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Introduction to Color Wheel Basics

Nov 16, 2024

Understanding a Color Wheel

Introduction

  • Presenter: Ashley from Art Summits
  • Purpose: To explain the components and usage of a color wheel, especially for beginners in color theory or watercolor painting.

Components of the Color Wheel

Basic Structure

  • Outer Border: Consists of primary, secondary, and tertiary colors.
    • Primary Colors: Red, yellow, blue
    • Secondary Colors: Result from mixing two primary colors
      • Red + Yellow = Orange
      • Yellow + Blue = Green
      • Blue + Red = Violet/Purple
    • Tertiary Colors: Formed by mixing a primary and a secondary color
      • Blue + Green = Bluish Green
      • Yellow + Green = Yellow-Green
    • Total: 3 primary colors, 3 secondary colors, 6 tertiary colors

Slider Functionality

  • Shows the result of mixing two colors
  • Example: Mixing yellow and red on the slider results in orange
  • Additional features: Adding white or black to adjust tint or shade

Concepts and Definitions

  • Warm Colors: Reds, oranges, yellows
  • Cool Colors: Generally includes greens, blues, purples
  • Colors may have a warm or cool bias

Color Relationships

Complementary Colors

  • Colors directly opposite each other on the wheel
    • Example: Green and red
    • Mixing results in neutral colors (gray)

Split-Complementary

  • Involves one color and the two adjacent to its complement
    • Example: For blue, use yellow-orange and red-orange

Triad

  • Three evenly spaced colors on the wheel
    • Example: Primary triad of blue, yellow, red

Tetrad

  • Four colors forming two complementary pairs
    • Example: Violet, red, yellow, green

Other Relationships

  • Monochromatic: Variations of a single color using tints, tones, shades
  • Analogous: Two to four colors next to each other on the wheel
  • Complementary: Discussed above

Additional Features

  • Grayscale: 10 values ranging from black to white
    • Helps in ensuring a painting has a good range of values

Conclusion

  • Color wheel is a valuable reference tool for artists
  • Useful for mixing and matching colors effectively
  • Encouragement to explore further learning resources

Additional Resources

  • Mention of Ashley's color mixing class "Stop Making Mud"
  • Link provided in the presentation description for further details

Note: Always refer to the specific color wheel and class resources for detailed applications and examples. This summary captures the essential concepts for quick reference.

Full transcript