Unit 4

Color

Color is the reflection and refraction of different wavelengths of light. Color is the element of art that is produced when light, striking an object, is reflected back to the eye. There are three properties to color. The first is hue, which simply means the name we give to a color (red, yellow, blue, green, etc.). The second property is intensity, which refers to the vividness of the color. A color's intensity is sometimes referred to as its "colorfulness", its "saturation", its "purity" or its "strength".The third and final property of color is its value, meaning how light or dark it is. The terms shade and tint refer to value changes in colors. In painting, shades are created by adding black to a color, while tints are created by adding white to a color.

When light is refracted through a prism we can see each color.

Color Wheel

The Color Wheel, originally developed by Sir Isaac Newton, is a tool used by artists to visibly recognize the relationships between different hues.

The Primary Colors are red, yellow and blue, and are considered primary because they can be mixed to create any of the other colors on the color wheel and cannot be created by mixing other colors.

The Secondary Colors are green, violet, and orange and are created by mixing two primary colors together.

The Tertiary (or Intermediate) Colors are yellow-orange, yellow-green, blue-green, blue-violet, red-violet, and red-orange and are created by mixing a primary and a secondary

Color Schemes

Color schemes are logical combinations of colors on the color wheel and are typically used by artists to create an aesthetic feeling in a work of art.

Monochromatic

A monochromatic color scheme consists of one color plus its tints and shades. A tint is a color plus white, and a shade is a color plus black.

Analogous

An analogous color scheme consists of 3-4 colors that are adjacent to each other on the color wheel. Analogous color schemes create a very harmonious feeling in a work of art, and can be used in combination with warm or cool groupings to create a look that has a certain temperature. An example would be blue-green, blue, and blue-violet.

Complementary

Complementary colors are colors that are opposite one another on the color wheel. Complementary colors are very high contrast and are often used to create emphasis in a work of art. When combined or mixed, complementary colors cancel each other out and produce a neutral tone ranging from brown to gray to black. Mixing a color with a small amount of its complement can be used to reduce the intensity or saturation of that color.

Split-Complementary

A split-complementary color scheme is very similar to a complementary color scheme, but uses the two colors beside a color's complement instead. For example, red and green are complements, so the split-complement of red will be blue-green and yellow-green. This can be used to create more variety in your color scheme while still maintaining high contrast.

Triadic

The triadic color scheme uses three colors equally spaced around the color wheel. The easiest way to place them on the wheel is by using a triangle of equal sides. Triadic color schemes tend to be quite vibrant, even when using pale or unsaturated versions of hues, offers a higher degree of contrast while at the same time retains the color harmony. This scheme is very popular among artists because it offers strong visual contrast while retaining balance, and color richness. The triadic scheme is not as contrasting as the complementary scheme, but it is easier to accomplish balance and harmony with these colors.

The primary colors are an example of a triadic color scheme.

Color Temperature

Colors are often considered to have temperatures and typically designated as either warm or cool. The warm colors consist of yellows, oranges and reds, while the cool colors consist of greens, blues and violets. Color temperatures can be used in a work of art to create certain feelings or moods. For example, cool colors might portray a feeling of sadness or sorrow, while warm colors might be more energetic and happy.

Warm colors

Cool colors

Assignments and activities

Tempera Paint Color Wheel

Students will use only the primary colors to accurately mix and paint each of the 12 colors on the color wheel using the blank color wheel template provided. Students should pay careful attention to accurate mixtures, with an even step between each color, and brush control and craftsmanship. Paint inside the lines!

Tints, Shades and Intensities Paint Chart

For this assignment, students will practice mixing colors to create a gray tone value scale, monochromatic value scale, and intensity/neutralization chart using complements. Students should pay careful attention to accurate mixtures, with an even step between each color/value. Use good brush control and craftsmanship. Paint inside the lines!

Color Schemes Paint Chart

Students will paint a series of charts based on each of the color schemes they have learned in class. Each chart will have specific instructions for color mixtures, including intensity and value. Students should pay careful attention to the instructions for each section and practice good brush control and craftsmanship. Paint inside the lines!

Abstraction Painting Project

For this project, students will learn about the history of Abstraction in art, including the styles of Cubism and Neo-Plasticism and the works of Pablo Picasso and Piet Mondrian. Students will then apply the techniques of abstraction and their knowledge of color theory to create a painting of their chosen subject matter in a "cubist" style.

Students should select one of the color schemes listed above and use only those colors plus various tints, shades and intensities of those colors to create their painting. Students should pay careful attention to brush control and craftsmanship for this project. Once the entire painting is complete, students will have the choice to go over their lines using black permanent marker.

Introduction to Abstraction

Colored Pencil Techniques

Colored pencils are an extremely versatile art media but are often used incorrectly by young learning artists. For this assignment, students will learn about proper colored pencil techniques, including layering and blending. Students will:

Create a series of neutralization charts by blending complementary colors to learn how to change the intensity or saturation of their colors.
Create a series of gradation charts to practice creating a smooth gradual blend from one color to another.
Create a drawing of a monochromatic sphere, including highlight, mid-tones, core shadow, reflected light, and cast shadow.
Create a drawing of a realistic ribbon using a full value range.
Create a drawing of a realistic apple.

Colored Pencil Project - Radial Design

Students will apply creativity and originality in the creation of a design that utilizes radial balance.

Report abuse