Colour Investigation

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COLOUR EXPERIMENTATION


COLOUR EXPERIMENTATION

After being introduced to the world of colour and the theories behind it, I wanted to further explore this through digital media. This publication explains Ittens 7 contrasts in simple terms and illustrations, these contrasts are then put into practice through colour experimentations. Everything within this publication has been designed digitally using primary and tertiary colours, along with the use of blending modes and opacities. ‘Experiment; see what you can create!’.

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COLOUR EXPERIMENTATION

Hue Saturation Light - Dark Cold - Warm Extension Complementary Simultaneous

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COLOUR EXPERIMENTATION

ITTENS 7 CONTRASTS

HUE Formed by the juxtaposing of different hues. The greater the distance between hues on a colour wheel, the greater the contrast.

Contrast of hue is the simpliest of the seven. It makes no great demands upon colour vision, becuase its is illustrated by the undiluted colours in their most intense luminosity. Yellow/red/blue is the extreme instance of contrast of hue. At least three clearly differentiated hues are required. The effect is always tonic, vigorous and decided.

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COLOUR EXPERIMENTATION

ITTENS 7 CONTRASTS

SATURATION Formed by the juxtaposition of light and dark values and their relative saturations.

Saturation or quality, relates to the degree of purity of a colour. Contrast of saturation is the contrast betweem pure, intense colours and dull diluted colours. The prismatic hues produced by disperation of white light are colours of maximum saturation or intensity of hue. Colours can be diluted in 4 different ways; diluted with white or black. Mixing with white and black and by admixture of complementary colours.

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COLOUR EXPERIMENTATION

ITTENS 7 CONTRASTS

LIGHT - DARK Formed by the juxtaposition of light and dark values. This could be monochromatic

Day and night, light and darkness - this polarity is of importance in human life and nature generally. The strongest expressions of light and dark are the colours white and black. The effects of black and white are opposite, with the realm of greys and chromatic colours between them. The phenomena of light and dark, amongst white, black, gray and pure colours should be studied to get a good understanding.

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COLOUR EXPERIMENTATION

ITTENS 7 CONTRASTS

COLD - WARM Formed by juxtaposing hues that can be considered ‘warm’ or ‘cool’

It may seem strange to identify temperature with the visual realm of colour sensation. However, experiments have deomonstrated a difference of five to seven degrees in the subjective feeling of heat or cold between a workroom painted in blue - green and one painted in red - orange, The strongest cold - warm contrasts are red-ornage/ blue-green.

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COLOUR EXPERIMENTATION

ITTENS 7 CONTRASTS

EXTENSION Formed by assigning proportional field sizes in relation to the visual weight of a colour.

This involves the relative areas of two or more colour patches. It is the contrast between much and little, or great and small. Colours may be assembled in areas of any size. But we should inquire what quantitative proportion between two or more colours may be said to be in balance, with no one of the colours used more prominently than another.

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COLOUR EXPERIMENTATION

ITTENS 7 CONTRASTS

COMPLEMENTARY Formed by juxtaposing complementary colours from a colour wheel or perceptual opposites.

We call two colours complementary if their pigments mixed together, make a grey/black. Physically light of two complementary colours, mixed together will make white. Two such colours make a strange pair. They are opposite, they require each other. They incite each other to maximum vividness when adjacent; and they annihilate each other, to grey/black, when mixed.

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COLOUR EXPERIMENTATION

ITTENS 7 CONTRASTS

SIMULTANEOUS Formed when boundaries between colours perceptually vibrate.

Any colour the eye sees it simultaneously requires the complementary colour and generates spontaneously if it is not already present. This shows that the fundamental principle of colour harmony implies the use of complementary colours. The simultaneously generated complementary occurs as a sensation in the eye and is not objectively present. It cannot be photographed.

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COLOUR EXPERIMENTATION

Putting the 7 contrasts into practice

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