Understanding Color
Unit 3
Chapter 9
Learning Objectiveand FCS Standards
Learning Objective: Students will identify how color impacts the design of clothing, define various terms used in the language of color, analyze and recreate the color wheel, and contrast various color schemes used in design.
FCS Standards:9.B
Color and Clothing
The human eye sees as many as six to seven million colors!!
Color used in clothing can draw your attention away from or to certain areas of the body.
It can emphasize a feature-like your eyes.
It can create illusions in height and size.
The Impact of Color
As a Symbol Traffic lights, holiday colors, a bride wearing
white, Bearcat Red, White, and Black, the U.S. flag.
Temperature Associated with Nature
• Warm Colors (red, orange, yellow) can actually make us feel warmer.
• Cool Colors (blue, green violet) can make us feel cooler
• White-reflects light• Black-absorbs light
The Impact of Color
Movement Warm colors tend to stand out more, while cool
colors recede or move away.• Traffic signs are a noticeable yellow, red, or orange.
Mood Warm colors express excitement and action. Cool colors give a sense of calm and relaxation. Grey and Black imply level-headedness and
solidity. This concept impacts what we wear and how we
decorate our houses.
The Language of Color
Hue: the specific name of a color.
Without light, there would be no color.
Pigments: substances that absorb some light rays and reflect others. When light strikes an object, you see only the
colors that reflect or bounce back to your eyes. If you are wearing a blue shirt, the blue rays are
being reflected back, all other colors are absorbed.
A ray of light is the source of all color Without light, color does not exist The longest wavelength is perceived as red and
the shortest as violet Pigments are substances that can be ground into
fine power and used for adding color to dyes and paints
Color can alter the appearance of form and space, affect our performance abilities, and change our moods
Basics about Color
Hue
Another name for color
Value Lightness or darkness of a color
Intensity
Brightness or dullness of a color
Tint
Color with white added to it
Shade
Color with black added to it
The Color Wheel A system that places colors around a circle and shows how
the colors relate to each other.
Primary Colors: Red, Yellow, and Blue The basic colors from which all other colors are made.
Secondary Colors: Achieved by combining equal amounts of two primary colors.
Intermediate or Tertiary: Achieved by combining a primary with a neighboring secondary color.
Complementary Colors: Colors that are directly opposite each other on the color wheel.
Primary: Red, Yellow & Blue
Secondary: Green, Violet, & Orange (made by combining primary colors)
Tertiary: yellow-green, blue-green, red-violet, red-orange, and yellow-orange (made by combing secondary colors)
TERTIARY COLORS
When you mix primary colors with secondary colors, you get tertiary colors.
http://grace.studio-zoe.com/tuttheory.html
Neutral Colors
Black, White, and Gray are technically not true colors because they don’t have color pigment. Black absorbs all light rays. White reflects all light rays.
Sometimes tints and shades of beige are considered neutrals, but they aren’t true neutrals because they have a yellow or green base.
Color Schemes
Color Scheme: a plan for using a color or a combination of colors.
1. Monochromatic: uses the values and intensities of just one color.
2. Analogous: uses two or more colors that are next to each other on the color wheel.
3. Complementary: combines direct opposites on the color wheel.
4. Split-Complementary: one color used with the two colors on each side of its direct complement.
5. Triadic: three colors that are equally distant from each other on the color wheel.
6. Accented Neural: matching white, black, or gray with a smaller amount of a color.
Selecting Colors For You
It is best to evaluate color in natural light
Personal coloring consists of the color of your skin, hair, and eyes. Skin Tone-can have a warm or cool undertone. Skin with a
more yellow, gold, or peach cast has warm undertones. A blue or pink trace indicates cool undertones.
Hold colors underneath your chin and evaluate the changes. A good color accents your eyes or your hair and your complexion looks healthy and glowing.
Look on pg. 167 for more ideas.
More Ideas for Selecting Colors for You
Body Shape Warm colors seem to advance. Bright colors draw attention. Light colors add size. To minimize an area, you need the opposite effect.
Height An unbroken block of color gives the illusion of height. Broken blocks of color detract from height.
Emphasis Color can be used to emphasize certain areas and diminish
others. Generally your “favorite” colors tend to look good. You can
still wear other colors-they just have to be the “right” colors.
Pantone Fashion Color Report
Fall 2013