COLOR

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COLOR THEORY

What is it?
A body of pracAcal guidance to color mixing
and the visual eect of a specic color
combinaAon (Visual Arts)
color theory began in the 18th Century due
to a parAsan controversy around Isaac
Newtons theory of color and the nature of
primary colors

History
Color theory was originally formulated from the
three primary colors, red, yellow, and blue
(RYB)
This became the foundaAon of 18th century theories
of color vision

In the late 19th century, German and English

scienAsts established that color percepAon is
best described in terms of a dierent set of
primary colors: red, green, and blue violet
Industrial chemistry expanded the range of lighWast
pigments

History
Dyes and chemical processes necessary for color
photography also developed
Three-color prinAng became feasible and arAsts
color theory was adapted to primary colors most
eecAve in inks: cyan, magenta, and yellow

Major advances were made in the 20th

century by arAsts associated with Bauhaus,
like Wassily Kandinsky, Johannes Iaen, Faber
Birren, and Josef Albers

Color AbstracAons
FoundaAons of pre-20th-century color theory
was built around pure or ideal colors
Characterized by sensory experience and not their
aaributes in the physical world
Led to inaccuracies in tradiAonal color theory
principals

Color Mixing
There is confusion between the behavior of
light mixtures, called addiAve colors, and the
behavior of paint/ink/dye/pigment mixtures,
called subtracAve color.
The absorpAon of light by materials follows
dierent rules from the percepAon of light by the
eye

SubtracAve Color Mixing

SubtracAve color synthesis is the creaAon of
color by mixing colors of pigments
SubtracAve color works by blocking out parts
of the visible spectrum

SubtracAve Color Mixing

The primary colors are: cyan, magenta, and
yellow.
If lters are overlapped equally then all the light is
subtracted giving black

However, for painters the primary colors are

usually blue, red, and yellow.

AddiAve Color Mixing

AddiAve color is done by mixing colors of light.
AddiAve color mixing is combing 2 or more
addiAve colors together which creates a
lighter color that is closer to white

AddiAve Color Mixing

The primary colors are: red, green, and blue
Combining any two of the primary colors result in
addiAve secondary colors: cyan, magenta, and
yellow
If colors are completely combined, they give rise
to white

How to describe colors

Hue name of the color itself; the dominant
wavelength of light or pigment of choice
Chroma expresses the brightness and pureness
of a color
Lightness (brightness) the amount of light
reected or transmiaed
SaturaAon the level of white, black, or gray
the result ranges from neutral to brilliant
(otherwise known as pastel to full color)

Hue

Chroma

How to describe colors

Tint base color plus white
Tone base color plus grey
Shade base color plus black
Value how light or dark a color is or how
close to white and black

Value and Chroma

Hue, Chroma, and Value

How to describe colors

Aggressive/Warm come towards the eye
more (spaAally) and are generally louder
than passive/cool colors
Passive/Cool colors recede from the eye
more (spaAally) and are generally quieter
than aggressive/warm colors

COLOR HARMONY

What is it?
SaAsfying balance and unity of colors
CombinaAons that are pleasing to the eye
(aestheAcally appealing)
Visual interest + sense of order = dynamic
equilibrium
A complex noAon since human responses to color
are both aecAve (emoAonal) and cogniAve
(judgemental)
Number of possible color combinaAons =
Formulae/principles are useful for fashion, interior
and graphic design, art (but sAll subjecAve)

st
21 Century approach
Color harmony = f(Col 1, 2, 3, ... , n)(ID + CE + CX + P + T)

ID = individual dierences (age, gender, personality,

etc.)
CE = cultural experiences
CX = prevailing context (seqng, lighAng)
P = perceptual eects
T = temporal eects (prevailing social trends)

Color Wheel
Color relaAonship reference tool, not color selecAon tool
Helps in developing a color paleae
Rely on knowledge of hue, value, chroma

Terms of Color

Hue Tint




Tone Shade

Types of Harmonies
AchromaAc color scheme that is colorless.
It is achieved by using black, whites, and
grays

Types of Harmonies
MonochromaAc Ants, tones, shades in the
same color family

Types of Harmonies
Analogous 3 or more colors beside each
other on the wheel

Types of Harmonies
Direct Complementary colors opposite each
other on the wheel

Types of Harmonies
Split Complementary color paired with the
two colors beside the direct complement

Types of Harmonies
Double Complementary 2 sets of
complementary colors beside and across from
each other

