Color Theory

Elements of Art: Color

HS I.C1b Identify and understand the elements of art, including line, shape, color, texture, form, space, and value, as the fundamentals of art in personal artwork.

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The Color Spectrum
Red,​

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, Yellow, ​

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,​

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, Indigo, Violet

Multiple Select

Select all of the primary colors:

• Red

• Yellow

• Blue

• Green

• Orange

Dropdown

To make tertiary colors, you need to mix a​

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color and a ​

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color.

Multiple Select

Select all of the secondary colors:

• Red

• Violet (Purple)

• Blue

• Green

• Orange

The color spectrum is the range of all the colors that are visible to the human eye.

The Color
Spectrum

• The building blocks of the color wheel.

• They cannot be made by mixing other colors.

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Primary Colors

• Each color is made by mixing two primary colors.

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Secondary Colors

• Tertiary colors are made by mixing a primary color (red, yellow, or blue) with a neighboring secondary color (orange, green, or violet) on the color wheel.

• Examples of tertiary colors include red-orange, yellow-green, and blue-violet.

​Tertiary
Colors

Multiple Choice

When colors are next to one another they are called ______ colors.

• Complimentary

• Analogous

• Neutral

• Warm

• Cool

Multiple Choice

When colors are across from one another they are called ______ colors.

• Complimentary

• Analogous

• Neutral

• Warm

• Cool

Match

Set the colors in the correct sub-groups.

• Cool Colors

• Warm Colors

• Neutral

Blue, Violet (Purple), Green

Red, Yellow, Orange

Black, White, Gray

• Blue, Violet (Purple), Green

• Red, Yellow, Orange

• Black, White, Gray

• Complementary colors are pairs of colors opposite each other on the color wheel.

• When placed next to each other, they create a strong contrast and make each other appear more vibrant.

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​Complimentary Colors

• Analogous colors are groups of colors next to each other on the color wheel.

• These colors usually match well and create harmonious, calming designs.

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​Analogous
Colors

• Warm colors are the shades on the color wheel that are associated with heat, energy, and warmth.

• These colors include red, orange, yellow, and variations.

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​Warm Colors

• Cool colors are the shades on the color wheel that are associated with calm, relaxation, and coolness.

• These include blue, green, violet, and variations.

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​Cool Colors

• Neutral colors are shades that don’t typically appear on the color wheel and are often considered “non-colors.”

• These include black, white, gray, and sometimes browns and beiges.

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​Neutral Colors

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A​

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of a color is when you add white to a hue (a core color)

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​

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means "one color".

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A​ ​

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of a color is when you add black to a hue (a core color)

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​​

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means "many colors".

• A tint is created by adding white to a color, making it lighter.

• A shade is created by adding black to a color, making it darker.

• A shade is created by gray to a color.

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Tints, Tones, & Shades

• A monochrome artwork uses only one color, but it can include tints (adding white), shades (adding black), and tones (adding gray) of that color.

• Polychrome refers to artwork that uses many different colors.

Monochrome & Polychrome