This document provides an overview of color theory, including the electromagnetic spectrum, how the eye perceives color, color mixing, properties of color like hue, value and intensity, color schemes, and how color is used in composition for emphasis, balance and creating the illusion of space. Some key points covered include that color is a property of light, objects do not have their own color, and the three primary colors are red, yellow and blue in the subtractive color system of pigments.

1. Color Theory
Every decision from clothes selection to
home/work environment is a color choice.
The study of color is complex.
Everyone can profit from the knowing some
basic color principles.
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2. 2
The Electromagnetic
Spectrum

3. 3
Newton used a prism to show
that white light contained all of the
colors of the spectrum.
Newton - Prism - Spectrum

4. 4
Cross-section of the Eye
Light enters
the eye and the
photoreceptors
in the back of
the eye transmit
the impulses to
the brain via the
optic nerve.

5. 5
The photoreceptors
are comprised of
rods and cones.
Rods see value –
light and dark.
Cones see color.
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Rods and Cones

6. 6
Reflection and Absorption
The reason we see a particular color – Orange
– is that all of the other light rays are absorbed
and only orange is reflected.

7. The Essentials
Light is made of all colors (Sir Isaac Newton put
white light through a prism = colors)
Color is a property of light.
Objects have no color of their own, they just reflect
a particular wavelength from the color spectrum.
(For example a blue object absorbs all of the
wavelengths, EXCEPT the blue ones, thus the blue
ones are reflected back to our eyes.
Black absorbs all the wave lengths of the color
spectrum.
White reflects all the wave lengths of the color
spectrum.
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8. Color Mixing
Additive System – Color is created from projected light.
(Example: theater lighting, photography, interior design,
etc.) (The primary colors mix to create white in an
additive system.)
Subtractive System – Color is created from pigments,
(Painting, drawing, etc…) The primary colors mix to
create neutral gray or black. Seen in dyes, paints, and ink
Color Wheel – most common organization for color
Primary Colors – Subtractive Color:
Red
Blue
Yellow
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9. 9
Additive and
Subtractive Color

10. Color Characteristics
Light and Color Perception
Color is a product of light.
Light changes affect color
Colors shift throughout the
times of the day.
Color Constancy or
Constancy Effect
While an object changes color
with different conditions, we
remain tied to thinking of it
as one color. (grass = green)
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Claude Monet. Poplars. 1891. Oil on canvas, 3’ 3 3/8” x
2’ 1 5/8” (100 x 65 cm). Philadelphia Museum of Art.

11. Color and its Surroundings
Color changes with light, and it
also changes with its
surroundings.
Rarely do we see color by
itself, normally it is in conjunction
with other colors
These surrounding colors will
change how we see. One color
can appear to be 2 different
colors.
Josef Albers devoted his career
to the study of color and color
relationships.
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The gray sample looks different against the two
background colors.

12. The 3 Properties of Color
Hue
Value
Intensity/Complementary
Colors

13. Properties of Color: Hue
First property of Color
Hue – Refers to the name of the color
Example: Pink, scarlet, maroon and
crimson are all a hue of Red.
There are few hues but there are many
colors.
The same hue or color can have many
different names. This is especially true
in the world of commercial products.
(Think color names of cars, shirts, etc.)
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14. Color Wheel
The most common organization
for the relationship of the
basic colors is the color
wheel. (Wheel system
dates from the 18th century.)
3 Primary Colors
Red, Yellow and Blue
3 Secondary Colors - mixtures
of the primary colors.
Orange, Green and Violet
6 Tertiary Colors - mixtures of a
primary and a secondary
color. The twelve-step color wheel of Johannes Itten.

15. Properties of Color: Value
Value - Lightness or darkness of the hue
Tint - adding white to a hue = high value color
Shade - adding black to a hue = low value color
“Most people can distinguish at least 40 tints and shades of any color.”
“Normal” Color Values Differ
“Not all the colors on the color wheel are shown at the same value.”
Yellow = light value color Blue = darker value color
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Value scales for blue, gray, and yellow with equal visual steps.

16. Properties of Color: Value
Changing Color Value
When working with paint you can thin
a color by adding medium.
The more transparent a color is, the
lighter it’s value placed over white.
You can also alter the value by mixing
hues together.
Value, just like color, is changed by its
surroundings.
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17. Color Properties
Color Interaction
Colors change with
their context.
Amounts and repetition
are also critical factors.
Here green looks
different “woven”
through black or white.
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18. Properties of Color:
Intensity/Complementary Colors
Intensity = brightness of a color.
At full intensity only when pure
or unmixed.
Also called chroma or
saturation.
2 ways to lower intensity:
(or make a color duller)
Mix with Gray
Mix with Complement
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Complementary colors neutralize each other in mixture.

