Color Theory 101

Created by: Kari Ann Jones

Morrice Area Schools

Color

• Color is all around us.

• Artists use color to help convey a mood, feeling, thought or idea.

• Colors can be grouped into primary, secondary and intermediate colors.

Primary Colors• The primary colors are

red, yellow and blue.• Primary colors cannot

be mixed from any other colors.

• All other colors are mixed from combinations of red, yellow, blue, black and white.

Quiz Time!

Which of the following statements is NOT true:

A. Red, yellow and blue are primary colors.

B. You must have the primary colors to make

all other colors.

C. Primary colors can be mixed using

other colors.

Oops! Remember…

• The primary colors are red, yellow and blue.

• Primary colors cannot be mixed from any other colors.

• All other colors are mixed from combinations of red, yellow, blue, black and white.

Let’s Review

• The primary colors are red, yellow and blue.

• Primary colors cannot be mixed from any other colors.

• All other colors are mixed from combinations of red, yellow, blue, black and white.

You’re right! Primary colors CANNOT bemixed from any other colors!

Secondary Colors

• Secondary colors are mixed using combinations of the primary colors.

• Red + Yellow = Orange

• Yellow + Blue = Green

• Blue + Red = Violet

Red + Yellow = Orange

Yellow + Blue = Green

Blue + Red = Violet

Test Your Knowledge

Click on the secondary colors:

Oh no!!!Remember…

Red, Yellow and Blue

Orange, Green and VioletSECONDARY COLORS:

PRIMARY COLORS:

Yes, Orange, Green and Violet are the Secondary Colors!

The Color Wheel

The color wheel is a tool artists use to organize colors.

A color wheel with the primary and secondary colors looks something like this:

Intermediate Colors• Intermediate colors are mixed using a

primary color and the secondary color right next to it (adjacent to it).

• For example, to make blue-green, we mix equal parts of blue and green.

• These colors are then placed between the combined primary and secondary colors on the color wheel.

The Color Wheel

A full color wheel, with the primary, secondary and intermediate colors looks something like this:

Yellow + Green = Yellow-Green

Blue + Green = Blue-Green

Blue + Violet = Blue-Violet

Yellow + Orange = Yellow-Orange

Red + Orange = Red-Orange

Red + Violet = Red-Violet

Primary + Secondary = Intermediate

Quiz Time!

Which of the following colors would you mix with blue to make an intermediate color?

Yellow

Orange

Green

Let’s Review…

To make an intermediate color, we mix a primary color and a secondary color next to it.

Oh no!

Remember…

To make an intermediate color, we mix a primary color and a secondary color.

When we mix the primary color, blue, with the secondary color, green, we make the intermediate color, blue-green.

Another Quiz Q For You!

Which of the following colors would you mix with orange to make an intermediate color?

Green

Red

Blue

Oops!!! Review Time…

To mix an intermediate color, we add a primary color to its adjacent secondary color.

Remember…

Yellow + Green = Yellow-Green

Blue + Green = Blue-Green

Blue + Violet = Blue-Violet

Yellow + Orange = Yellow-Orange

Red + Orange = Red-Orange

Red + Violet = Red-Violet

Primary + Secondary = Intermediate

Yes! Red and Orange make Red-Orange!

Tints and Shades

• Artists often make tints and shades of colors.

• To make a shade of a color, we add black.

• To make a tint of a color, we add white.

tintsshades

+black +white

Pure color

Mixing Tints

To make a tint of a color we add white.

Here are some examples of colors and some of their tints:

Mixing ShadesTo mix a shade, we add black to a color.

Here are some examples of colors and some of their shades:

The Color StarWhen we add some tints and shades to the color wheel, we make a color star that looks like this:

Tints go toward the center of the color star from the color.

Shades go outward from the color to points.

Quiz Time!

To make a tint of a color, we add black.

True False

Remember…

To make a tint of a color, we add WHITE.

+ =

Yes! To make a tint of a color, we add white!

Still Quiz Time!

Click on the color below that is a shade of Yellow

Oh no! Let’s Review…

To make a shade, we add black to the color.

Think Again!

Remember:To make a shade, we add black to the color.

When we mix shades of a color, we add black.

So What Do Artists Do With All of This Info?

