This document provides an overview of color theory and properties. It discusses the history of color study, color wheels, primary/secondary/tertiary colors, color harmonies, achromatic colors, color temperature, and the psychology of color. The document is intended as part of a course on color study and includes sections on color introduction, properties, harmony, achromatic colors, temperature, psychology, and references.

1. DIPLOMA IN FILM & TV (GROUP
2)
COLOR STUDY – DNM 115
NAME: LEE SWEET WAN
STUDENT ID: 2014050053
PREPARED FOR MR SHAFIQ HARIZ

2. CONTENTS
 WHAT IS COLOR?
- INTRODUCTION
- HISTORY
- THEORY
 COLOR PROPERTIES
- COLOR WHEELS
- PRIMARY COLOR
- SECONDARY COLOR
- TERTIARY COLOR
 COLOR HARMONIOUS
- ANALOGOUS COLOR
- COMPLRMENTARY COLOR
- TRIAD
- SPLIT COMPLEMENTARY COLOR
- TERTRAD
 ACHROMATIC AND MONOCHROMATIC
- TINTS
- TONES
- SHADES
 COLOR TEMPARATURE
- WARM COLOR
- COLD COLOR
 COLOR PSYCHOLOGY
 REFERENCES
 RATIONALE
 ARTWORK

3. WHAT IS COLOR?
INTRODUCTION
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. All light rays contain color. Light is made of
electromagnetic waves. The longest wavelength of light that humans can see is red.
The shortest is violet. 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.
HISTORY
Colour has been investigated and used for more than 2000 years. Some of the early
studies and theories about light were done by Aristotle. He discovered that by mixing
two colours, a third is produced. He did this with a yellow and blue piece of glass,
which when brought together produced green. He also discovered that light travels
in waves. Isaac Newton (1642-1727) passed a beam of sunlight through a prism.
When the light came out of the prism is was not white but was of seven different
colours: Red, Orange, Yellow, Green, Blue, Indigo and Violet. The spreading into rays
was called dispersion by Newton and he called the different coloured rays the
spectrum. He concluded that white light was made up of seven different coloured
rays.
COLOR THEORY
Color theory encompasses a multitude of definitions, concepts and design
applications - enough to fill several encyclopedias. It create a logical structure for
color. For example, if we have an assortment of fruits and vegetables, we can
organize them by color and place them on a circle that shows the colors in relation
to each other.
There are several categories of color theory
- Color Wheel

4. - Primary color, Secondary Color, Tertiary Color
- Color Harmony
COLOR PROPERTIES
COLOR WHEEL
A color circle, based on red, yellow and blue, is traditional in the field of art. Sir Isaac
Newton developed the first circular diagram of colors in 1666. It is a visual
representation of colors arranged according to their chromatic relationship. Begin a
color wheel by positioning primary hues equidistant from one another, then create a
bridge between primaries using secondary and tertiary colors.
PRIMARY COLOR
Primary colors are 3 pigment colors that cannot be mixed or formed by any
combination of other colors. All other colors are derived from these 3 hues.
 Red
 Blue

5.  Yellow
SECONDARY COLOR
These are the colors formed by mixing the primary colors.
 Orange
 Violet
 Green
TERTIARY COLOR
These are the colors formed by mixing a primary and a secondary color. That's why the
hue is a two word name, such as blue-green, red-violet, and yellow-orange.
 Red Orange
 Yellow Orange
 Yellow Green
 Blue Green
 Blue Violet

6.  Red Violet

7. COLOR HARMONY
Harmony is something that is pleasing to the eye. It engages the viewer and it
creates an inner sense of order, a balance in the visual experience. Color harmony
delivers usual interest and a sense of order. There are many theories for harmony.
Analogous Color
Analogous colors are any three colors which are side by side on a 12 part color
wheel, such as red, red-orange, and orange. Usually one of the three colors
predominates.
Complementary Color

8. Complementary colors are any two colors which are directly opposite each other,
such as red-orange and blue-green. The high contrast of complementary colors
creates a vibrant look especially when used at full saturation.
Triad
A triadic color scheme uses colors that are evenly spaced around the color wheel and
it can also formed a triangle. Triadic color harmonies tend to be quite vibrant, even if
you use pale or unsaturated versions of your hues.
Split Complementary Color

9. The split-complementary color scheme is a variation of the complementary color
scheme. In addition to the base color, it uses the two colors adjacent to its
complement. The split complementary color is a good choice for the beginners
because it is difficult to mess up.
Tetrad
The rectangle or tetrad color scheme uses four colors arranged into two
complementary pairs. This rich color scheme offers plenty of possibilities for
variation.

