Color Theory 101 - An Overview of Color & Terms #1

Note: The following photos were all found on Pinterest! 

I do not know the original sources nor the photographers. 

I am truly grateful to have such amazing 

resources so readily available.

 This post would not be possible without them.

COLOR... 

We are surrounded by it every minute of every day. 

From the moment we wake up,

as we enjoy our morning coffee, 

as we go about our daily business, 

or spend time outside in nature, 

color is everywhere we look! 

It can be subtle,

or very dramatic.

We all have our favorite colors. 

Some colors make us feel good when we see them!

We liked them when we were children.

We used those crayons first.

(Mine were red-violet and blue-green)

There is a mountain of research about color and 

its relationship  to emotions and physiological responses. 

How do we use color in our every day lives? 

How can we use our favorite colors in our wardrobes 

without looking like circus employees 

(or in my case, "Barney")? 

How can we use our favorite in our homes 

without getting nasty letters 

from the neighborhood association?

This is the first of a series of posts about color. 

Since there is so much information about color, 

Today's post is a quick overview.

In subsequent posts, we'll begin to explore color in 

greater depth, building upon previous information.

The idea is for you to have a better understanding 

of how color works and ways you can 

achieve the results you want with the colors you prefer!

Though there is a lot of information about color, 

it's NOT rocket science.

We will begin this like you have no knowledge of color.

You may already know some of this, but bear with me. 

First things first: 

Without light, there can be no color. 

Light contains all color - a full spectrum.

You have seen this spectrum in a rainbow...

...or with a prism back in junior high school science class.

The spectrum is in a specific order. 

Not all the colors are visible to the naked eye.

There is an acronym to help remember the visible spectrum order:

Roy G. Biv 

Red

Orange

Yellow

Green

Blue 

( sorry, this color is not that great a representation)

Indigo

Violet

Non-visible colors are infra-red, which is before red, 

and ultra-violet, which is after violet in the spectrum.

Between the basic Roy G Biv colors, there are more colors: 

Red-orange, yellow-orange, yellow-green, 

blue-green, red-violet and blue-violet

The color wheel is a tool that illustrates 

the order of the spectrum.

Here is a color wheel:

The colors on the color wheel above 

are also called pure colors, or saturated colors. 

Warm colors: 

All the colors that fall between red and yellow

Cool colors:

 All the colors that fall between green and violet

Red-violet and yellow-green can be either warm or cool.

Primary colors:

 Red, Blue and Yellow are the 3 primary colors. 

With light, all other colors can be made from these colors. 

(The same is not necessarily true with paint pigments.)

These are primary colors because 

they cannot be made by combining any other colors.

Notice their placement and relationships 

to each other on the color wheel. 

They form a triangle and are equidistant to each other.

Here are some examples of primary color schemes:

This is a very classic color combination.

It is highly dramatic and graphic without being "wild." 

Notice the balance:

Yellow is a naturally light color, 

red is a medium color and blue is a dark color.

Yellow and red are warm and blue is cool. 

Color is all about order and balance! 

Knowing "the rules" will help you 

create harmony in your color schemes. 

Knowing when to break the rules 

can result in very dramatic and results.

Next time, we will talk about:

 Secondary colors

Tertiary colors 

Complementary colors

Analogous colors

If you have not heard these terms before, don't worry! 

They are just names for the relationships 

between the colors on the color wheel above. 

Word for the Day:

Genesis 9:16
Whenever the rainbow appears in the clouds, I will see it and remember the everlasting covenant between God and all living creatures of every kind on the earth.

May you see HIS glory and presence in the colors around you today!

-Revi

Possibly Linking with:

Sunday

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Monday

http://betweennapsontheporch.blogspot.com Metamorphosis Monday
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Tuesday

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Wednesday

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Thursday
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Friday

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Saturday
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