color theory reading assignment

Color

Color theory is the art and science of color interaction and effects. In Tile Art of Color,' Johannes ltten lists the following approaches to color theory

studies the expressive effects ofcolor on our mind and spirit.

Additive color is created using beams of light (2.2A). Red, green, and blue, the familiar RGB on a computer screen, are the primary colors in this system. Many additional colors can be mixed from these primaries. Subtractive color is created when white light is reflected off a pigmented or dyed sur- face (2.2B). The subtractive primaries are blue, red, and yellow.

Our perception of additive color is influenced by The intensity (or wattage) of the projected light.

The light source, from incandescent light and fluorescent light to daylight.

The surface quality of the illuminated object. Projected light behaves very differently on transparent, translucent, and textured surfaces.

The ambient (overall amount of) light in the environment.

mono- chromatic color scheme (2.29). The advantage of this system is a high level of unityAdjacent colors on the color wheel are used III an analogous color schemecomple- mentary color scheme (2.33). Complementary colors are opposites on the traditional color wheel. split complementary color scheme (2.35). Rather than pair colors that are in opposite posi- tions on the color wheel, triadic color scheme pushes the choices even farther apart, so that they are now located in a triangu- lar position, equally spaced around the wheelA chromatic gray is made from a mixture of various hues, rather than a simple blend of black and white. Earth colors, including raw si- enna and burnt sienna, raw and burnt umber, and yellow ochre, are made generally from pigments found in soil.