Color Theory and Painting Vocabulary

• Composition is the arrangement of the parts in a work of art, usually according to the principles of design.

• Pigment is the dry coloring matter of paint. Dry color added to a binder makes paint.

• Paint is a combination of pigment and a binder.

• Color is an element of design derived from reflected light. The sensation of color is aroused in the brain by response of the eyes to different wavelengths of light. A color has hue (color name), intensity (strength), and value (lightness or darkness).

• Hue is the name of a color, such as yellow, yellow-orange, blue-violet, green, etc.

Color Wheel

• Primary colors are red, yellow, and blue. All other colors can be mixed from these basics.

• Secondary colors are obtained by mixing any two primary colors. The secondary colors are green, orange, and violet.

• Intermediate colors are made by combining a secondary color with one of the two primary colors used to create the secondary color. This is sometimes referred to as tertiary.

• Color scheme is an organization of color that works together

The Theories

• Monochromatic color schemes are the use of only one color, and varying amounts of white, gray, and black. An example of a monochromatic scheme is tints and shades of blue

• Triad is three colors equally spaced on a color wheel

• Analogous color schemes are three or more neighbor colors on the color wheel. No colors are skipped. An example of an analogous scheme is green, blue-green, blue, blue-violet, and violet.

• Complementary color schemes are opposite each other on the color wheel. They neutralize each other when mixed.

• Neutral colors are achieved by mixing all three primary colors together. Neutral colors include grays and brown.

• Cool colors are hues on the side of the color wheel that contains blue and green.

• Warm colors are hues on the side of the color wheel that contains Red and Orange.

• Shades are colors with black added.

• Tints are colors with white added.

• Intensity refers to strength or purity of a color. A brilliant color has high intensity; a dull color has low intensity. It sometimes is referred to as the chroma.

• Transparent is the quality of watercolor occurring when light passes through the color so that the paper or the underlying color shows through.

• Opaque is the quality of watercolor occurring when light does not pass through the color and underlying paper is hidden

Techniques

• Flat wash is an even passage of fluid color usually applied rapidly over an area.

• Graded wash is a wash where color values range from dark to light.

• Dry brush is a technique where a brush is dipped into water, then squeezed to remove excess water, and dipped into pigment.

• Wet-on-wet is wash of color brushed onto moistened paper.