• Artists use the color wheel as a guide to help them choose colors to use in their artworks.

• The color wheel can help us see various color schemes.

• Artists often use one color scheme as the base palette for a painting.

Color Schemes

Some color schemes artist use are:

Monochromatic

Complementary

Analogous

Warm Colors

Cool Colors

Monochromatic

• A monochromatic color scheme is one color and its tints and shades.

To complete a painting with a blue monochromatic color scheme, you could use the colors on this palette.

This is an example of a monochromatic painting. Notice how Mr. Chagall used blue and its tints and shades.

Les Amants Sur Le Toit

-Marc Chagall

Complementary• Complementary colors are directly opposite each

other on the color wheel.• Each color has only one complementary color.• Next to each other, each color appears as vivid as

it can.

This painting has a complementary color scheme. Notice how Mr. Cezanne used blue and orange and their tints and shades.

La Montage Saint Victoire

-Paul Cezanne

Analogous• When an artist uses two or more colors that

are next to each other on the color wheel and that are closely related, it is called an analogous color scheme.

This painting has an analogous color scheme. Notice how Mr. VanGogh used yellow, yellow-green, green, blue-green, and their tints and shades.

The Iris

-Vincent VanGogh

Click on the color scheme you think Pablo Picasso utilized in this painting, The Old Guitarist.

Complementary

Monochromatic

Analogous

Remember…

A monochromatic color scheme is one color and its tints and shades.

Complementary colors are directly opposite each other on the color wheel.

The colors of an analogous color scheme are next to each other on the color wheel.

Let’s Review…A monochromatic color scheme is one color and its tints and shades.

Complementary colors are directly opposite each other on the color wheel.

The colors of an analogous color scheme are next to each other on the color wheel.

Yes, Mr. Picasso’s painting does have a monochromatic color scheme based on blue.

Click on the color scheme you think Mr. Picasso based this painting, Still Life With Biscuits, on.

Complementary

Analogous

Monochromatic

Oh no!!!Think Again...

This painting has mostly blue, blue-violet, violet, red-violet, red and its tints and shades.

Monochromatic = one color and its tints and shades

Complementary = colors opposite each other on the color wheel and their tints and shades.

Analogous=colors next to each other on the color wheel and their tints and shades.

Look Again!

This painting has mostly blue, blue-violet, violet, red-violet, red and its tints and shades.

Monochromatic = one color and its tints and shades

Complementary = colors opposite each other on the color wheel and their tints and shades.

Analogous=colors next to each other on the color wheel and their tints and shades.

Yes! This is an analogous color scheme.

Click on the color scheme Mr. Cezanne used when he painted Still Life With Onions.

Monochromatic

Analogous

Complementary

Remember…

Monochromatic = one color and its tints and shades

Complementary = colors opposite each other on the color wheel and their tints and shades.

Analogous=colors next to each other on the color wheel and their tints and shades.

Let’s Review…

Monochromatic = one color and its tints and shades

Complementary = colors opposite each other on the color wheel and their tints and shades.

Analogous=colors next to each other on the color wheel and their tints and shades.

Yes! Mr. Cezanne used the complementary color pair red and green in his painting!

Warm Colors• Some of the colors of the color wheel are

referred to as warm colors.

• When an artist uses these colors, they are creating a painting with a warm color scheme.

The “Warm” Colors

This painting has a warm color scheme. Notice how Mr. Vermee used red, red-orange, orange, yellow-orange, yellow and their tints and shades.

Girl Asleep at a Table

-Jan Vermee

Cool Colors• The other half of the color wheel’s colors

are referred to as cool colors.• When an artist uses these colors, they are

creating a painting with a cool color scheme.

The “Cool” Colors

This painting is said to have a cool color scheme. Notice how Mr. Picasso used yellow-green, green, blue-green, blue-purple and their tints and shades.

Femme Allongee Lisant

-Pablo Picasso

Quiz Time!Click on the painting that has a warm color scheme:

On the Bank of the Seine, Bennecourt

-Claude Monet

Red Canna

-Georgia O’Keeffe

Let’s Review

Cool Colors Warm Colors

You’re right! This painting has a warm color scheme.

Congratulations!

You have passed

Color Theory 101!