19. Intensity/Complementary Colors
To Make Brighter use:
Simultaneous contrast – when 2
compliments are placed next to each other,
they increase in visual brilliance, usually with a
vibrating edge.
A visual phenomenon:
Afterimage effect – when you stare at an
intense color for a minute or so and then look
away, you will see the complementary color
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20. Mixing Light:
Digital palettes such as those
found in Photoshop are often used
in the arts
Colors can be mixed by numeric
percentages or picked from an
onscreen sample.
Mixing Pigment:
Modern pigment additions have
greatly expanded artist’s choices
Information on hue, value and
intensity is easily available.
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Palettes
Photoshop Palette

21. Visual Color Mixing
Techniques that suggest light
Visual Color Mixing Techniques:
Visual Mixing = Optical Mixing
Pigment can not reproduce the
luminous and brilliant quality of light
We create a color by placing 2
pure colors next to each other rather
then mixing them on a palette.
At a certain distance the viewer’s
eye mixes them together
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Chuck Close. April. 1990-1991.Oil on canvas, 8’ 4” x
7’. Courtesy Pace Wildenstein, New York.

22. Visual Mixing in Other Art Forms
Styles and Techniques that use
Visual Mixing
Post-Impressionist Seurat and van
Gogh used Visual Mixing
Pointillism – technique using small
bits of color next to each other to
produce a color.
Pixels on the computer
TVs
Mosaics
Weavings
Color Printing – 4 color dot system
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Black Watch Plaid for Band Regimental Tartan (#396).
House of Tartan, Ltd., Perthshire, Scotland.

23. Cool/Warm Colors
Color as physical sensation:
Cool Colors –Blue, Green, Violet
Cool colors recedes
Represents – Sky, Water,
Grass, Plants
Warm Colors – Red, Orange,
Yellow
Warm colors come forward
Represent – Fire, sun and heat
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24. Cool/Warm Colors
Color as Psychological Effect
Warm colors will suggest a feeling
of heat.
Cool colors might induce a chill.
Example: Here the artist plays with
both warm/cool in a room
installation
James Turrell. Meeting. 1986.

25. Cool/Warm Colors
Light and Shadow
Warm colors advance and cool
colors recede. Depth can be
created by increasing the use of
cool.
Example: Here the artist uses
progressively cooler blues to
show the receding landscape.
Neil Welliver. Thawed Ledge. 1988. Oil on
canvas, 5' x 5' (152.4 x 152.4 cm).

26. Color as Emphasis
Color Dominance
Areas of emphasis in a work of art create interest.
Carefully planned by the artist, the use color by its very
character commands top attention.
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27. Color as Emphasis
Color as attention
grabber
An unusual or strong
color can be used to grab
attention
Dark or dull against
bright and light can also
direct an area of
emphasis.
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Andy Goldsworthy. Elm. Middleton Woods,
Yorkshire. 1980. From Andy Goldsworthy: A
Collaboration with Nature (New York: Harry N.
Abrams, 1990).

28. Color and Balance
Achieving balance within
asymmetrical composition
Asymmetry – based on concept
of using different elements on
either side of the center axis
To create visual balance, the
elements must have equal
weight or attraction
Color is often selected to do
this.
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Joan Miré. The Birth of the World. Montroig, summer 1925. Oil on
canvas, 8’ 2 3/4” x 6’ 6 3/4” (250.8 x 200 cm). The Museum of
Modern Art, New York (acquired through an anonymous fund, the
Mr. and Mrs. Joseph Slifka and Armand G. Erpf funds, and by gift of
the artist, 262.1972).

29. Color and Balance
Dynamics of Balance and
Imbalance
Example: Gerome’s painting uses a
small amount of red to pull us to
the left. What is happening in
the drama that the artist has
chosen to show us this?
Jean Léone Gérome. The Duel after the Masquerade.
1857–1859. Oil on canvas, 1' 3 3/8" x 1' 10 3/6" (39.1 x 56.3
cm).

30. Color and Space
Color’s Spatial Properties
Color creates depth
Intense, warm colors come
forward, cool colors go back.
Atmospheric Perspective
As things go back into the
distance they fade to blue-
gray.
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Asher B. Durand. Kindred Spirits. 1849. Oil on
canvas, 3’ 8” x 3’. Courtesy Crystal Bridges
Museum of American Art, Bentonville, Arkansas.

31. Color and Space
Using color to Emphasize Flatness
Color can also be used to flatten and
compress space
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David Hockney. Mulholland Drive: The Road to the Studio. 1980. Acrylic on canvas, 7' 2" x 20' 3" (218.44 x
617.22 cm). Los Angeles County Museum of Art (purchased with funds from the F. Patrick Burns Bequest).

