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.