Monday, February 20, 2012

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
http://www.homemakeronadime.com/ Creative Bloggers Party Hop
Monday
http://betweennapsontheporch.blogspot.com Metamorphosis Monday
http://makingtheworldcuter.com/ Making the World Cuter Monday
http://www.craftskeepmesane.blogspot.com/ Motivate Me Monday 
http://houseinroses.blogspot.com/ Show Off Your Cottage Monday
Tuesday
Wednesday
http://ivyandelephants.blogspot.com/ - What’s it Wednesday
http://junkernewbie.blogspot.com – Would You Buy It Wednesday
Thursday
http://bec4-beyondthepicketfence.blogspot.com/ Under $100 Link Party
http://savedbysuzy.blogspot.com/ Suzy's House Party
http://www.theshabbycreekcottage.com/ Transformation Thursday
http://www.the36thavenue.com// Share Awesomeness Thursday
http://thriftydecorating-nikkiw.blogspot.com/ Thrifty Thursday
http://katherinescorner.com/ - Thursday Favorite Things
http://www.savvycityfarmer.com/ thrift’n on a thursday
Friday
http://www.missmustardseed.blogspot.com/ Furniture Feature Friday
http://www.remodelaholic.com/ Fridays on Remodelaholic
http://redoux.blogspot.com/ Friday Redoux Link Party
http://shabbynest.blogspot.com/ Frugal Friday
http://www.findingfabulousblog.com/ Frugalicious Friday
Saturday
http://funkyjunkinteriors.blogspot.com/ Saturday Nite Special
http://www.bedifferentactnormal.com/ Show and Tell Saturday 


12 comments:

Ricki Treleaven said...

As an artist I can tell you that I am loving these posts!

Natasha in Oz said...

What a gorgeous selection of images and colours! I loved learning more about the colour-wheel too.

Isn't Pinterest a great source of inspiration! My weekly Pinterest Linky party is on now-please pop by and perhaps you could even link up this post!

Best wishes,
Natasha In Oz

Dottie said...

Thanks for the lesson on color. Can't wait for what's next.

Natasha in Oz said...

Hi again!

Thanks for popping by, Revi. My Pinning Party starts on Fridays and goes all week. I am so thrilled you joined-thank you!

Best wishes,
Natasha In Oz

thistlewoodfarm said...

Love all your bright colors and fun ideas, Revi! That one picture with the yellow is wonderful....but you always pin the best pins on pinterest!

blessings,
karianne

Reba and Eldarose, sisters, friends and co-bloggers said...

Color and its influence on mood is so interesting. Cool post.

Found you via the blog hop. We are following you now and I hope you will follow back.

Eldarose from http://RE-inventedstyle.blogspot.com

Lindsey said...

I adore this, especially the designer in me!! All those colors. Stopping over via the blog hop! So nice to meet you! New follower :)

Lindsey
outofalabaster.blogspot.com

outjunking said...

The yellow petals on the street my fav. The brain training games thing... I'm going there next if I don't come back from there send some one to find me!
I wish you were in charge of the rest of my muscle because you are surely making me use my brain muscle.
Lol,
Lisa

Anonymous said...

You're so right. How dull life would be without color.

farmhouse-story said...

i learn new things from blogs everyday--and today it was from you--tfs, revi:)

Live Laugh Rowe said...

Hi Revi!

Thank you so much for participating in the blog hop. Wishing you all the best in your bloggy endeavors. Cheers!

Kelly
www.livelaughrowe.com

Anonymous said...

This is perfect timing for me. It seems I have so much going on with projects that not much is getting done and this brings me back to the basics of color that it mentally calms me and perhaps now i can get the focus back that I desperately need:) Many many thanks. (The Scriptures are a reminder also). Have a great day.