10. Task for color harmony: Packaging

11. ACHROMATIC & MONOCHROMATIC
Achromatic Color
‘Achromatic’ comes from the Greek meaning 'without
color' so strictly speaking there are no achromatic colors.
All neutral tones from pure white, all shades of pure grey
to pure black are achromatic, but they are not properly
called colors.
Monochromatic Color
Monochromatic colors are one color (hue) with the tints,
tones and shades of that color.
These terms are often used incorrectly, although they
describe fairly simple color concepts.
 Tints
- A color that made lighter by adding white
 Tones
- A color that made different tone by adding gray
 Shades
- A color that made a darker by adding black

12. COLOR TEMPERATURE
Watercolors are positioned on the color wheel according to their color temperature.
Red, and colors that can be made from red, are positioned on the warm side of the
color wheel. Whereas blue, and the colors that can made from blue, are positioned
on the cool side of the color wheel. But colors on the warm side of the wheel can be
known as cool, and colors on the cool side of the wheel can be known as warm,
depending on the relationship to their neighboring color.
Warm Color
They are made with orange, red, yellow and combinations of them all. As the name
indicates, they tend to make you think of sunlight and heat. Warm colors are vivid
and energetic, and tend to advance in space.
Cool Color
Cool colors such as blue, green and light purple have the ability to calm and soothe.
Where warm colors remind us of heat and sunshine, cool colors remind us of water
and sky. Unlike warm colors, cool colors give an impression of calm, and create a
soothing impression.

13. COLOR PSYCHOLOGY
What is Color Psychology?
Color psychology is a study of color as a determinant of human behaviour. It is based
on the mental and emotional effects colors have on sighted people in all facets of
life. There are some very subjective pieces to color psychology as well as some more
accepted and proven elements. In addition, there will also be variations in
interpretation, meaning, and perception between different cultures.
Used of Color Psychology
This is useful tool in all your business activities too. The color a company uses to
brand itself conveys how trustworthy they are to consumers, the quality of their
products, and much more. The physiological and emotional effect of color in each
person is influenced by several factors such as past experiences, culture, religion,
natural environment, gender, race, and nationality. Choosing the right colors can
impact subliminally and positively on the subconscious minds of your clients and
customers and therefore have an impact on the decisions they make when deciding
to use your services or buy your products. Most results show that it is not a specific
color that attracts all audiences, but that certain colors are deemed appropriate for
certain products.
For example, branding is one of the most important issues relating to color
perception and the area where many articles on this subject run into problems. There
are broader messaging patterns to be found in color perception and colors play an
important role in purchases and branding. Additional studies have revealed that our
brains prefer recognizable brands, which makes color incredibly important when
creating a brand identity. When it comes to picking the “right” color, research has
found that predicting consumer reaction to color appropriateness in relation to the
product is far more important than the individual color itself. The colors can also play
a role in represent the feeling, mood and image that the product itself.
The Psychological Effects on Color
Each color falls into a specific meaning and it will influencing our emotions and state
of mind. For example, white reminds us purity, cleanliness, precision, innocence,
sterility and death. Black reminds us power, sexuality, sophistication, death, mystery,
fear, unhappiness, elegance. Blue reminds us trust, conservative, security, technology,
cleanliness, order. It can also reduces mental excitability and therefore helps one to
concentrate. It is both cooling and sedative, but cannot be used indiscriminately, as

