Lecture Notes

Understanding Color Theory Fundamentals

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Understanding Color Theory Fundamentals

Millions of color variations exist. The color wheel provides a simplified model of
the primary color groupings and serves as the foundation for many color rules used in fashion,
interior design, graphic design and other trades. The color wheel is a visual representation of
where colors fall in accordance with the primary colors (red, yellow, blue).
Familiarizing yourself with the color wheel and the three main color properties will help you
better understand and apply theses color rules.

color wheel is based on primary colors (red, yellow and blue), secondary colors and tertiary
colors:
The three core color properties are hue, saturation and brightness:
 Hue: Where a color falls on the color wheel (for example, maroon would have a reddish
hue).
 Saturation: The intensity of the color (how pure or washed out a color is).
 Brightness: The lightness or darkness of a color.
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This color wheel illustrates hue, saturation and brightness:

A color wheel helps you identify harmonious color combinations and is the basis for many
modern color rules.
However, not all people find the colors in the color wheel appealing, so these combinations will
only apply to some. The color wheel consists of warm, yellow-based colors, also known as C
Color Spectrum 3 colors, according to the C Color methodology.
If you are genetically drawn to these colors, the following five staple color rules will help you
effortlessly pair colors:
Color Harmony
Color harmony is the relationship of colors that work well together. A harmony can
be basic having only one color with several shades (monochromatic) or two colors that
complement one another, or it can be a more advanced relationship involving a combination
of multiple colors. There are many ideas for achieving harmony in our color palettes. These
harmonies are based on the color wheel. A color wheel is a handy tool to have around as it
helps the artist understand which colors work well together. Following are some illustrations
and descriptions introducing some of the more popular color harmonies.

Color Relationships
Monochromatic
The word “monochromatic” means one color and a monochromatic color scheme is made from
the various tones, shades and tints that are surprisingly possible within a single color.
Monochromatic colors work well together, producing a harmonizing and soothing effect.
A monochromatic color scheme is created by choosing a single color from any of the
twelve colors found on the color wheel, then using it along with its various tints, shades and
tones. The example below is a monochmatic family.
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Complementary

Complementary colors (a.k.a. color opposites) are those that are located directly opposite each
other on the color wheel. For example: violet is the complementary of yellow since it is
located opposite of yellow on the color wheel.
The complementary or color opposites are:


 Red and green

 Yellow and violet
 Blue and orange
 Yellow-green and red-purple
 Yellow-orange and blue-violet
 Red-orange and blue-green
 Red-violet and yellow-green
 Red-orange and blue-green
 Blue-violet and yellow-orange
Painting tips regarding color opposites:
1) When equal amounts of color opposites are mixed together they will cancel each other
out resulting in a drab neutral gray.
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2) When color opposites are placed next to each other, especially when fully saturated, they
create the strongest contrast between them and will even create the optical illusion of
appearing to vibrate. This illusion is most evident between red and green.
Split-Complementary

A variation on the complementary color scheme is the split-complementary color

scheme. Rather than the color opposite the key color on the wheel, the split complementary
takes the two colors directly on either side of the complementary color. For example if your key
color is yellow, you would select the two colors on either side of violet instead of violet to make
up this harmony of colors.
This scheme allows for a nicer range of colors while still not deviating from the basic harmony
between the key color and its complementary color. It has the same visual appeal as the
complementary color scheme, however, with less contrast and tension. The split
complimentary color scheme is a safe choice for virtually any design as it is near impossible to
mess up and always looks good.

Analogous

Analogous colors are groups of three colors that sit next to one another on the color wheel.
One being the main or dominant color and two supporting colors. The effect of this color
scheme can be quite dramatic as these hues usually work very well together in creating a sense
of unity or harmony within the composition.
When using this color scheme, choose one as the dominate color (usually a primary or
secondary color), a second color to support, and a third as an accent.
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Accented Analogous

An accented analogous scheme (also called analogous complementary) is a combination of the

analogous and complementary color schemes. It consists of colors which sit next to each other
on the color wheel and a color that is directly opposite to these. The direct complement then
becomes the accent color to create a dynamic contrast against the dominant color grouping.
This is a great way to add warmth to a cool analogous color pallet or a cool accent color to an
otherwise warm color scheme.
Painting tips using this color scheme:
1) This color scheme works best when the number of colors used are limited to four.
2) A good time to use this scheme is when three closely relate colors are dominating
a design. Adding the contrasting color provides a surprising accent for the composition.
Triadic (Triad)

A triadic color scheme is made up of three colors which are equally spaced from one another on
the color wheel forming an equilateral triangle. Thus every fourth color on the color wheel will
make up part of a triad.
Some examples of triadic color schemes could be:
 Red / Yellow / Blue
 Orange / Green / Violet
 Yellow-Orange / Blue-Green / Red-Violet
 Yellow-Green / Blue-Violet / Red-Orange