are created when you use two colors that are directly across from each other on the color wheel. These colors are the furthest apart from one another. They seem to "complement" each other. It is like the idea that opposites attract. One color is a cool, while the other is warm. (We will get to those definitions in a second.) It is the idea of fire and ice... opposing forces. These colors create high contrast and really case the other to stand out. Many holidays and athletic teams use complementary colors to create interest. Example: Blue and Orange;  Red and Green;  Yellow and Violet

"Cool Colors" are colors that appear to be colder. These colors are usually considered moody, calm, quiet, and relaxing. These colors consist of violet, blue-violet, blue, blue-green, and green. (red-violet and yellow-green are border colors... they can go either way.

"Warm Colors" are colors that appear to be hot. These colors are usually associated with feelings of love or anger. They can give a feeling of anxiety, warmth, passion, boldness, or make one feel hyper. These colors consist of red, red-orange, orange, yellow-orange, and yellow. Again, yellow- green and red-violet can tend to go either way. However, yellow-green seems more warm than red-violet to me....

A "Tint" of a color is a lighter value of that color. When you add "WHITE" to that color you will get a tint of it. If you add white to red you will get a tint of red which, would be a pink color.

A "Shade" of a color is a darker value of that color. When you add "BLACK" to that color you will get a shade of it. If you add black to red you will get a shade of red, which would be a maroon color.

A "Tone" is a color created when adding "GREY" to a color. You would mix black into your white to get grey... then you would add that to the color to mute it.

The "Monochromatic Color Scheme" uses only one color as well as any combination of the tints, shades, and tones that can be made from that color. "One Color" is the key to this definition though you may have many different values of that one color. Example: Red, Maroon, and Pink

In order to change a colors "intensity" or "dull" it.... you would add a tiny amount of the colors complement to it. This causes the color to appear less vibrant and can mute it a bit. For example, if you take orange and add its complementary color, blue, you would get a burnt orange look. If you continue mixing the two in larger amounts you will create a "BROWNish" color and may even create a "GREYish" color. These colors are considered "Neutral colors". They are neither warm nor cool.

http://www.tigercolor.com/color-lab/color-theory/color-theory-intro.htm#Color_Wheel

http://colorschemedesigner.com  (Great link for Art 2-4!)

http://www.colourlovers.com/patterns/add