Color and composition

What is color?
Color
Color is the aspect of things that is caused by differing qualities of light being
reflected or emitted by them.
To see color, you have to have light. When light shines on an object some colors
bounce off the object and others are absorbed by it. Our eyes only see the colors
that are bounced off or reflected.
The sun’s rays contain all the colors of the rainbow mixed together. This mixture is
known as white light. When white light strikes a white crayon or marker barrel, it
appears white to us because it absorbs no color and reflects all color equally. A
black crayon or marker cap absorbs all colors equally and reflects none, so it looks
black to us. While artists consider black a color, scientists do not because black is
the absence of all color.
All light rays contain color. Light is made of electromagnetic waves. These waves spread
out from any light source, such as the sun. Light waves travel at tremendous speed
(186,000 miles or 300,000 kilometers per second). Different colors have different
wavelengths, which is the distance between corresponding parts of two of the waves. The
longest wavelength of light that humans can see is red. The shortest is violet. Ultraviolet
has an even shorter wavelength, but humans cannot see it. Some birds and bees can see
ultraviolet light. Infrared has a longer wavelength than red light, and humans can not see
this light but can feel the heat infrared generates.
Visible Light
Visible light waves are a form of electromagnetic radio waves such as infrared
radiation, X-rays, microwaves, and ultraviolet radiation. We can see these waves as
the colors of the rainbow where each color includes a different wavelength. Red has
the longest wavelength and violet has the shortest one. When all the waves are seen
together, they form white light. When white light comes through the prism, it gets
broken into the colors of the visible light spectrum.
Color and Temperature
As the object gets hotter with the temperature, they radiate energy which is
dominated by shorter wavelengths by changing its color before our eyes. For
instance, a blow torch turns bluish from reddish as it is adjusted to burn hotter. The
sun produces yellow light than any other color as its surface temperature is 5,500°C.
If the sun’s surface is cooler, 3,000°C then it would look reddish. If the Sun is hot,
12,000°C then it would look blue.
Color theory and the color wheel
Ever wondered how designers and artists find the perfect color combination?
They use color theory. Color theory is a practical combination of art and science
that’s used to determine what colors look good together. The color wheel was
invented in 1666 by Isaac Newton, who mapped the color spectrum onto a circle.
The color wheel is the basis of color theory, because it shows the relationship
between colors.
Colors that look good together are called a color harmony. Artists and designers use
these to create a particular look or feel. You can use a color wheel to find color
harmonies by using the rules of color combinations. Color combinations determine
the relative positions of different colors in order to find colors that create a pleasing
effect.
There are two types of color wheel. The RYB or red, yellow, blue color wheel is
typically used by artists, as it helps with combining paint colors. Then there is the
RGB, or red, green and blue color wheel, which is designed for online use, as it
refers to mixing light – like on a computer or TV screen. Canva’s color wheel is an
RGB color wheel, as it is designed for online use.
Color Basics
A color wheel is an illustrative model of color hues around a circle.  It shows the relationships between the
primary, secondary, and intermediate/ tertiary colors and helps demonstrate color temperature. Digital teams
communicate exact colors through the use of hex codes.
Understanding the Color Wheel
Many color wheels are shown using 12 colors.  Using this color wheel as an example, it can be read as follows:
Three Primary Colors (Ps): Red, Yellow, Blue
Three Secondary Colors (S’): Orange, Green, Violet
Six Tertiary Colors (Ts):  Red-Orange, Yellow-Orange, Yellow-Green, Blue-Green, Blue-Violet, Red-Violet, which
are formed by mixing a primary with a secondary
It’s important to note that some people add more intermediates, for 24 total named colors, and some color
wheels show interior points and circles, which represent color mixtures.
Color combinations
Complementary
Two colors that are on opposite sides of the color wheel. This combination provides a
high contrast and high impact color combination – together, these colors will appear
brighter and more prominent.
Monochromatic
Three shades, tones and tints of one base color. Provides a subtle and
conservative color combination. This is a versatile color combination that is
easy to apply to design projects for a harmonious look.
Analogous
Three colors that are side by side on the color wheel. This color combination is
versatile, but can be overwhelming. To balance an analogous color scheme, choose
one dominant color, and use the others as accents.
Triadic
Three colors that are evenly spaced on the color wheel. This provides a high contrast color
scheme, but less so than the complementary color combination — making it more versatile.
This combination creates bold, vibrant color palettes.
Tetradic
Four colors that are evenly spaced on the color wheel. Tetradic color schemes are
bold and work best if you let one color be dominant, and use the others as accents.
The more colors you have in your palette, the more difficult it is to balance,
Warm and cool colors
The color wheel can also be divided into warm and cool colors. The warmth or coolness of a color is also
known as its color temperature. The color combinations found on a color wheel often have a balance of
warm and cool colors. According to color psychology, different color temperatures evoke different
feelings. For example, warm colors are said to bring to mind coziness and energy, while cool colors are
associated with serenity and isolation.
Warm colors are the colors from red through to yellow. These colors are said to bring to mind warmth,
like the sun.
Cool colors are the colors from blue to green and purple. These colors are said to bring to mind coolness,
like water.
Shades, tints and tones
You can create shades, tints and tones of a color by adding black, grey and white to a base hue.
Shade
A shade is created by adding black to a base hue, darkening the color. This creates a deeper, richer color.
Shades can be quite dramatic and can be overpowering.
Tint
A tint is created by adding white to a base hue, lightening the color. This can make a color less intense, and
is useful when balancing more vivid color combinations.
Tones
A tone is created by combining black and white—or grey—with a base hue. Like tints, tones are subtler
versions of the original color. Tones are less likely to look pastel, and can reveal complexities not apparent
in the base color.
Hue, Saturation and Luminance
A hue is basically any color on the color wheel. When you are using a color wheel or a color picker, you
can adjust the saturation and luminance of a hue.
Saturation is the intensity or purity of the color.
Luminance is the amount of brightness or light in a color.