Colour TheoryBy Charles Hobbs VM9

The Science Of Colour Newton 1676

• Newton's Theory of Colour states that objects appear to be certain colours because they absorb and reflect different amounts and wavelengths of light.

• Newton used two prisms to prove that the colour was in the light, not in the prism. He placed the first prism in a beam of sunlight and projected the rainbow spectrum - red/orange/yellow/green/blue/indigo/violet.

Subtractive Colour

• When mixing colours with paint, or through the printing process, we are using the subtractive method.

• Subtractive colour mixing means that one begins with white and ends with black; as one adds colour, the result gets darker and tends to black.

Additive Colour

• If we are working on a computer, the colours we see on the screen are created with light using the additive colour method. Additive colour mixing begins with black and ends with white; as more colour is added, the result is lighter and tends to white.

Johannes Itten’s Colour Wheel

• Swiss painter and teacher Johannes Itten was a pivotal member of the Bauhaus, Germany’s most influential art and design school.

• Ittens colour wheel was a departure from the colour wheel used as his time.

• Itten’s colour wheel was easier to understand and contained twelve colours: the three primary and the three secondary, and the six tertiary colours.

The Qualities Of Colour: Hue, Value and Saturation

• Hue translate to the definition of colour, e.g. Red, orange, violet etc.

• Saturation is the degree of purity of a colour.

• Value is the lightness and darkness of a colour.

Primary Colours

A group of colours from which all other colours can be created by mixing.

Secondary Colours

Colours resulting from the mixing of two of the primary colours.

Complimentary Colours

Colours opposite each other on the colour wheel.

Mixed Complimentary Colours

Complementary colours neutralize each other when mixed together in equal amounts.

Contrast Of Hue

The hues that are most different from another that creates a high contrast

relationship.

Contrast Of Value

The contrast between lightness and darkness.

Cold Warm Contrast

Opposing colour temperatures that form heavy contrast.

Simultaneous Contrast

Simultaneous contrast refers to the way we perceive two hues of colours when used together.

Colour Harmonies

Colour harmonies are a pleasing arrangement of colours that engage the viewer and create a sense of balance and harmony.

Monochromatic

Monochromatic colors are all the colours, tints, tones, shades, of a single hue.

ANALOGOUS

Analogous area a series of colours that are adjacent to each other on the colour wheel.

TINTS

A graduation of colours, made by adding white to decrease the saturation.

Shades

A gradation of colours when mixed with black or when the illumination is decreased.

Warm Colours

Colours associated with fire, sun, heat and warmer temperatures that provoke a feeling of warmth.

Cool Colours

Colours that provoke cool and calm feelings. Colours tend to be associated

with, water, ice, sky, nature and cool temperatures.

Triadic Colour Scheme

A triadic colour scheme uses colors that are evenly spaced around the color wheel.

Tetradic

The tetradic colour scheme makes use of a combination of four colours, which sit opposite each

other on the colour wheel in two complementary pairs.

By Charles Hobbs VM9

By Charles Hobbs VM9