Penn Foster Color Theory

achromatic grays

"without color". the term applies to black, white, and grays made by combining black and white. like black and white, have no hue and no satiation; only value.

additive color

color seen as light: additive color primaries are red, green, and blue. when they are combined the result is white light

afterimage

a common optical effect in which an additional color seems to appear at the edge of an observed color.

analogous

hues that lie adjacent to each other on the spectrum

bridge tones

provide a transition between disparate colors.

chromatic darks

these are dark chromatic grays that have discernible temperature and hue.

chromatic grays

have a relatively low saturation but still have discernible hue and temperature.

color harmony

the character of the interrelationships in a group of colors.

color interaction

a colors quality is dependent upon its context because colors interact with each other where they meet.

color symbolism

based upon automatic associations attached to particular colors or color combinations that are learned and largely culturally determined.

color temperature

when the hue continuum is represented as a circle, colors can be divided into cool and warm zones.

color wheel

any circular depiction of the hue continuum and has been used for centuries by color theorists.

CMYK

refers to the colors used in four-color printing: cyan, magenta, yellow, and black.

complementary hues

any two hues that lie directly opposite each other on a color wheel.

co-primaries

expand the primary triad of red, yellow, and blue into three pairs that include warm and cool versions of each primary color.

dark transparency

an illusionistic transparency wherein the color at the "overlap" is darker in value than both of the intersecting colors.

earth tone primary

a triad of earth tones, e.g. burnt sienna, yellow ocher, and payne's gray.

gamut

in computer terminology, the range of hues available to a particular mode.

grayscale

a representation of value continuum broken down into finite number of steps. it usually consists of ten or so distinct and evenly progressing achromatic grays.

high key

when colors in an image are "keyed" by value and the values are predominantly light, it is said to be in a

hue

one of the three structural factors of color (along with value and saturation).

hue continuum

a graphic representation of the full color spectrum from infrared to ultraviolet.

inherent light

a visual quality that depends upon relative saturation and context.

keyed

color groupings are _____ when they are brought together in either hue, value, saturation, or combinations thereof.

luminosity

light reflected from a surface; in color, it is tied to value.

median transparency

an illusion of transparency wherein the value of the color at the "overlap" is midway between that of each parent color.

monochromatic

color schemes that are limited to one hue and variations thereof.

muted colors

constitute a zone in the saturation continuum that falls between chromatic grays and prismatic colors.

nonproportional color inventory

a selection of colors drawn from an object or image, usually one that has an uncountable number of colors. the inventory should be a summation of the color in the scene that expresses its entire chromatic range as well as possible in a few tones.

optical mixing

occurs when small color fragments are fused by the eye to appear as seamless tonal transitions.

overtone

a term borrowed from music that describes secondary hue bias or leaning of a primary hue.

primary triad

is called so because it is indivisible and, in theory, all other colors (which are compound colors) can be mixed from it.

prismatic colors

represent the hues of the spectrum. however, since pigment can never be as pure as light, prismatic colors are only an approximation of spectral color. they are, categorically, at the highest level of saturation.

proportional color inventory

is based on an object or image that has a countable number of colors. it represents all the colors present in their relative proportions

retinal painting

focuses on the accurate rendition of the colored shapes that comprise a visual field and mimics the way the retina of the eye receives visual information. it emphasizes color over drawing and can be seen as an outgrowth of impressionism and the ideas about optics that engaged artists like monet, pissarro, and others of their generation.

RGB

in additive or light color theory, red, green, and blue are considered the primary colors.

saturation

the relative purity of hue present in a color.

saturation continuum

represents the infinite levels of saturation that exist between any two intermixed complimentary colors.

secondary triad

consists of green, orange, and violet. each of these colors can be mixed by combining two primary colors.

shade

the result of mixing any color with black

simultaneous contrast

the optical effect that two neighboring colors have upon each other as their afterimages interact along a shared border.

subtractive color

engages color as manifested by reflected rather than direct light. the color primaries are red, yellow, and blue which, when intermixed, produce a dark, dull tone.

tertiary colors

these are also called "intermediate colors" and are yellow-orange, red-orange, blue-green, yellow-green, blue-violet, and red-violet.

tint

results when any color is mixed with white

tones

a somewhat generic term that can refer to any color but a prismatic color.

triadic

comprised of any three equidistant hues on the color wheel.

value

the relative quality of lightness or darkness in a color. it is the only structural factor of color visible in achromatic settings, as in black and white photography.

value continuum

a graphic representation which suggests the infinite value that exists between black and white.

lighter colors

variations in the color of light are most evident in ____, such as tans, light grays, and yellows.

light; color

as waves of _____ are received in the lens of the eye, they are interpreted by the brain as _____

temperature

color shifts within a hue zone are sometimes described in terms of _____

grayscale

the full gamut of values is often simplified into a graduated scale called a _____

color proportion

______ may be thought of in terms of hue, value, and saturation.

relative purity

saturation refers to the _____ of a color.

color positioning

_____ can result in an optical phenomenon where colors appear to change according to their surroundings.

luminosity

_____ is the relative lightness of a color.

matte

_____ surface provides a clear view of the color from any angle.

warm; cool

co-primary colors include _____ and _____ versions of the primary triad.

gouache

paint film that can be reactivated with water.

acrylic

paint is too translucent for color studies.

10; 14

according to munsell's color system, each hue is linked to _____ values and _____ levels of saturation

simultaneous contrast

_____ is the optical effect that two neighboring colors have upon each other as their afterimages interact along a shared border.

josef albers

_____ was the most influential color educator of the second half of the twentieth century.

color vision

a single color can appear to change in hue, value, or saturation when seen in a variety of contexts because of _____

warm

_____ colors advance in the picture plane

movement; change

progressions can be seen as an analogue for _____ and _____

fairfield porter

_____ is best-known for american practitioner of retinal painting.

richard diebenkorn

_____ was the artist who alternated between representational and abstract painting styles.

concordance

unity in colors suggests tranquility and _____

discord

disunity can, in varying degrees, evoke tension and _____

hue; value; saturation

unity in color groupings is based upon _____, _____, and ______

proportion

aside from contrast, you can use _____ to create visual harmony.

primary triad

when you use a limited palette, a good choice is the _____

circles

according to the textbook, you would use line to create a proportional design and _____ to create a nonproportional design.

vincent van gogh

_____ was the artist who wrote various letters on how he/she describes color in his/her work.

pierre bonnard

_____ imagined light in his/her paintings.

nonproportional

if an object has a lot of different colors, it's better to use a _____ color study.

color symbolism

_____ is based on the automatic associations attached to particular colors or color combinations that are learned and largely culturally determined.

perceptual conflict

when a color is applied to a fully realized form, there is a risk of _____.

color analogy

_____ is the direct response of observation.

subtractive

digital output, i.e., a printed version of a digital document, is made with _____ primaries.

light; shade

unlike black pigment, the addition of k tone to digital color has no deleterious effect on the inherent _____ of the resulting "_____."

RGB; CMYK

the two sets of primary colors for digital output are _____ and _____

white light

when mixing the primary colors of an additive mixture, it produces _____.

black

k stands for the color _____ in CMYK.