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LEARNING COLOR

 

COLOR WHEEL
                           
 
                           
                           
                           
                           
                           
                           
                           
                           
                           
                           
                           
                           
                           
                           
   
   

 

  • Primary colors are red, yellow and blue.
     

 

  • All colors are variations of red, yellow and blue.
  • True primaries are unbiased.
  • Red won't lean to the yellow or blue.
  • Blue won't lean to the yellow or red.
  • Yellow won't lean to the red or blue.
  • Secondary colors are made of any mixture of two primary colors.
  • example: red + yellow = orange ---------blue + yellow = green----blue and red = purple
         
  • Tertiary color mixtures are made of any two secondary colors
  • example: green + orange = gray depending on which color is dominate; if orange is dominate, the hue is grayish yellow, like yellow ocher.
         
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Complementary

colors are opposite each other on the wheel. They look good together and greatly enhance the appearance of each other. To make a color vibrate, add its compliment next to it.
 
Complements the red
 

 

 
Complements the violet
 

 

 

 

Complementary

colors, when mixed together, will turn into beautiful grays. One way to dull a too bright red barn is to add a small touch of green. It grays the red without changing the red to another color.

red barn
small touch of green
grays red w/o changing red to some other color.

Mixed in
equal amounts you get
gray.

 

Compliments mixed

in equal amounts

makes gray

 

 

 

Analogous

color is color that spans any 1/3 of the color wheel. They go together-they are in the same color family.

 
 
 

 

 
 
 

 

 

 
 
 

 

To zing the analogous palette, add the complement of the dominant color.

DOMINATE
 
 
Complement of yellow

 

 

DOMINATE
 
 
Complement of red

 

 

Monochromatic

colors are all of the same hue (color). They can be of any color.

DOMINATE
 
 

 

DOMINATE
 
 

 

 

To fully understand these lessons, look at nature to see how color has been used.

 

You will find in nature the complementary and the analogous color scheme, in wildflowers and trees.

 

For instance, the apple tree is analagous, with its bluish green to yellow leaves, then the complement is added in the red apples!

 

Many purple flowers have yellow centers.

 

A good assignment would be to see how many complementary, monochromatic and analogous combinations that you could identify.

 

Observe the clothing, fabric, drapery and furniture industry to see these color schemes in action. Man has learned from nature how to combine colors into pleasing patterns and arrangements.

 

 

 

Author : Kay Milam

Copyright-2002 All Rights Reserved

A bit about me.. I have painted, made sculptures, and taught art in my private studio and higher
learning classes in two colleges, to both childern and adults.

My paintings are in galleries in Texas, in private collections, and may be viewed at my website.
Milamstudios.com

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