Properties of Color
Hue / Pigment
Hue / Pigment refers to the color itself – red, orange, yellow, green, blue, purple, etc.
There are three pigment colors that can’t be mixed or formed by any other combination of the colors. These are called primary colors. All other colors are made from these 3 colors. The three primary colors are:
- Yellow
- Blue
- Red
These three colors are blended together to produce other colors, called secondary colors:
- Blue + Yellow = Green
- Yellow + Red = Orange
- Blue + Red = Purple
When you combine a primary color with a secondary color, you produce a tertiary color. Some of these include:
- Red + Orange = Red Orange
- Yellow + Green = Yellow Green
- Red + Violet (purple) = Red Violet
Mix enough colors together, and you get black.
Warm and Cool Colors
Colors can be warm or cool. Warm colors look like they are in front and appear more active in a painting. Warm colors are lively and exciting. Warm colors include yellow, orange and red.
Cool colors tend to look like they are further away. Cool colors are calming and relaxing. Cool colors include blue, green and purple.
Color Value
Color value refers to the lightness or darkness of the hue. Adding white to a hue produces a high-value color, often called a tint (e.g., pink). Adding black to a hue produces a low-value color, often called a shade (e.g., maroon).
Intensity
Intensity refers to the brightness of a color. A color is at full intensity when not mixed with black or white – a pure hue. You can change the intensity of a color, making it duller or more neutral by adding gray to the color.
Color Schemes
Monochromatic
This color scheme involves the use of only one hue. The hue can vary in value, and black or white may be added to create various shades or tints.
Analogous
This color scheme involves the use of colors that are located adjacent on the color wheel. The hues may vary in value. The color scheme for this site is analogous, with the colors varying only slightly from each other.
Complementary
This color scheme involves the use of colors that are located opposite on the color wheel such as red and green, yellow and purple, or orange and blue. Complementary colors produce a very exciting, dynamic pattern.
Analogous Colors
Analogous (uh-NAL-uh-gus) colors sit next to each other on the color wheel. They tend to look pleasant together because they are closely related.
Orange, yellow-orange, and yellow are an example of analogous colors. They are blended nicely in Sunflowers, a painting by Vincent Van Gogh. How do you know that these colors are closely related? They share a color—each of them contains some yellow.
Sunflowers by Vincent Van Gogh
Complementary Colors
Complementary colors sit opposite each other on the color wheel. Because they are opposites, they tend to look especially lively when used together. When you put complementary colors together, each color looks more noticeable.
