This document explains color theory concepts including primary colors, secondary colors, intermediate colors, analogous colors, warm and cool colors, complementary colors, hue, value, tints, shades, and intensity. It defines these terms and describes how colors are created or altered by mixing. For example, primary colors cannot be created by mixing, secondary colors are created by mixing primary colors, and value is altered by mixing a hue with white or black.

1. A COLOR WHEEL is a
chart which shows the
relationships of the colors.
You can use it like a recipe
book when you want to
mix a special color.

2. The PRIMARY COLORS
are Red, Yellow, and Blue.
Primary means first. These
colors can’t be created by
mixing other colors.

3. The SECONDARY
COLORS are Orange,
Green, and Violet.
Secondary means second.
These colors can be
created by mixing other
colors.

4. The INTERMEDIATE
COLORS are Red-Orange,
Red-Violet, Blue-Green,
Blue-
Violet, Yellow-Green, and
Yellow-Orange. These
colors can be created by
mixing a primary and a
close secondary color.

5. Colors that are next to
each other on the color
wheel are ANALOGOUS.

6. WARM and COOL colors
are a subjective family of
colors.
COOL colors are “icy.”
They colors appear to
recede (go back.)
WARM colors are
“sunny.” They appear to
advance (come forward.)

7. Colors that are opposite
from each other on the
color wheel are
COMPLEMENTARY.

8. Value is the lightness or darkness of a color. We can change the
value of a color by adding white or black to it.
White, black, and gray are not technically “colors.”
The art word for color is HUE. A HUE is a color that is in the color
spectrum (rainbow.)

9. Mixing a hue with black creates a SHADE.
We can make red darker by mixing it with traces of black.
Black is very strong…it doesn’t take much to make a big
change. A good “rule-of-thumb” with shades is to start with the
hue and slowly darken it by adding small amounts of black.

10. Mixing a hue with white creates a TINT.
You can change the value or red by mixing it with white. It
takes a lot more white than red to change the value. A good
rule-of-thumb with tints, is to “start with the white.”

11. Mixing the hue with the complementary complementary color
changes the INTENSITY.
Intensity is the brightness or dullness of a color. Red and green are
complementary colors. When you mix them together, you create a
neutral color.
You can also make colors less intense (duller) by mixing them with
gray.

12. These two reds demonstrate VALUE.
One is lighter, and the other is darker.
We do this with white and black. These
are called tints and shades.
These two reds demonstrate INTENSITY.
One is brighter and one is duller (more
neutral). We do this by mixing the red
with green or gray.