Types of Harmonies
Diad 2 colors 2 steps apart

Types of Harmonies
Triad 3 colors of equal distance from each
other

Types of Harmonies
Tetrad 4 colors of equal distance from each
other

Quick Color Theory

Color Paleaes of Some ArAsts

Rembrandt van Rijn

His portraits: dark earthy tones, and golden
highlights
A modern version of his paleae would be:
yellow ocher, burnt sienna, burnt umber,
white, black, and a brownish or orangey red
(like cadmium red deep)

Piet Mondrian
He stuck to the three primary colors: red,
blue, and yellow
To achieve this color paleae: cobalt blue or
phthalo blue (aka phthalocyanine blue,
monesAal blue, and thalo blue), cadmium red
(light, dark, or medium), cadmium yellow
(light, dark, or medium), mars black or ivory
black

Johannes Vermeer
A master of colorisAc eects but worked with
a limited color paleae
Blue: Ultramarine blue
Green: green earth
Reds: vermillion, red lake, and red earth
Yellows: lead-An yellow, yellow earth, and yellow
lake
Black: bone black, charcoal black
White: lead white

Vincent Van Gogh

Yellows and Oranges: Naples yellow, zinc yellow,
chrome yellow, chrome orange, vandyck brown
Reds: red lake, vermillion, cachineal lake
(carmine), madder lake (alizarin)
Blues: cobalt blue, prussian blue, ultramarine,
cerulean blue
Greens: Viridian, and emerald green
White: lead and zinc white

Leonardo da Vinci
Natural hues with muted intensity
Blues, browns, and greens
Neutral grays usually used for underpainAng

COLOR MEANINGS

MOTIVATES
TO TAKE
ACTION

PROVOKES
EMOTIONS

STRONG
RED
CAUTION

RED

WARM

Passion,
Lust, Sex

ENERGIZING

SURVIVAL
NEEDS

STEALS
ATTENTION

Red Shades
Pink

Light Red

Dark Red

Reddish
Brown

Romance

Joy

Enegry

Harvest

Love &
Friendship

Sexuality,
Passion &
Love

Willpower

Autumn

Encourages
Passivity

SensiAvity

Rage, Anger
& Evil

Highlights
Masculine
QualiAes

Highlights
Female
QualiAes

Love

Leadership &
Courage

Longing

Bright
Funny

Sun &
Fire

Health

ORANGE
Young
People
SAmulates
Mental
AcAviAes

Warmth
&
Tropical

Increases
O2 in
brain

IntuiAon
AppeAzing
&
Delicious

OrangeShades
Golden
Orange

RedOrange

Dark
Orange

PresAge

Desire

Deceit

Wealth

Sexual,
Passion, &
Pleasure

Lack of
Condence

Wisdom

DominaAon

High Quality

Aggression

Anxietyprovoking

Brightest
RED

OpAmism
Fun &
Joy

Entertainer,
Comedian, &
Clown

YELLOW
Cheerful &
EnergeAc

ScienAst
Analyzes
rst

Condence

CommunicaAon

Youth

Dark
Yellow

Light
Yellow

CauAon

Intelligence

Jealousy

Freshness

Decay &
Diesease

Joy

Inexperience

Overly
CauAous

RED
Nature

Health

GREEN

Growth,
Maturity,
& FerAlity

Peace

Moral
Judgement
EmoAonal
Tranquility

Mental
Clarity &
OpAmism

Green Shades
Dark Green

YellowGreen

Sea Green

AmbiAon

Sickness

Healing

Greed

Cowardice

ProtecAon

Jealousy

Jealousy

Discord

Olive
Green
Peace

Suppresses
AppeAte &
Lowers
Metabolism

Calming

RED

CreaAvity &
Intelligence
Loyalty,
Strength,
Wisdom,
Trust

Sad EmoAons

Strong
RelaAonship

BLUE

Reserved &
Quiet

One-way
CommunicaAon

X ConfrontaAon
Paler =
More
Free

Order &
Planning

Blue Shades
Dark Blue

Light Blue

Knowledge

Healing

Power

Tranquility

Integrity

Understanding

Professionalism

Sowness

SensiAvity &
Compassion

ImaginaAon

Spirituality,
Stability,
Integrity

UncondiAonal
Love

Ensures
harmony of
mind &
emoAon

PURPLE

Same
essence
with
purple

Future &
Dreams
Higher Level
of
Consciousnes
s

Physical &
Spiritual

Energy,
Strength

Mystery,
Magic,
Power

Royality,
Nobility,
PresAge

Purple Shades
Light Purple

Dark Purple

RomanAc

Sad Feelings

Nostalgic

FrustraAons

to the examples

ARTWORKS

COLORS IN
CLASSICAL ARTWORKS

The Mona Lisa by Leonardo da Vinci

Painted between 1503 and
1506 in Florence, Italy. It is
painted using the sfumato
method, a term coined by
Leonardo referring to a
painAng technique in which
translucent layers of paint
are applied so subtly that
there is no percepAble
transiAon. The color paleae
is dark and rich, perfect for
a matur and sophisAcated
feel.