14. too much of it produces melancholia. Green is a cooling color. It reminds us of
nature, healthy, good luck, jealousy ("green with envy"), renewal. In addition, a
research shown that green doesn't do well in a global market. There are problems
associated with green packaging in China and France. Green has been successful in
attracting investors in the Middle East.
While yellow is cheering and stimulating and draws attention. It shows us optimism,
hope, philosophy, dishonesty, cowardice (a coward can be described as "yellow"),
betrayal. Same as yellow, red is exciting and can stimulates the brain. It shows us
power, energy, warmth, passions, love, aggression, danger. Red changes meaning in
the presence of other colors. With green, it becomes a symbol of Christmas. When
combined with white, it means joy. Violet is a sedative and soothing color. It reminds
us of spirituality, mystery, royalty, transformation, cruelty, arrogance. Brown is restful
and warming but should be combined with orange, yellow, or gold, because it can be
depressing if used alone. It reminds us of earth, reliability, comfort, endurance. Grey
is a color which is depressing unless combined with a livelier color. It reminds us of
intellect, futurism, modesty, sadness and decay.
Color Psychology as Therapy
Color Therapy and healing uses the visible spectrum of light and color to affect a
person’s mood and physical or mental health. Each color falls into a specific
frequency and vibration, which many believe contribute to specific properties that
can be used to affect the energy and frequencies within our bodies. It is common
knowledge that light enters through our eyes, but it can also enter through our skin.
Given the unique frequencies and vibrations of various colors, people believe that
certain colors entering the body can activate hormones causing chemical reactions
within the body, then influencing emotion and enabling the body to heal.
Colors are known to have an effect on people with brain disorders or people with
emotional troubles. For example, the color blue can have a calming effect which can
then result in lower blood pressure, whereas the color red might have the opposite
effect. Green is another color that may be used to relax people who are emotionally
unbalanced. Yellow, on the other hand, may be used to help invigorate people who
might be suffering from depression.
Alternative therapies also believe that a person’s aura contains different layers of
light which can be used for cleansing and balancing. Knowing the colors in your aura
can help you better understand your spirit, and thus help you better understand how
to heal. In addition, the colors surrounding you can also have various effects.
Color Meaning and Symbolism

15. Colors hold significance for people around the world. Colors influence emotion, and
they also hold meaning in religion and various cultures. Here are some examples how
colors do influence in these categories.
Emotion
Blue is seen as conservative. Red is power and aggression. Brighter colors such as
yellow and orange represent warmth not only with emotions but also with
temperature. When someone is feeling down or depressed, it is said they are feeling
"blue." When someone is angry they "see red." When someone is seen to be afraid
they are called "yellow.
Ecology
Obviously green is the major color symbolizing ecology. The new phrase for people
or companies who find ways to cut back on electricity, fuel, or things that damage
the environment is "going green."
Phrases
When something is seen as opposite, extreme, or a firm position, it is said to be
"black or white." When something is not clear or not in a firm position, it is said to be
a "grey area." The blues describe a form of music.
Religion
Colours are also used in religious ceremonies or represent aspects of religion. For
example, Green is the traditional color of Islam. The Islamic flag is green. Green is
also mentioned in the Quran as the color of garments, cushions and carpets in
paradise.
Color in your culture
With the advent of the World Wide Web, there is a narrowing of the differences in
meanings of colors between different cultures and countries.
In China, red color hold a meaning of good luck and celebration. It also represent a
vitality, happiness, long life. As Chinese people believe that red can bring us good
luck so it usually used in many ceremonies from funerals to weddings. It is also
traditionally worn on Chinese New Year to bring luck and prosperity.
Moreover, yellow used as sacred, imperial, royalty, honor, and masculine color.
Besides, green color represent a new life, regeneration and hope. In addition, it
shows disgrace which means that giving a Chinese man a green hat indicates his wife
and is cheating on him.

