2.3: Visual Elements of Art-Color and Value

Overview

Color is one of the basic artistic elements. It has the strongest effect on our emotions. It is the element we use to create the mood or atmosphere of an artwork. Hue is another word for color. Colors are organized by different types, temperatures, harmonies, and other properties.

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Color Theory

Color theory is a qualitative attempt to organize colors and their relationships. Based on Newton's color wheel, this system of organization is the most common system that artists use.

The color spectrum seen from refracted white light.

The color theory first appeared in the 17 ^th century when English mathematician and scientist Sir Isaac Newton discovered that white light could be divided into a spectrum by passing it through a prism. The result is a full spectrum of many different colors. Newton organized colors on a color wheel. The Color Wheel

A more quantifiable approach to color theory is to think about color as the result of light reflecting off a surface. Understood in this way, color can be represented as a ratio of amounts of primary color mixed together.

Subtractive color theory ("process color") is used when a single light source is being reflected by different colors laid one on top of the other., such as when painting, printing color, or processing positive and negative images in color photography). Color is produced when parts of the external light source's spectrum are absorbed by the material and not reflected back to the viewer's eye. For example, a painter brushes blue paint onto a canvas. The chemical composition of the paint allows all of the colors in the spectrum to be absorbed except blue, which is reflected from the paint's surface.

• Red, blue, and yellow are the primary and secondary colors in this color theory.
• The tertiary colors (green, orange, and purple/violet) are created by mixing different amounts (or ratios) of primary colors.
• Black is created by mixing the three primary colors.
  • Note: because of impurities in subtractive colors, a true black (a deep, dark, pitch black) is impossible to create by mixing primaries. Because of this, the result is closer to dark brown or a deep, dark purple.
• White represents the absence of all colors.
• Lightness and darkness of a color is determined by its intensity (a.k.a. density).
  

Subtractive Color

Additive Color Theory is used when different colored lights are being projected on top of each other, such as in theatre lighting, tvs, computer screens, etc. Images produce color by projecting light onto a reflective surface. Additive mixing produces color by selectively projecting a certain part of the spectrum. In additive color theory:

• The primary colors are red, blue, and green.
• The secondary colors are yellow (mix of red and green), cyan (mix of blue and green), and magenta (mix of blue and red).
• The tertiary colors are made by mixing the above colors at different intensities.
• White is created by combining the three primary colors.
• Black represents the absence of all color.
• The lightness or darkness of a color is determined by the intensity/density of its various parts.
  • For example, a middle-toned gray could be produced by projecting a red, a blue and a green light at the same point with 50% intensity.
    

Additive Color

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Color Types

There are several approaches to organizing colors into meaningful relationships. A few examples that use basic color theory follow.

• Primary Colors
  • The primary colors are red, blue, and yellow.
  • These colors are equidistant from each other on the color wheel.
  • No other colors can be mixed to make primary colors.
  • All other colors are created by some combination of these three colors.
    • For example:
      • Neutral colors (browns and grays) can be made by mixing the three primary colors together.
        
• Secondary Colors
  • Secondary colors are orange (mix of red and yellow), green (mix of blue and yellow), and violet (mix of blue and red).
    
• Tertiary Colors
  • Another name for tertiary colors is intermediate colors.
  • Tertiary colors are created by mixing one primary color and one secondary color.
  • Depending on amount of color used, different hues can be obtained such as red-orange or yellow-green.
    
• Neutral Colors
  • White, gray, black and brown are neutral colors.
  • These colors are not in the color spectrum.

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Color Temperatures

Colors are perceived to have temperatures associated with them. The color wheel is divided into warm and cool colors.

• Warm colors range from yellow to red on the color wheel.
• Cool colors range from yellow-green to violet on the color wheel.
  

Warm and cool colors on the color wheel.

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Color Harmonies

Monochrome / Monochromatic

The simplest color interaction is monochrome. This is the use of variations of a single hue. The advantage of using a monochromatic color scheme is that you get a high level of unity throughout the artwork because all the tones relate to one another.

Analogous

Analogous colors are those that are similar to one another. This color scheme is used when a subtle color change is needed. As their name implies, analogous colors can be found next to one another on any 12-part color wheel. Here are some examples:

• purple/blue-purple
• green/yellow-green
• orange/red-orange

Analogous colors

Complementary Colors

Complementary colors are two colors that sit directly across from one another on the color wheel. This color scheme helps to create a dramatic effect when only two colors are used. This dramatic effect creates a visual tension.

Here are some examples of opposite pairings:

Complementary Color Combinations

Split Complementary

A split complementary color scheme uses one color plus the two colors on each side of the first color's complement on the color wheel. Just like with complementary colors, a split complement creates visual tension, but includes a third color to add variety. Here are a few examples:

Split Complement Color Scheme

Split Complementary Color, 11 July 2012, Creator: Oliver Harrison. CC BY

Value

Value is the relative lightness or darkness of a color in relation to another color. This phenomenon happens incrementally, like turning on a dimmer switch. The concept of value can be seen in hues or neutrals. Colors are arranged by color families, such as red, orange, yellow, green, blue, purple/violet (ROYGBiV); each of which have different values.

Values are described by their:

• shade: darker values in a color family (e.g., burgundy, which is a darker value in the red color family).
• tone: medium-range values in a color family (e.g., a fire-engine red in the red color family).
• tint: lighter values in a color family (e.g., a pink in the red color family).

The gray value scale only includes black, gray, and white. In the grey value scale, one side is pure white, the other black, and in between a series of progressively darker shades of grey. This gives an artist the tools to make these transformations.

Value Scale, 11 July 2012, Creator: Oliver Harrison, CC BY

In two dimensions, the use of value gives a shape the illusion of mass and gives an entire composition a sense of light and shadow. The two examples below show the effect value has on changing a shape to a form.

2D Form, 11 July 2012, Creator: Oliver Harrison, CC BY

3D Form, 11 July 2012, Creator: Oliver Harrison, CC BY

Other Properties of Colors

Hue

Although hue is another name for color, it can also mean variations of a color.

Saturation refers to the purity and intensity of a color. Whether hues or neutrals, all colors have a sense of saturation. The primaries are the most intense and pure, but they become more dull as they are mixed to make other colors. The creation of tints and shades also diminish a color's saturation.

Color Subtraction

Color subtraction occurs when one color looks less intense when it is set next to another color. Don't confuse color subtraction with the subtractive color system mentioned earlier in this module. Color subtraction uses specific hues within a color scheme for a certain visual effect.

A color subtraction example where the same orange hue appears more yellow against a red background

Spotlight: Color Constancy People perceive colors from the light that is reflected off objects. For example, a red object looks red because it reflects the red part of the color spectrum. It would be a different color under a different light.

People's brains make different sets of assumptions about a color based what the brain believes are the colors that surround it, which is why colors might not be interpreted the same between different people. This is called color constancy. The Science of that Dress. YouTube, uploaded by SciShow, 27 Feb 2015, https://youtu.be/jexnhNfOzHg

Summary

• Color is a basic visual element that includes hues and neutrals.
• Color can be categorized by types, temperatures, or harmonies.
• Value is a visual element that is segmented as a shade, tone, or tint of a color family.
• Contrasts between colors can be seen as a big difference between their hue, intensity, or value.
• All colors have different levels of saturation, which become more obvious when colors are set next to each other.

Source

Christopher Gildow, Washington State Board for Community and Technical Colleges, http://opencourselibrary.org/art-100-art-appreciation/
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 License.