32. Color Schemes
Color harmonies - a simple combination of
particular colors based on the color
wheel. Also known as color schemes.
EXAMPLES:
Monochromatic - The use of just one hue in
an image. Value can be varied or used
with black and white.
Analogous – Use of 2-3 colors that are right
next to each other on the color wheel.
Mark Tansey. The Bricoleur's Daughter. 1987. Oil on
canvas, 5' 8" × 5' 7". Collection Emily Fisher
Landau,
New York..

33. Color Schemes - Choices
5 Basic Color Schemes
Monochromatic – uses only
one hue plus shades and tints
Analogous – several hues that
sit next to each other on a color
wheel
Complementary – Colors
opposite on the color wheel
Split Compliment – Uses the 2
colors on either side of the
complement
Triadic – Uses 3 hues equally
distant on the color wheel
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Stuart Davis. Visa. 1951. Oil on canvas, 3' 4" x 4' 4". The
Museum of Modern Art, New York (gift of Mrs. Gertrud A.
Mellon, 9.1953).

34. Planning Color Schemes
Interiors, posters, and
packaging are the most
common deliberate use of
color schemes….other areas
may be more intuitive.
Knowing these harmonies
can help all artists and
designers consciously plan
the visual effects they want a
finished work to have.
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Jan Vermeer. Girl with a Pearl Earring. c. 1665-
1666. Oil on canvas, 1’ 5 1/2” x 1’ 3 3/8” (44.5 x 39
cm). Royal Cabinet of Paintings, Mauritshuis, The
Hague.

35. Color Discord and Vibrating Colors
Unexpected Combinations
Color Discord – the
opposite of color harmony.
Can be visually disturbing.
They do not balance each
other nor do they have
affinity for each other.
Mild discord can be exciting
or stimulating.
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Wolf Kahn. Color/Tree Symphony. 1994. Oil on
canvas, 4’ 3 1/2” x 4’x 8 1/2”. Grace Borgenicht
Gallery, New York

36. Color Discord and Vibrating Colors
Using Discord to add Interest
Mild discord results in exciting, eye-catching
combinations
The fashion world exploits this concept so discordant is
commonplace and acceptable
Discordant color = visual surprise
Rules about what “goes together” seem outdated and
silly.
We approach color more freely today, seeking
unexpected and unusual color combinations
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37. Color Discord and Vibrating Colors
Colors in Conflict
Certain color paring are almost
difficult to look at.
Our eyes experience conflict
trying to look at them
They look as though they are
vibrating
Vibrating Colors – Colors that
create a flickering effect at their
border. This effect is usually
dependant on an equal value
relationship and strong hue
contrast
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Annie Mae Young. Quilt. c. 1965. Cotton stiff material:
corduroy sheeting, polyester dress and pants material,
wool, 7’ 7” x 6’ 9”. Tinwood Media Atlanta.

38. Color Uses
Three basic ways in which to use color
in painting and other areas of art.
Local Color (or Objective)- The
color an object seems under
ordinary daylight.
Optical Color - Depicting an
objects color as it might be seen
under various or different light.
Subjective Color - Is the arbitrary
us of color. Here the artist picks
colors based on design, aesthetics,
or emotional response.
(Heightened color is the use of color that
is intensified or exaggerated.)
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Scene from Candide by Leonard Bernstein and
Richard Wilbur. The Ohio State University
Department of Theatre.

39. Emotional Color
Emotional Color – Creates a strong
emotional response in the viewer
Yellow, red and orange colors = Warm,
happy and cheerful reactions
Blue and green colors = Cool,
Melancholy and depressing
reactions
Value and intensity also influence
us
Subject matter plays a part
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Pablo Picasso. Crouching Woman. 1902. Oil on canvas,
2’ 11” x 2’ 4” (90 x 71 cm). Staatsgalerie, Stuttgart.

40. Emotional Color
Themes and Context
Artist often use a color to add
emotional impact to already
volatile or emotive work.
Color is often selected by the
artist specific to this experience.
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Leon Golub. Mercenaries IV. 1980. Acrylic on
linen, 10’ x 19’ 2 1/2” (3 x 6 m). Private
collection, courtesy of the artist

41. Color Symbolism
Conceptual Qualities of Color
He is true-blue.
Caught him red-handed.
She told a white lie.
Color Can represent a concept or idea like sin,
greed, cowardice, etc. This is a mental or
conceptual idea.
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42. Color Symbolism
Color meaning varies between
countries and historical times.
Mourning
US-black
India-white
Turkey-Violet
Ethiopia-Brown
Burma-Yellow
Brides
US-White
Hindu India-Yellow
China-Red
Royalty
European & Egyptians-purple
China-Yellow
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43. Color Symbolism
Symbolic Color Today
Symbolic color is associated with
political, religious and commercial
messages
Examples to think about: Green
may mean environmental
responsibility or black denote
sophistication or a premium brand.
Example here: The sky over
Switzerland has white light…..meant
to evoke a divine illumination.
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Der Himmel über der Schweiz ist gross genug.