Basic color theory and schemes

1. COLOR THEORY
Hollie Winningham
Grades 9-12
Beginning/Intermediate Art

2. CA Content Standards
• CREATING—Anchor Standard 2: Organize and develop artistic ideas and work.
2.3 Enduring Understanding: People create and interact with objects, places, and design that define,
shape, enhance, and empower their lives.
Essential Questions: How do objects, places, and design shape lives and communities? How do artists and
designers determine goals for designing or redesigning objects, places, or systems? How do artists and
designers create works of art or design that communicate effectively?
Process Component: Investigate
Prof.VA:Cr2.3: Collaboratively develop a proposal for an installation, artwork, or space design that
transforms the perception and experience of a particular place.
Acc.VA:Cr2.3: Redesign an object, system, place, or design in response to contemporary issues.
• CONNECTING—Anchor Standard 11: Relate artistic ideas and works with societal, cultural, and
historical context to deepen understanding.
Enduring Understanding: People develop ideas and understandings of society, culture, and history through
their interactions with and analysis of art.
Essential Questions: How does art help us understand the lives of people of different times, places, and
cultures? How is art used to impact the views of a society? How does art preserve aspects of life?
Process Component: Relate
Prof.VA:Cn11: Describe how knowledge of culture, traditions, and history may influence personal responses to
art.
Acc.VA:Cn11: Compare uses of art in a variety of societal, cultural, and historical contexts and make
connections to uses of art in contemporary, local and global contexts.

3. Mastery Hook
• I am using the Principles of Design and
Elements of art that they have been using up
until now and giving them a new way to apply
them through color.
• First step it to review the Principles of Design
and Elements of art

4. Elements of Art Overview

5. The Color Wheel
• The color wheel is a way to visualize and organize
the entire color spectrum of light.
• The ends of the spectrum are bent around a circle to
form a color wheel.
• Always orientate the color wheel with Yellow on the
top. For 2 reasons:
– Yellow is the lightest light and purple is the darkest dark
on a color wheel.
– It can help orient the warm and cool colors .

6. • Traditional “Painter’s
Color Wheel”
• Primary Colors are
pure pigments that
cannot be mixed:
o Red
o Yellow
o Blue
• RYB is used primarily
with traditional
pigment-based art
media (like painting)

8. Color Theory
• The technical name for color
• Describes the position of a color on a classic color wheel
• Used to name the color (Yellow, Orange, Red, etc.)
Hue

9. Color Theory
• Saturation refers to how vivid and intense a color is
Saturation

10. Tone = Shade + Tint

11. Color Theory 101
• Painter’s Color Wheel
Secondary ColorsPrimary Colors

12. Color Theory
Color Temperature
• We do not just have a single-
color wheel but, two. There is
a warm and a cool version for
each hue or color.
• If you note to the left it shows
a cool and warm version for
each of the colors shown.

13. Color Schemes: Warm
• Warm Colors: Right half
of the color wheel contains
colors associated with fire,
heat
Artist: Jan Vermeer
Title: Girl Asleep at a Table
Year: 1657

14. Paul Cezanne
The Basket of Apples, 1894
Color Schemes: Warm

15. Color Schemes: Cool
Cool: Left half of the wheel
has cooler colors
associated with ice, water
Artist: Pablo Picasso
Title: Femme Allongée Lisant
Year: 1939

16. Pablo Picasso
The Old Guitarist, 1903

17. Monochromatic uses different values of the same hue,
including tints and shades
Color Theory
Color Schemes: Monochromatic

18. Color Schemes: Monochromatic
• Monochromatic uses
different values of the same
hue, including tints and
shades
Artist: Georges Braque
Title: Le Portugais
Year: 1911

19. Color Schemes: Monochromatic
• Monochromatic color
palettes in interior design

20. You Try:
• Can you name 2 popular logos with a
monochromatic color scheme?
• Fill in the boxes with examples of
Tint, Shade and Tone.

22. Color Theory
• Color Schemes: Analagous
• Analogous: A selection of
colors that are adjacent on
the color wheel

23. Color Schemes: Analogous
• Analogous: A selection of
colors that are adjacent on
the color wheel
Artist: Vincent van Gogh
Title: The Iris
Year: 1889

24. You Try:
• Can you name 2 popular logos with
an analogous color scheme?
• Fill in the 3 triangle examples for
analogous colors.

26. Color Theory
Color Schemes: Complementary
• Complementary: Colors that are
opposite on the wheel. High Contrast

27. Color Schemes: Complementary
• Complementary: Colors
that are opposite on the
wheel. High Contrast
Vincent Van Gogh
The Café Terrace on the Place du Forum, Arles, at Night
1888

28. Complementary Colors in Graphic Design

29. You Try:
• Can you name 2 popular logos with
a complementary color scheme?
• Fill in the 3 examples for
complementary colors.

31. Color Theory
Split-
Complementary
• Color Schemes: Split-Complementary
Split Complementary: Process in which you choose your
main color, and your other colors are the ones on either side
of the complementary.

32. Color Theory
Triadic
• Color Schemes: Triadic
Triadic: Colors that are equally spaced on
the color wheel.

33. Triadic Color Schemes in Design

34. Triadic Color Schemes in Art
Andy Warhol Piet Mondrian

35. You Try:
• Can you name 2 popular logos with a
triadic color scheme?
• Fill in the 3 triangle examples for
analogous colors.