Color is such a ubiquitous part of our daily lives it’s easy to forget about it until we have to describe something. When creating — or even viewing art, we have to consider the impact of every color in the artwork and how those are combined in the piece to create a particular effect or convey a message. Understanding the fundamentals of color is the first step to using color effectively in art and understanding the hidden messages in the artwork we see.
Color Vocabulary: Colors, Hues, Tints, Shades, and Tones
If you’ve ever painted your house or browsed the paint section of Home Depot, you might already be familiar with some of the vocabulary of color but let’s break it down more clearly and understand color within the realm of art.
· Hue: Hue refers to color; you can use the terms color and hue interchangeably
o Red, blue, green, yellow, brown, etc.
· Tint(s): Tints are formed by mixing white + another color on the color wheel
o Pink (red + white), sky blue blue + white)
· Tones: Tones are formed by mixing black, white (gray) + another color on the color wheel
o Adding gray to a color dulls the color down so it appears less bright and vibrant
· Shades: Shades are formed by mixing black + another color on the color wheel
o Adding black to a color darkens the color very quickly, adding true black will make the original color appear deeper and more intense
A standard color wheel typically shows tints, tones, and shades for each of the primary, secondary, and tertiary colors.
The Color Wheel
A standard color wheel will show the primary, secondary, and tertiary colors. More detailed color wheels may also also include various tints, shades, and tones along with the main colors.
Primary Colors
There are three primary colors:
· Red
· Blue
· Yellow
You can create all other colors using just the three primary colors, so if you’re painting and can’t get a hold of all the colors, at least have red, blue, and yellow. Primary colors cannot be created from other colors.
Secondary Colors
There are also three secondary colors:
· Orange
· Purple
· Green
Secondary colors are formed by combining two primary colors:
· Red + Yellow = Orange
· Red + Blue = Purple
· Blue + Yellow = Green
Tertiary Colors
There are six tertiary colors; these are formed by combining a primary and secondary color together:
· Yellow + Green = Yellow-green
· Yellow + Orange = Yellow-orange
· Red + Orange = Red-orange
· Red + Purple = Red-purple
· Blue + Purple = Blue-purple
· Blue + Green = Blue-green
Complementary Colors
Each color on the color wheel has an opposite color, or its complementary color. If you look at the color wheel, the complementary color is found by looking at the color exactly opposite to it on the wheel.
There are three main complementary color pairs:
· Red and Green
· Blue and Orange
· Yellow and Purple
Every color has a complementary color, so there are more complementary color pairs besides the 3 main combos listed above. Remember to just look for the color opposite to it on the color wheel.
The Neutral Colors: Black, White, Gray, and Brown
You might notice that of black, white, gray, and brown do not appear on the color wheel. These so-called “neutral colors” operate a little differently.
For one thing, black, gray, and white are not technically colors. Colloquially speaking though we refer to black, white, and gray as colors.
· White is the absence of color. You cannot create white using other colors.
· You can however create black, since it a combination of 2 or more colors. You can create black using:
o Equal amounts of each primary color: red + yellow + blue
o Combine complementary color pairs: red/green, blue/orange, yellow/purple
There are a few other ways you can use to make black, but the methods listed above are simple and easy-to-remember ways to create black.
If you’re really curious about the “color” black, check out Black: The History of a Color by Michael Pastoureau, who delves into the history of the color black and its use and symbolic meaning in art and fashion.
Combining black and white forms gray. Gray is not a true color, but it’s often referred to as a color in the world of art and design.
Unlike black, white, and gray, brown is a color. You can form brown in several different ways:
· Combine the 3 primary colors
· Combine the complementary color pairs
Conclusion
Now that you understand the fundamentals of color and the color wheel, you can think more strategically about how you use and combine color in your own art.
I recommend making or getting your own color wheel to help visualize the colors and their relation to each other. Here’s a few helpful, and inexpensive color wheel tools on Amazon:
You can also make your own simple color wheel on paper or using a program like Canva or the free paint tool on your computer.
Check out my own paintings for examples of color in action: https://www.ashleyirizarry.com
Happy painting!
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