Color Theory for Embalming and Restorative Art

A collection of vocabulary flashcards based on the Color Theory lecture notes for funeral service professionals, covering the science of light, the dimensions of color, and the Prang System.

Color

A visual sensation; the response to light of specific wavelengths of radiant energy which strike the retina of the eye and then transmit an impulse to the brain.

Rods

Cells within the retina that are responsible for seeing varying degrees of light.

Cones

Cells within the retina that are responsible for the perception of color.

The Color Spectrum

The progressive arrangement of $7$ colors (Red, Orange, Yellow, Green, Blue, Indigo, Violet) that appear when a beam of light is dispersed into its component colors.

Dispersion

The separation of light waves into component colors when passed through a prism.

Absorption

The process by which colored objects take in certain rays of light while reflecting others.

Reflection

The return of light from a source; the color of an object is determined by the specific ray of light that is returned to the eye.

White Light

A mixture of all colors, such as daylight, from which all color originates.

Pigment

A material that technically has no color of its own but absorbs certain light rays and reflects others to produce its characteristic color.

Hue

The first dimension of color; the property by which one color is distinguished from another and the name by which we know it.

Value

The second dimension of color; the lightness or darkness of a hue, where a light value is high and a dark value is low.

Tint

A hue into which various quantities of white are mixed, which dilutes the color and lightens the value.

Shade

A hue into which various quantities of black are mixed, which darkens the value.

Intensity (Saturation)

The third dimension of color; the amount of strength a hue has, describing its degree of purity, brightness, or dullness.

Tone

A hue mixed with either a small quantity of gray or its compliment, resulting in a dulling that makes the color more neutral or less intense.

Achromatic color

A neutral color not found in the visible spectrum, such as gray, black, or white.

Monochromatic color

A variation of one hue, or a tone, tint, or shade of a single hue.

Color Wheel

An illustrative model of hues arranged in a circle showing the relationships between primary, secondary, and intermediate colors.

Primary Hues

Three hues ($3$) — Red, Blue, and Yellow — that cannot be produced by mixtures of other colors and from which all other colors originate.

Secondary Hues

Hues produced by equal mixtures of two primary hues, specifically Purple (Red + Blue), Orange (Yellow + Red), and Green (Blue + Yellow).

Intermediate Hues

Produced by equal mixtures of a primary and a secondary color, resulting in $6$ hues such as Red-Orange or Yellow-Green.

Complimentary Hues

Colors found directly opposite one another on the color wheel that present vivid contrasts when seen together.

Analogous Colors

Two or more hues located adjacent to one another on the color wheel that have the same hue in common.

Juxtaposition

The simultaneous contrast that occurs when two hues are placed side by side; compliments will enrich each other, while non-compliments will dull each other.

After Image

A visual impression remaining after a stimulus is removed; staring at a color and then a white object results in a flash of that color's compliment.

Warm color

A color characterized by long wavelengths that makes objects appear closer and larger; Orange is the warmest hue.

Cool color

A color characterized by short wavelengths that makes objects appear to recede and reflects coldness; Blue is the coolest hue.