Color TheoryThe Color WheelA 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. Since then scientists and artists have studied and designed numerous variations of this concept.
Primary colors – are the 3 pigment colors that can not be mixed or formed by any combination of other colors. All other colors are derived from these 3 hues.
red, yellow, blueSecondary Colors – These are the colors formed by mixing the primary colors.
green, orange and purpleTertiary Colors – 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.
yellow-orange, red-orange, red-purple, blue-purple, blue-green and yellow-green
color wheel labeled with types of colors in their proper locationsWarm & Cool Colors
Warm colors advance and cool colors recede, affecting the perception of depth. This theory is based upon that fact that the eye adjusts when focusing on colors of different wavelengths. Red light waves have a longer wavelength than blue ones. An image containing both cool and warm colors would demonstrate contrast of temperature or warm/cool contrast creating more complex relationships between the color (warm colors can read cooler against a higher intensity warm colors and cool colors sometimes can advance against predominately warm palette).
Primary colors – are the 3 pigment colors that can not be mixed or formed by any combination of other colors. All other colors are derived from these 3 hues.
red, yellow, blueSecondary Colors – These are the colors formed by mixing the primary colors.
green, orange and purpleTertiary Colors – 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.
yellow-orange, red-orange, red-purple, blue-purple, blue-green and yellow-green
color wheel labeled with types of colors in their proper locationsWarm & Cool Colors
- Warm colors — such as red, yellow, and orange; evoke warmth because they remind us of things like the sun or fire.
- Cool colors — such as blue, green, and purple (violet); evoke a cool feeling because they remind us of things like water or grass.
Warm colors advance and cool colors recede, affecting the perception of depth. This theory is based upon that fact that the eye adjusts when focusing on colors of different wavelengths. Red light waves have a longer wavelength than blue ones. An image containing both cool and warm colors would demonstrate contrast of temperature or warm/cool contrast creating more complex relationships between the color (warm colors can read cooler against a higher intensity warm colors and cool colors sometimes can advance against predominately warm palette).