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The color wheel is an adaptation of the solar spectrum, red-orange-yellow-green-blue-violet. By wrapping the spectrum into a circle, red meets violet to form a red-violet not found in the spectrum itself. By using the color wheel, it becomes easier to understand the relationships between colors including locating a color's compliment. Hue, Chorma, and Value … The three dimensions
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Primary, Secondary, and Tertiary Colors
The primary colors are red, yellow, and blue. Red, yellow,
and blue are called "primary" colors because they can
not be mixed from other colors. All other colors can be mixed
using the three primary colors. The "secondary" colors, orange,
green, and violet, are mixes of the primary colors. Colors
such as red-orange, red violet, yellow-green, yellow orange, blue-violet,
and blue green, are mixed from primary and secondary colors and
are called tertiary colors.
Complimentary Colors
Colors directly opposite each other on the color wheel are complimentary
colors, each the compliment of the other. As a color's compliment
is mixed with it, it will begin to gray the color, producing a
"semi-neutral". As more of the compliment is added, the mix will
reach a point where they gray each other out, and neither color
can be seen. This is termed "neutral". Colors placed on the outside
of the circle are pure, bright colors. Semi-neutrals, colors that
are somewhat neutralized or duller are placed inside the circle,
and the center indicates neutral. Placing complimentary colors
next to each other enhances both, making them seem more vibrant
or intense.
Local Color, Tint, Shade and Tone
Local color refers to the actual, true color of an object. Adding
white to a color produces a "tint", a lighter version
of the hue. In the case of watercolors, a tint is made by adding
water to thin the paint thus allowing more of the white paper
to show through. Using black or a color's compliment to darken
the color produces a "shade" of that color. "Tone" refers
to the value of a color, (Color Value)
Color Temperature
Colors have a relationship to "temperature" and are
said to be "warm" or "cool".
This is the result of the wavelength of light that is reflected
by the color. The color we see is the result of the wavelength
of light reflected by the color. Infrared is on the warm side
and ultraviolet on the cool side. The visible spectrum lies between
the two.
If we divide the color wheel vertically through the center, splitting
yellow and violet, the red, orange side is warm and the blue green
side is cool. Red-orange the warmest of the warm, and blue-green
the coolest of the cool.
Color Recession
Colors come forward or recede depending on their warmth, intensity
and value. Warm, intense, and dark value come forward, cool, grayed
and light value recede. However, recession is also affected by
color keying, or what color the color is placed next to.
According to Eliot O'Hara, "The law for keying a color or
value is always the same, an area will vary in a direction opposite
to its immediate surroundings." (The Watercolorist's Complete
Guide to Color by Tom Hill.)