12 hue "Color Wheel" introduced by Johannes Itten (1888-1967)

Color WheelsColor Wheels

Color ValuesColor Values

Color SchemesColor Schemes

Color Wheelsgo round and round

The color wheel fits together like a puzzle –each color in a specific place. Beingfamiliar with the color wheel not onlyhelps you mix colors when painting,but in adding color to all your artcreations.

Mixing color with paint

• Color mixing gives you different resultsdepending on whether you use light orpaint. With paint( or other pigments ) theprimary colors are red, yellow, and blue.These three colors can bemixed in differentcombinations to produceall other colors.But, mixing them in equalamounts produces black.

Points of Color

• The artist Georges Seurat developed a techniquecalled pointillism that consists of putting separatedots of pure color side-by-side. When seen at theright distance, your eye mixes the colors andcombines them tocreate the sensationof a variety of colorsand tones. Most printingtechniques use this samebasic principal to reproducecolor images.

Mixing Color with Light

• The primary colors in light red, green, and blue.As with the primary colors used for pigments, thecolors of light can be mixed in differentcombinationsto produce all other colorsBut, if we mix them inequal amounts, we getwhite. This effect is seenin theater lighting, television,and computer monitors.

Pixels of Light

• TV and computer screens create colors bytransmitting the three primary colors of light- red,green, and blue. Overlapping ( adding ) theprimary colors in differentamounts lets youcreate new colors.For example, mixingred and green will createyellow. On a computerscreen the positions ofthese dots of colors are calledpixels (picture elements).

Primary colors

Primary colors are not mixed from otherelements and they generate all othercolors

• RED

• YELLOW

• BLUE

Secondary Colors

By mixing two primary colors, a secondary color iscreated.

• Red + Yellow + Orange

• Yellow + Blue = Green

• Blue + Red = Purple

Intermediate Colors

• Intermediate, or Tertiary, colors are createdby mixing a primary and a secondary.

Red-Orange

Yellow-Orange

Yellow-Green Red-Purple

Blue-Purple

Blue-Green

Neutral ColorsNeutral Colors

The principles of color mixinglet us describe a varietyof colors,but there are still manycolors to explore.

The neutral colors contain equal parts of each of thethree primary colors. Black, White, Gray andsometimes brown are considered “neutral”.

Gray is a neutral color made by mixingcomplementary colors or the primarycolors. Semi-neutral colors such asbrowns are also made by mixing colorsacross the color wheel.

Values Values AndMore Values of Color

• Color values are the lights and darks of acolor you create by using black and white(“neutrals”) with a color. This makeshundreds of more colors from the basic 12colors of the wheel.

• White + color = tint• Color + black = shades

Tints

• Tints are lightened colors.

Always begin with white and

add a bit of color to the

white until the desired

tint is obtained.

This an example of a value

scale for the tints of blue.

Shades

• Shades are darkened colors.

Always begin with the color and

add just a bit of black at a time

to get the desired shade of a color.

This is an example of a value scale

for the shades of blue.

Color Schemes

• Color Schemes are a systematic way of using thecolor wheel to put colors together… in your artwork, putting together the clothes you wear,deciding what colors to paint your room….

– Monochromatic,

– complementary,

– analogous,

– warm and cool.

Monochromatic

• “Mono” means “one”, “chroma” means“color”… Monochromatic color schemeshave only one color and its values. Thefollowing slide shows a painting done in amonochromatic color scheme.

Monochromatic colors are one colorplus tints. Tones, and shades of thatcolor. Tints are made by addingwhite, tones by adding gray, andshades by adding black.

Monochromatic Painting

This non-objective

painting has a

monochromatic

color scheme

– blue and the

values (tints and

shades) of blue.

Neil Well iver, Thawed Ledge. Courtesy ofMarlborough Gallery Inc., NYC

Complementary

• Complementary colors are opposite on thecolor wheel provided a high contrast – ifyou want to be noticed wearcomplementary colors!

Complementary colors are twocolors located directly across thecolor wheel from each other such asorange and blue.

Complementary Painting

This painting has complementary colors andtheir values

-blues and

oranges

Paul Cezanne Still l ife with OnionsMusee d’Orsay, Paris CreditGiraudon/Art Resource,NY

Analogous

The analogous color scheme is 3 – 5 colorsadjacent to each other on the color wheel.This combination ofcolors provides verylittle contrast.

Analogous colors are located neareach other on the color wheel suchas yellow, yellow-green, green, andblue –green.

Analogous Painting

Analogous colors are illustrated here:

Yellow,

yellow-green,

green and

blue-green

Henri Rousseau The Snake CharmerMusee d’Orsay, Paris Credit

Scale/Art Resources,NY

Warm Color Scheme

Warm colors are found on the right side ofthe color wheel. They are colors found infire and the sun.Warm colors makeobjects look closer ina painting or drawing.

Warm colors include reds, orangesand yellows

Warm Color Dominance

This is an illustration of the use of warmcolors

Reds,orangesand yellows

Vincent van Gogh The Night CaféYale Univers ity Art Gallery,Bequest of Stephen Carlton Clark,B.A.

Cool Color Scheme

Cool colors are found on the left side of thecolor wheel. They are the colors found insnow and ice and tend to recede in acomposition.

Cool colors include blues, violets,and greens.

Cool Color DominanceNote the

coolcolorschemein thispainting

(greens,purples andblues).

Claude Monet , Palazzo da Mula Chester Dale Collection, Washington

Triadic colors are any threecolors that are equidistantfrom each other on the colorwheel such as orange, green,and violet.

Richard Diebenkom, Berkeley No.52, Gift of theCollectors Committee, Washington

Artist: Marc ChagallTitle: Les Amants Sur Le ToitForm of Art: abstractColor Scheme:

Artist: Paul Cezanne Title: La Montage Saint VictoireYear: 1886-88Form of Art: abstractColor Scheme:

Artist: Vincent van GoghTitle: The IrisYear: 1889Form of Art: realisticColor Scheme:

Artist: Jan VermeerTitle: Girl Asleep at a Table Year: 1657Form of Art: realisticColor Scheme:

Artist: Pablo PicassoTitle: Femme Allongée Lisant (Marie-Thérèse)Year: 1939Form of Art: abstractColor Scheme:

Now you will create your own color wheel.

Here are somegreat examplesby other students.