ColorRelationships
Colorwheelshelpusunderstandtherelationshipsbetweencolors.Thesecolorrelationshipsarekeyinestablishingfocalpoint,mood,overallnarrativeandemotionalread.Let'slookatsomeofthemostbasiccolorharmonies.
ComplementaryColors
Weknowthatcolorslocatedoppositeeachotheronthecolorwheelare complementarycolors (orangeandblue,yellowandpurple,andredandgreen).Thisisaveryimportantcolorrelationshiptounderstand.
ColorRelationshipsComplementarycolorsareveryhighcontrast whenplacednexttoeachother.Attheirfullsaturation,theyarethehighestpossiblecolorcontrastyoucanhaveinapiece.Inpracticaltermsthismeansgreennearredwilldrawyoureyerighttoit.
Infactthiscontrastissopowerfulitcanactuallycreatetheillusionofmovement.
Noticethevibratingedgesandillusionofraisedtextcreatedbyusingcomplementarycolorstogether.
COMPLEMENTARYCOLORSATWORK
Complementarycolorschemeswillinfuseanimagewithanaturalsenseoftension,whichwecanusestrategicallyinanyvisualmedium.
Sandy Skogland,Revenge of the Goldfish, 1981
Edvard Munch, TheScream
Nineteenth-centuryexpressionistEdvard Munch'sfamouspainting TheScream isanotherexampleofanorange-bluecomplementarycolorpalette.
AndrewHem,Whystartwiththebridge
ContemporaryillustratorAndrewHem'spaintingWhystartwiththebridge usesacomplementaryblue-orangepalettetosupportastronglyimpliednarrative.
Howdoesthepalette,whenconsideredtogetherwiththecontentoftheimage,affectyourperceptionofthestory?
Whencolorsoppositeeachotheronthecolorwheelaremixed,theircomplementaryrelationshipwillcausethemtoannihilateeachother,
turningintoamuddyneutralcolor,asinthissample.
MIXINGCOMPLEMENTS
Thesemoremutedneutraltonescanmakeacomplementarypaletteworkreallywell,takingawaymuchofthesenseoftension.
NotehowthisimagefortheyearofthedragoncreatedbyVicto Ngaiisinfusedwithenergyandlifebyusingcomplementarycolors.
However,thenaturaltensionbetweencolorsisdownplayedbytheNgai'schoicetode-saturatethecolors,bringingthemclosertoneutral,andalsobychoosingonecolor(green)asdominant.
AnalogousColors
Colorslocatednexttoeachotheronthecolorwheelarecalled analogouscolors.Thesecolorsusedtogetherareusuallyharmoniousorpleasingtotheeye.
Weoftenseethiscolorschemeinnatureandthusitsnaturallyrelaxing.
Theharmoniousqualitiesofcomplimentarycolorsareoftenputtousebyinteriordesigners.
Nineteenth-centuryDutchimpressionistVincentvanGoghusesananalogouscolorschemeinthispainting, Sunflowers.
Whichcolorhashechosentodominateandwhichisthesupport?
Wherehasathirdcolorbeenusedasanaccentforcontrast?
AndintheclassicillustrationfromTheFrogPrince,19th-centuryBritishillustratorWalterCraneusesthesameyellow-greenanalogouspalette.
Initwefindorange,yellow-orange,andyellow,alongwithshadesofyellow-green.
Notehowthesubject'sredhairbringsoureyesuptoherface,andtheheartcharmonherhippopsforwardduetosaturationandcontrastwiththepredominantlygreenbackground.
TriadicColorSchemes
Atriadiccolorschemeusescolorsthatarespacedevenlyaroundthecolorwheel. Theclassictriadiccolorschemeisred,yellow,andblue,ourprimaries.
Tofindothers,simplyturnthetriangleoveronyourcolorwheeltofindthenextsetoftriadiccolors,asinthisdiagram.
Whenworkingwithatriadiccolorscheme,usuallyoneofthethreecolorsisthedominantcolor.Theothertwowillbeusedforcontrastingaccents.Alsoasintheexamplebelow,considerusingdifferinglevelsofsaturation.
Triadiccolorschemesarequitevibrant,aswecanseeinthepainting BroadwayBoogieWoogie by20th-centuryabstractpainterPietMondrian.
Thispaintingisanexampleoffullysaturatedprimarycolors,or ared-blue-yellowtriadiccolorscheme.
TriadicColorsatWork
Neo-impressionistPaulSignacusesade-saturated,orange-green-violettriadiccolorschemeinthispaintingfrom1900, ThePapalPalaceatAvignon.
Inthisexample,thevioletandgreenaredesaturatedtoenrichthebackground,whiletheorangeisintendedtoadvanceandprovidecontrast,resultinginanimagethatisfullofenergybutwithoutajarringlevelofintensity.
Thispopularcolorschemecomprisesthethreesecondarycolors:orange,green,andviolet.
Sincethereissomesharingbetweenthecolors––forexample,bothgreenandorangeshareyellow––theschemeisharmoniousbutoffersarangeofcolor.
Thisdesaturatedtriadic colorschemeisusedinadifferentwaybyillustratorH.B.Lewis.
SplitComplementaryColorSchemes
Youwillseethiscolorharmonyusedoften,bothinfineartaswellasincommercialartanddesign.Itissimpletouseeffectivelyandhasmuchthesamestrongvisualcontrastasthecomplementarycolorscheme,butwithoutalotoftheuncomfortabletension
Thesplit-complementarycolorschemeusesonebasecolorandthetwocolors adjacent toitscomplement.
ContemporaryillustratorTomer Hanuka isknownforcomplementinghisexpressivelineworkandinterestingconceptswithalimitedpaletteofsimplesolidcolors.Thesedeceptivelysimple-lookingpalettesarecarefullycomposedtosupportHunuka's narrative.
ContemporaryillustratorTomer Hanuka isknownforcomplementinghisexpressivelineworkandinterestingconceptswithalimitedpaletteofsimplesolidcolors.
Thesedeceptivelysimple-lookingpalettesarecarefullycomposedtosupportHanuka's narrative.
ColorandEmotionOuremotionalreactionstocolordeeplyinfluencethechoicesthataremadebycorporationsintheiradvertisingandbranding.
Takealookatthiscoloremotionguide.
THEK.I.S.S.THEORYOFCOLOR(KEEPITSIMPLE,STUPID)
Manyartistsanddesignerschoosetousealimitedpalette,meaningtheydeliberatelyrestrictthenumberofcolorstheyuseinacomposition.
Thereareclearbenefitsofpaintingusingalimitedpaletteinillustration.
LimitedPalateAlimitedpalettemay:
• creategreaterunitythroughoutyourcomposition
• createeasycolorharmonies
• reducethechanceforover-mixing,ifyouarepainting
• beafasterwaytowork
• forceyoutothinkaboutvalueandcomposition
LIMITEDCOLORPALETTESLIDESHOW
Thelessonhereis lesscancertainlybemore.
Limitedcomplementarypalette