The colour wheel (I am using the Australian spelling during this article) is a fantastic tool that no artist should be without.
It helps you see all about colour harmony.
One side of the wheel teaches you about Hues, Colour Value and colour mixing.
For mixing you simply dial up the desired colour by turning the wheel until the one that you wish to mix shows up in the viewing window of the inner circle of the wheel, and then simply mix the corresponding colour on the outer rim, with the colour immediately below it.
These two sided wheels are available at most art stores and if you don't already own one I highly recommend getting one.
As an artist I have found it to be one of the most important tools I have used.
There are three types of colours: Primary - which are Red, Yellow and Blue - which cannot be created by mixing any other colours together.
Secondary - which are Orange, Green and Violet which are created by mixing two primaries together.
I.
e.
: Red + Yellow = Orange There are also six Tertiary Colours which are created by mixing one primary with one secondary, being Red-Orange, Red-Violet, Blue-Violet, Blue-Green, Yellow Green and Yellow-Orange.
Warm or Advancing Colours are the Reds, Yellows and Oranges.
These are often used to highlight areas in the foreground of a painting.
Cool or Receding colours are Greens, Blues and Violets.
Often used for skies and background areas of the painting.
Colour is produced by reflected light and is described using three attributes which are Hue (being the actual paint straight out of the tube), Value which relates to the relative lightness or darkness e.
g.
: Once white is added then the value of that colour increases, as Pure White is the highest value and the pure Hue is the lowest value.
The value of colour is often split into a grey scale or value scale of 10, as shown on the wheel.
The third attribute is intensity.
For example you can use the pure Hue with nothing added to it or you can use the Tint of that Hue which you get from adding White to the Hue.
You get the Tone of the Hue by adding grey to the Hue.
You get the Shade of the Hue by adding black to the Hue.
The other side of the wheel shows you colour harmony.
You simply point the top arrow to any particular colour, and the one directly opposite will be its direct complementary.
It also shows the split complementary, triad complementary as well as Tetrad complementary colours.
The complementary includes the tint, tone or shade of the hue.
Placing complementary colours and split or triad complementary together in a painting will help bring it to life.
It makes it pleasing to the eye and also helps capture the attention of the viewer.
For instance if you dial up Violet on the Wheel you will see that Yellow is its direct complimentary, so in your skies you could place a pale yellow near the horizon line with several different shades of Violet above it in the sky.
Do a couple of pale Violet distant mountains around your horizon line and you have the beginnings of a powerful painting that will catch the viewer's eye.
Even what may seem like an unlikely colour combination, such as doing a two-tone painting using various values of pink (the tint of red) and tinted greens together in the painting will result in a very pleasing sensation to the eye.
If you are painting a picture that has a lot of green grass, then adding its complimentary red helps capture people's attention.
It doesn't have to be anything big, just a red roof on an old distant farmhouse, or a bush with a few small red flowers on it will give a great impression.
When creating a work of art you do not need to use a large variety of hues, sticking to a limited palette and incorporating complementary within your painting will help you to create an artwork that is appealing to the eye.
Using split complementary hues will give you a more subtle contrast using the direct complementary.
Using triad complementary will be even more subtle.
Have fun experimenting with various combinations.
Next time you visit an art show or exhibition of a variety of artist's works in different genres try to take note of your very first impression of each piece.
Does it capture your attention immediately? Is it a little bland? Regardless of whether it is an abstract piece or a traditional style landscape, does it stand out and want you to take a second and more intense look? Once you gauge your very first impression and then take note of the colour scheme that they have used.
You will soon come to see that the paintings or artworks that incorporate good colour harmony are the ones that stand out and give you the best first impression, regardless of the actual composition of the artwork.
It helps you see all about colour harmony.
One side of the wheel teaches you about Hues, Colour Value and colour mixing.
For mixing you simply dial up the desired colour by turning the wheel until the one that you wish to mix shows up in the viewing window of the inner circle of the wheel, and then simply mix the corresponding colour on the outer rim, with the colour immediately below it.
These two sided wheels are available at most art stores and if you don't already own one I highly recommend getting one.
As an artist I have found it to be one of the most important tools I have used.
There are three types of colours: Primary - which are Red, Yellow and Blue - which cannot be created by mixing any other colours together.
Secondary - which are Orange, Green and Violet which are created by mixing two primaries together.
I.
e.
: Red + Yellow = Orange There are also six Tertiary Colours which are created by mixing one primary with one secondary, being Red-Orange, Red-Violet, Blue-Violet, Blue-Green, Yellow Green and Yellow-Orange.
Warm or Advancing Colours are the Reds, Yellows and Oranges.
These are often used to highlight areas in the foreground of a painting.
Cool or Receding colours are Greens, Blues and Violets.
Often used for skies and background areas of the painting.
Colour is produced by reflected light and is described using three attributes which are Hue (being the actual paint straight out of the tube), Value which relates to the relative lightness or darkness e.
g.
: Once white is added then the value of that colour increases, as Pure White is the highest value and the pure Hue is the lowest value.
The value of colour is often split into a grey scale or value scale of 10, as shown on the wheel.
The third attribute is intensity.
For example you can use the pure Hue with nothing added to it or you can use the Tint of that Hue which you get from adding White to the Hue.
You get the Tone of the Hue by adding grey to the Hue.
You get the Shade of the Hue by adding black to the Hue.
The other side of the wheel shows you colour harmony.
You simply point the top arrow to any particular colour, and the one directly opposite will be its direct complementary.
It also shows the split complementary, triad complementary as well as Tetrad complementary colours.
The complementary includes the tint, tone or shade of the hue.
Placing complementary colours and split or triad complementary together in a painting will help bring it to life.
It makes it pleasing to the eye and also helps capture the attention of the viewer.
For instance if you dial up Violet on the Wheel you will see that Yellow is its direct complimentary, so in your skies you could place a pale yellow near the horizon line with several different shades of Violet above it in the sky.
Do a couple of pale Violet distant mountains around your horizon line and you have the beginnings of a powerful painting that will catch the viewer's eye.
Even what may seem like an unlikely colour combination, such as doing a two-tone painting using various values of pink (the tint of red) and tinted greens together in the painting will result in a very pleasing sensation to the eye.
If you are painting a picture that has a lot of green grass, then adding its complimentary red helps capture people's attention.
It doesn't have to be anything big, just a red roof on an old distant farmhouse, or a bush with a few small red flowers on it will give a great impression.
When creating a work of art you do not need to use a large variety of hues, sticking to a limited palette and incorporating complementary within your painting will help you to create an artwork that is appealing to the eye.
Using split complementary hues will give you a more subtle contrast using the direct complementary.
Using triad complementary will be even more subtle.
Have fun experimenting with various combinations.
Next time you visit an art show or exhibition of a variety of artist's works in different genres try to take note of your very first impression of each piece.
Does it capture your attention immediately? Is it a little bland? Regardless of whether it is an abstract piece or a traditional style landscape, does it stand out and want you to take a second and more intense look? Once you gauge your very first impression and then take note of the colour scheme that they have used.
You will soon come to see that the paintings or artworks that incorporate good colour harmony are the ones that stand out and give you the best first impression, regardless of the actual composition of the artwork.