An Introduction to Color in Design and Communication

Design & Communication | ARTS102

An Introduction t Color

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Understanding visual art, design, communication and its functions through traditional and contemporary delivery.

Design & Communication | Colo

Design & Communication: Color THE ELEMENT OF COLOR

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VISUAL COMMUNICATION - BASIC THEORY AND COLOR SCHEMES

Color is the element of art that refers to re ected light. This page, while thorough, will present color theory in an "easy to understand" fashion. It is an exciting, ever-changing science. Color has an affect over how we feel about objects, how we behave, and how our bodies react to circumstances.

What is color theory? If color theory is simpli ed, it can be broken down into 3 parts- The color wheel, color value, and color schemes. Each part of color theory builds on the previous. Understanding each section of color theory fully, will help you better understand its importance in the creation of art.

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Color

The Color Wheel - Subtractive Color

Subtractive color is the color of pigments. It is called subtractive because in theory if all the colors are added together you will get black, or an absence of light The color wheel was developed by Sir Isaac Newton by taking the color spectrum and bending it into a circle. If you follow around the color wheel, you will nd the same order of the color spectrumred, orange, yellow, green, blue, indigo(blue-violet), and violet. Some remember it by the acronym ROY G. BIV

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L UColor CTUS

The color wheel is made up of three different types of colors Primary, Secondary, and Tertiary The primary colors are red, yellow, and blue. They are called primary for a couple of reasons. First, no two colors can be mixed to create a primary color. In other words, primary colors can only be created through the use of natural pigments. Secondly, all other colors found on the color wheel can be created by mixing primary colors together The secondary colors are orange, green, and purple. Secondary colors are created by mixing equal parts of any two primary colors.

Yellow and blue will give you green. Red and blue will create purple(violet). Red and yellow will give you orange Tertiary colors are created by mixing equal parts of a secondary color and a primary color together. There are six tertiary colorsred-purple, red-orange, blue-green, yellow-green, blue-purple, and yellow-orange. Notice that the proper way to refer to tertiary colors is by listing the primary color rst and the secondary color, second

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The Color Wheel - Additive Color ADDITIVE color is the color of light. It is called additive because in theory if all the colors are added together you will get white, or pure light The primary colors of light are red, green, and blue. They cannot be made by mixing other colors.

The secondary colors of light are yellow, magenta, and cyan. Red and blue make magenta, red and green make yellow, and blue and yellow make cyan

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Color Valu

Color Saturation/Intensit

The second part of color theory deals with color values. Value is the

Saturation or intensity (the terms are interchangeable) refers to the relative

darkness or lightness of a color. When dealing with pure color (hue), value

strength of the color. Full saturation will be pure color, low saturation will be

can be affected by adding white or black to a color. Adding white to a color

grayed signi cantly

produces a tint. Adding black to a color produces a shade

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Color Schemes Jimi Hendrix cover of Rolling Stone, 1992

Color schemes are ways colors are put together in an intelligent way to help create a unified composition.

They are used as guidelines in making color choices, and while the designer need not adhere 100% to the scheme chosen the more defined the scheme the more unified the color Monochromatic - literally means one (mono) color (chroma). So a monochromatic color scheme is made up of one color and it’s shades and tints. In the Jimi Hendrix cover of Rolling Stone, 1992, right, a unified image is formed by the all blue tints of the photo of Hendrix for the cover of the magazine. Pablo Picasso’s painting Guernica (right bottom) is expressing his horror at the terror bombing of the ancient Spanish city of Guernica during the Spanish Civil War. Picasso employed a monochromatic scheme to organize the varieties of imagery and add to the power of the tragedy.

“Guernica,” Pablo Picasso, 11’ x 25.6,’ oil on canvas, 1937

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Color Schemes

Analogous colors - are colors that are next to each other on the color wheel. When used as a color scheme, analogous colors can be dramatic. For example, Blue, blue-green, green, and yellow-green, as shown below left OR, like the example top left: red, red-purple, purple, blue-purple

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Color Schemes

Analogous - “Water Lillies and the Japanese Bridge,” Claude Monet, oil on canvas, 36’ x 29,” 1897-9 shown right, the analogous shades of blue, green, and yellow dominate the Monet painting.

Color Schemes Complementary colors - are colors found directly across from each other on the color wheel.

Complementary color scheme provide strong contrast.

