1. Color Wheel - 2D representation of the organization of color. example(subtractive)

additive color wheel - light mixing (two equally intense colors of light mix to make a lighter color of light) example

subtractive color wheel - pigment mixing (pigments of equal value mix and get darker) traditional, CMYK

gamut - the full range of colors capable of a device (eye, photograph, ink jet printer, computer monitor) comparison chart

color solids - models developed by color theorists to standardize color names Munsell Color Tree, Itten's 12 Pt. Star

a. primary color - colors that can not be mixed from any other color examples

b. secondary color - the colors resulting from an equal mixture of 2 primary colors

c. tertiary color - the mixture resulting from a primary, and secondary color (ie: yellow-orange and blue-greean)

2. Descriptive Terms painter's color chart, (detail)

a. value - degree of lightness or darkness

b. hue (the name of the color)

c. brilliance, intensity, chroma, saturation - a measure of the purity or grayness of each color

d. tint - any hue with white added

e. shade - any hue with black added

f. tone - any hue with both black and white added

g. cool & warm

3. Some Schemes

a. monochromatic - a single hue in a range of values (calm) John Wilde Studio Still Life: Red 2001

b. analogous - 3 to 5 colors adjacent to each other on the color wheel (calm)

c. complimentary - built on hues opposite one another on the color wheel (strong contrast produces a bolder more exciting effect)

1. double complimentary - two adjacent hues plus the compliment of each

2. split complimentary - any hue plus the two hues on either side of its compliment

d. triad - any three hues of equal distance from each other on the color wheel

e tetrad - any four hues of equal distance on the color wheel

4. Some Interactions

a. simultaneous contrast - complimentary colors of equal intensity intensify each other, and vibrate or create a third color where they share an edge

b. negative afterimage - an illusion of a color's compliment resulting from staring at a highly saturated color, then looking at a white area example

c. optical color mixtures

1. pointillism - juxtaposing patches of paint in differing hues to coax the viewers eye to mix them visually

2. middle mixtures - the “middle” color is a result of the two parent hues (or values)

interpenetration - colors seem to extract its own color from colors placed next to it

a. change the hue of a color - select two parent hues, their middle mixture, when surrounded by one parent, will look more like the other parent than when the middle mixture is surrounded by white example

b. change the value of a color -select a light value and dark value as parent hues, their middle mixture will look lighter when surrounded by the darker valued parent, and vice versa example

3. misc.

a. to change saturation, manipulate the saturation of the surrounding colors Elsie Driggs Queensborough Bridge, 1927

b. to gray (desaturate) a pure color of maximum saturation without changing its value Frank Stella Harran II 1967

1. mix it with a gray of the same value

2. mix it with its complement of the same value (the color opposite it on the color wheel)

d. advancing and receding colors - greater contrast in value and or hue causes greater distance to appear between colors Kandinsky Several Circles

5. Some Effects

a. luster - background dark gray, object black at edges & shaded in toward white highlights example and value map

b. irridescence - background light gray, object darker gray at edges and shaded in toward white highlights example and value map

c. luminosity - a complicated effect that depends on size contrast, brightness ratio, color purity, diffuse light sources and a high key example and value map

d. transparancy - overlapping parts are a mixture of two original hues

1. additive model looks as if a gauze curtain lay across it (gets lighter)

2. subtractive model like stacked stained glass (gets more intense) example and value map

6. Subjective vs. Local Color

a. local color is the color that we perceive an object to be - lemons are yellow, leaves are green Andrew Masullo 3878 2001

b. subjective color - manipulating colors to evoke feeling - not to be confused with artists who report local color very carefully (Monet) Gauguin Te Faaturuma (Brooding Woman)

7. Prejudice - everyday speech uses color names in ways that reinforce stereotypical ideas of their fixed emotional connotations (yellow-belly, yellow journalism, red’s association with anger or passion, orange and danger, green’s with envy & jealousy, blue as calm and cool, black as negative, white as pure... Yeesh! While some of these associations are useful for reinforcing important graphic messages (orange warning signs) most can not be relied upon to communicate broadly and effectively in your art or design.

Extra Link: http://www.markwang.com/projects/report.pdf