16. Whereas blue represent immortality, associated with pornography and 'blue films',
and feminine color.
Next, white color hold a meaning of death and mourning. It is common to see
Chinese people used white color on the funerals.
While in Chinese Horoscopes brown is the color for earth.
Unlike red colour, black is a color for young boys and sometimes the eldest and our
ancestors doesn’t like black color as they think that it will brings bad luck.
What is Color good for?
As my opinion color is important and it can bright up our life. It’s hard to identify
things without color. Everything in our daily life are all related to color, such as we
used color on the traffic light, road sign and more.
There are also several benefits of color. Firstly, it can conveying emotion and
meaning. Second, it changing perception of space. Next, it changing apparent size.
Moreover, it shows similarities and differences. Furthermore, it linking spatially
separated objects together. In addition, it also can attracting attention. Color not
only creating emphasis but also smoothing to improve image quality. Lastly, color
can creating aesthetic and emotional appeal

17. REFERENCES
http://www.crayola.com/for-educators/resources-landing/
articles/color-what-is-color.aspx
http://www.colourtherapyhealing.com/colour/colour_history.php
http://www.colormatters.com/color-and-design/basic-color-theory
http://www.worqx.com/color/color_wheel.htm
http://www.tigercolor.com/color-lab/color-theory/color-harmonies.
htm
http://www.watercolorpaintingandprojects.com/basics/color-temperature.
html
http://interiordec.about.com/od/color/a/Warm-Colors-And-Cool-
Colors.htm
http://www.tigercolor.com/color-lab/color-theory/color-theory-intro.
htm
http://www.arttherapyblog.com/online/color-psychology-psychologica-
effects-of-colors#.VDfwjOOSy1g
http://www.helpscout.net/blog/psychology-of-color/
http://archive.csustan.edu/OIT/webServices/SupportResources/Psych
ofColor.html
http://www.arttherapyblog.com/online/color-therapy-healing-an-introduction/#.
VDimk_mSyM4
http://www.incredibleart.org/lessons/middle/color2.htm
http://www.empower-yourself-with-color-psychology.com/cultural-color.
html

18. FINAL
PROJECT

19. MY ARTWORK

20. RATIONALE
I drew an ocean, some obstacles in the ocean, a human, the sky, and sun. I used black
color on the human and those obstacles, blue color and with some grey color for the
ocean, yellow color for the sky, red and orange color for the sun. So now I’ll be
explain why did I used those colors on the painting and my feelings right now.
Firstly, black is the absorption of all color and the absence of light. In color
psychology this color gives protection from external emotional stress. We all use
black at various times to hide from the world around us in one way or another. Some
of us use it to hide our weight; and I use it to hide my feelings and lack of self-confidence.
Black is the end, but I believe that the end always implies a new
beginning.
Next, blue is a color that seeks peace above everything. Change is difficult for blue.
When faced with a new or different idea, it considers and thinks it over slowly and
tries to make it fit its own acceptable version of reality.While grey is the color of
compromise, which being neither black nor white. It is also a color that shows boring
and depressing.
Besides, yellow is a color which offering hope, happiness, cheerfulness and fun. It is a
color of new ideas, which helping us to find new ways of doing things yet can
awaken greater confidence. Moreover, if you are going through many change in your
life you may find out that yellow is quite annoying and you can’t get to tolerate it
very well. Therefore, as the reference I did added some orange into my life to balance
and restore my energies. The color orange represent warmth and happiness. At the
same time, it helps us to bounce back from disappointments.
Furthermore, red is a warm and positive color. It shows us power. It excites the
emotions and motivates us to take action. It signifies a pioneering spirit and
leadership qualities, promoting ambition and determination. It can also give
confidence in people who are shy or lacking in power.
As I already show up all the meanings of colors that I used, here the story. I am a
people who always wanted to hide up because of lack of confidence in myself. I’m
trying to protect myself from the outside world and I feel like I don’t really fit in or
belong anywhere. I don’t show excitement about anything in my life and tend to be
indecisive. At that moment my life is full of sadness and depression. But then I

21. realized that if I work a little bit harder my life might become more different from
how depress it was. I can’t just look for how bad I am but also seeking for how good I
can do for my own. So I decided to make some changes in my life, Changes are
always the challenge for us and perhaps it will not be going smoothly all the way.
Although we might be afraid of it but we have to become more confidence and
strong to stand the challenges and if we do get to accept it and fight for what we
want then it will ends up success. The conclusion is I’m still working on it and
hopefully I get to reach what I am fighting for.