Ex. Blue and orange, red and green, yellow-green and redpurple The photo by Sandy Skoglund, top right, creates a surreal impression by the use of the oversize gold sh and the blue and orange complementary contrast The Van Gogh, below right, uses a yellow orange/blue violet combination of complements to activate the scene

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CO LOR Color

Color Schemes Triadic colors - consist of three colors found on the color wheel that are equally spaced apart from each other. Ex. Red, blue and yellow or orange, green and purple.

The Burger King logo uses a red/yellow/blue combination inside of the orange eld “When will You Marry,” Paul Gauguin, right, oil on canvas, 2’6” x 3’4” 189

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Color Schemes Split Complementary - color schemes are made up of a color and it’s complements closest analogous colors. Ex Blue, yellow-orange and redorange. Red-orange, red-purple, green. “Girl with Braids,” below, Amadeo Modigliani, 60 x 45.5 cm, oil on canvas . This painting uses variations on the example cited.

Meals, Paintings, Emily Gering, 2013

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Visual Color: Warm and Cool

Warm Colors - Tones of red, orange and yellow are often associated with “warm” things for example, the sun, heat, light and re. Red can also visually represent urgency, or loud sounds. To be noted, restaurants often use warm tones for their logos, as they are visually more representative of healthy, delicious food. Warm tones are often visually more exciting and will stand out against their cooler counterparts.

Cool Colors - Tones of violet, blue and green are therefore associated with cooler tangible items. For example, water, sky and grass. It has been said that cooler tones painted in a bedroom will help induce better rest.

Cool tones are often associated with a feeling of calm or rest and recede when placed against warmer tones.

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C H AColor PTER 2 Color Theory Terms and De nitions • Color - Element of art derived from re ected light. We see color because light waves are re ected from objects to your eyes • Color wheel - color spectrum bent into a circle.

• Primary colors - The most basic colors on the color wheel, red, yellow and blue.

These colors cannot be made by mixin • Secondary colors - colors that are made by mixing two primary colors together.

Orange, green and violet (purple • Tertiary colors - colors that are made by mixing a primary color with a secondary colo • Hue - the name of the colo • Intensity - the brightness or dullness of a color. DO NOT CONFUSE INTENSITY WITH VALUE • Color value - the darkness or lightness of a color. Ex pink is a tint of re • Tints - are created by adding white to a colo • Shades - are created by adding black to a colo • Optical color - color that people actually perceive- also called local color • Arbitrary color - colors chosen by the artist to express feelings or mood

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Objectives • Begin to visually communicate color theory in a composition • Use and understand color schemes in a work of ar • To learn more about Pop Art portraiture

Helpful Tips Please refer to your software instructions or use the Adobe help website. Build on your knowledge from previous assignments in Pen tools and brush tools, along with any additional tools you fee comfortable with. Please be sure to view videos provided for you in the folder.

ASSIGNMENT PART 1: For this assignment, you will be asked to create a portrait using a color scheme of your choice. Select of photo of yourself, a child, spouse, family member or signi cant other for use in this exercise (please make sure you have their permission to do so). The photo should have high contrast in value - meaning light and dark tones and the photo should be clear and balanced

ASSIGNMENT PART 2 Please respond thoughtfully to the following questions regarding your artwork.

Please write your answers in the “add comments” section of the drop box when uploading your image. Engage me as your instructor and audience by responding to the questions below as a self evaluation

Please open your photo in your software, or your phone camera editing. Turn the image to black and white, or gray scale. Select a color scheme for the image monochromatic, analogous, triadic or complementary. Color your image using the color scheme of your choice. Use lighter color where values are light and darker color where your values are dark. See provided video demo for tips on developing pop art style portraits. If you wish to work on this assignment in analog, print a copy of your photo in black in white. Use colored pencil or watercolor to develop your areas a color over the photo. I recommend printing on a heavier stock bright white paper if you have it

1. What color scheme did you choose and why 2. How does your color scheme re ect a personal connection to the piece 3. What do you like about the nished portraiture 4. What ideas might you try next time This assignment is worth 10 points.

Here is the rubric for the assignment • following directions (25%) • inclusion of self evaluation (25%) • understanding of lesson concepts (25%) • creativity; clear, effective use of visual communication (25%

• Use your grayscale image values to determine color hues • Balance the image using color value • Use brushes, pens (software or analog) and lled shapes/areas with color • Fill light areas rst, then dark

Please let me know if you have any questions. Enjoy!

Save your le as a jpeg, png or pdf and upload to the submission folder dropbox

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A S S I G N M E N T: C O L O R