Colour Theory (Artist’s Colours)
As an artist, we are taught that the primary colours are Red, Yellow & Blue. A primary colour is one that cannot be mixed from any other colour.
In fact, the red, yellow & blue primary colours came from the primary colours of light being Red, Green and Blue. When these colours intersect they produce Cyan, Magenta and Yellow as secondaries, which became primary print colours. These colour modes can be looked at in much more detail (RGB for digital display & CMYK for print), but for the purpose of this, we will look at the artist primary colours.
Primary Colours:
Red, Yellow and Blue – cannot be mixed from other colours.
Secondary Colours:
Two primary colours mixed resulting in Orange, Green and Violet.
Tertiary Colours:
Known as Intermediate Colours, tertiary colours are the result of one primary colour mixed with one secondary colour.
Hue is another name for colour. To change the hues of an image is to change the colours. Chroma or intensity of colour is the brightness of the colour, or lack of it (dullness).
Tint is created from a colour plus white.
Colour Combinations:
Using the the colour wheel above, pleasing combinations can be made. When choosing colours, you don’t just stick any colours together, as the result can be vulgar and displeasing to the eye. The human brain knows why this is the case at an unconcious level, which to the viewer indicates a palette that just doesn’t work (even though they don’t know why).
Looking at the colour wheel, two colours that are opposite compliment each other. This is the science of colour. They work well together. Usually one is used as a dominant colour with the other used to compliment in certain areas, especially in design. If both are used at equal levels, they both fight for attention, and it simply doesn’t work (hence a blue shirt and orange pants is a real pain for the eyes!) Generally, the dominant colour is chosen with its complimentary thrown in to add a little contrast and interest.
Split Complimentary:
With that in mind, a split complimentary scheme can be chosen with a dominant colour and two complimentary colours at either side of the dominant colour’s complimentary.
The wheel can be used for further colour schemes which will be added later