Persistence of Memory by Salvador Dali

Painted in 1931, the
surrealisAc painAng and
the theme of the
painAng was later
revisited by Dali in 1954
with 'The DisintegraAon
of the Persistence of
Memory. The high
contrast landscape full
of shadows, is a great
study in color.

Starry Night by Vincent van Gogh

In thick sweeping
brushstrokes, a
amelike cypress
unites the churning
sky and the quiet
village below. The
bold,cool color paleae
that occupied most of
the painAng is nicely
violated by the
intense, warm tones
of the lights and stars.

The Scream by Edvard Munch

Part of a seminal series
of expressionist
painAngs by
Norwegian arAst
Edvard Munch. It is
said by some to
symbolize the human
species taken by an
aaack of existenAal
angst. It is amazing
that such soothing
paleae can result to an
intense and disturbing
image.

The Last Supper by Tintoreao

From the 1500s,
Tintoreao has a
way of using
intense colors,
interesAng
perspecAve and
crazy lighAng
illusions to portray
scenes that are
absolutely
beauAful.

A Sunday awernoon on the Island of La

Grande Jaae by George Seurat
Seurat painted this
in 1884 by the
style poinAllism.
Seurat was a
master of color.

The Optometrist by Norman Rockwell

Rockwell is perhaps
the most iconic
American painter
that ever lived
(early to mid 1900s)
His color paleaes
perfectly captures
the way he used
color to tell a story
and precisely peg a
Ame period.

The Great Wave o Kanagawa by Hokusai

The work is a
woodblock print
produce between
1830-1833. The shape
and color of the
waves is mirrored by
the mountain in the
background; a good
example of natural
symmetry.

The Kiss by Gustav Klimt

The actual painAng
uses gold leaf to
create a brilliant
eect. The paleae
here is a wonderful
earthy, perfect for
an old world feel.

Water Lilies by Claude Monet

French Impressionist art
movement characterized
by visible brush strokes
and it coincided with the
advancements in syntheAc
pigments and forsaking of
varnishes that were
typically used to tone the
colors down thus the
result was bright, beauAful
color and lots of it. Water
lilies is a series with
around 250 painAngs.

COLOR IN POPULAR
(POP) CULTURE

LOGOS

red: excitement, bold, youthful: Nintendo

orange: friendly, cheerful, condent: Nickelodeon
yellow: opAmism, clarify, warmth: NatGeo, DHL
blue: trust, dependable, strength: Facebook, Oreo
green: peaceful, growth, health: Starbucks, Tropicana
purple: creaAvity, imaginaAve, wise: Yahoo, Taco Bell
gray: balance, neutral, calm: Apple, Honda, Wikipedia

APPLE

colorful excitement for introducAon

neutral clean, easy to use, no frills

Source: Hungton Post

MOVIES
romanAc comedies: pastel shades (pink,



beige, lilac)
sci- and cyborg lms: blue, grey, green
adaptaAons of books: teal, orange
red (warm color) raise blood pressure
blue (cool color) calming eect

USE OF COLOR IN MOVIES

1. contrast teal and orange
2. era yellow/brown tones for 60s to 70s
3. mood creepy vibe for Tim Burton movies
4. meaning red for lust, blood, guilt

Source: Cinema 5D

1. Complementary

2. Analogous

4. Split Complementary

3. Triadic

5. Tetradic

FASHION

red: bold
pink: gentle, girl color
yellow: wedding color (Rome), safety reason
blue: calm, loyalty (police)
orange: safety reason
green: relaxing (hospital uniform), ferAlity
purple: royalty
black: serious, funeral, eveningwear
white: western brides, mourning (China), clean
(doctors and nurses)

60-30-10 RULE
three-color paleae
dominant hue 60%
accent colors 30% + 10%
ex. suit:
jacket and pants 60%
shirt 30%
Ae 10%

SPRING 2016 COLORS

PANTONE - lingua franca of color