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