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Basic principles of color
How we see
color
Primary, secondary and tertiary colors
Basic Terminology;
Tints and shades, value and hue, neutral grays
Understanding a few simple color
principles can result in successful color combinations
for any project. Useful for interior design projects, decorative
painting techniques, fine art painting, graphic design or
illustration techniques, understanding color
combinations can be easy and fun.
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Primary Colors: The primary colors
consist of 3 unique colors, red-yellow-blue. When
mixing these 3 colors hues, at least in theory,
all the other hues of the color wheel, including
black can be created.
Color Associations:
Primaries red, blue, yellow. The
ultimate contrast of hue and the greatest
luminosity. Primaries express fundamental
qualities, folk art, embroidery, costumes, etc.
They are exuberant, decorative, tonic, vigorous,
decisive.
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Red- emotional
and active, danger, love, warmth, life |
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Blue- passive,
soft, cool, watery |
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Yellow- warm,
vibrant, the
closest to light and warmth |
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Secondary or Complementary colors |
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Secondary Colors When any one primary color is mixed with another a
secondary color effect is produced. 3 secondary colors
are produced from the mixing of one primary color with
another. These colors are orange-green-violet.
These secondary colors are also known as
complementary colors.
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Orange is a
secondary color.
A color effect combination of
red and yellow. |
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Color Associations:
Secondaries: green, orange, violet The
second most contrast of hue, the intensity of colors
diminishes as hues are further away from the
primaries.
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harmonious, neutral tones. |
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Tertiary Colors These colors are created when mixing one secondary and
one primary color. i.e. blue + violet = blueviolet.
Three
or more separate colors are mixed (one primary and one
secondary – the combination of two primaries), and in
our color wheel each tertiary color being created will
be an equal combination of the two colors , left and
right, surrounding an open segment.
The tertiary
colors are, yellow-orange, red-orange, red-violet,
blue violet, blue-green, and yellow-green. |
Color Associations:
Mixing the primaries and the secondaries to create
tertiary colors. Cosmic universality, celestial,
medieval manuscripts, stained glass, other religious
art.
Tertiary colors have less distinctive color
contrasts and often imply the concrete, mundane, and
earthly simplicity.
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a question? Ask artSparx
artSparx ColorSelect System
Decorative
paint and glazing techniques
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