WHAT IS COLOR?The property

possessed by an object

of producing different

sensations on the eye

as a result of the way

the object reflects or

emits light.

THE FIRST COLORS:

More than 15,000 years ago, cave people

used earth pigments:

•YELLOW OCHRE (CLAY)

•RED OCHRE (CLAY)

•WHITE CHALK

•CARBON BLACK (BURNT ANIMAL FAT)

YELLOW OCRE

RED OCRE

CARBON

BLACK

The Egyptians, Chinese, Greeks and

Romans then modified and

contributed to the use of color:

EGYPTIANS

Cinnabar-mineral (1st

bright red)

CHINESE

Vermillion (TOXIC orangey-red)

GREEKS

White Lead (first completely opaque white but

TOXIC!-Used for awhile)

ROMANS

Inherited palette of all three but contributed

Tyrian Purple for Emperor’s togas.

RENAISSANCE

It gives greater Earth pigments by roasting—

Burnt Umber & Burnt Sienna.

Terra Verte (green earth) is typical under

painting of flesh in paintings.

Burnt Umber Burnt Sienna

Terra Verte

EARLY 19TH

CENTURY

Industrial Revolution,

Impressionists use oils in tubes,

and modern chemical colors

created.

HUE IS THE TERM FOR

THE PURE SPECTRUM

COLORS COMMONLY

REFERRED TO BY THE

"COLOR NAMES"

Common hues

include red,

orange, yellow,

green, blue and

violet.

Value refers to

the darkness and

lightness of a

color.

If a color is very light, we

say it is a high-value

color. When a color is very

dark, we say that its value

is low.

SATURATION is the

purity of a color.

• High saturation colors look

rich and full.

• Low saturation colors look

dull and grayish.

SATURATION