Notes on Color Basics and the Color Wheel

Color basics and the color wheel

  • Color refers to all visual sensations: anything the eye perceives can be defined as color.
  • Chromatic vs. achromatic
    • Chromatic: having color (present color, with discernible hue).
    • Achromatic: without discernible hue. Example given: brown can be described as achromatic in this context.
  • Monochromatic
    • Monochromatic means having only one hue.
  • Hue
    • Hue is described as the character or essence of the color.
    • When exploring hue, a color wheel is useful. One project mentioned is to create a color wheel.

The color wheel (structure and terminology)

  • A six-step color wheel can be drawn (described as a donut-like wheel).
  • Red is placed at the very top of the wheel.
  • Purple vs. violet
    • The speaker notes that purple, as a name, does not correspond to a wavelength. The actual wavelength name is violet.
    • If someone mentions purple, you can respond that the scientific name of the wavelength is violet.
    • Purple exists as a color name, but it is not the name of a wavelength; violet is.

Primary colors

  • Primary colors are red, yellow, and blue.
  • When developing a color wheel, a common visualization is to draw a triangle pointing to the primary colors at the top of the wheel.
  • What is a primary color?
    • A primary color cannot be mixed from other colors to obtain that color.
    • Example: you cannot mix other colors to create red (as the claimed rule in the session).
  • The interaction of primaries to form secondaries
    • If you mix red and yellow, you get orange:
    • \text{Orange} = \text{Red} + \text{Yellow}

Secondary colors

  • Secondary colors are orange, green, and violet.
  • These are depicted with a triangle underneath the primaries on the wheel (a common teaching visualization).

Complementary colors

  • Complementary colors are colors that are opposite each other on the color wheel.
  • A key point tied to complementary colors is temperature (warm vs. cool): complementary pairs often relate to a balance of temperatures in a composition.
  • The idea is to use complementary pairs to create a pleasing or dynamic color scheme in design or art projects.

Practical notes and future topics

  • The next topic after color and hue is value (noted as the upcoming subject).
  • Project-oriented notes:
    • One project is to create a color wheel (the six-step wheel with red at the top).
    • Use the color wheel as a guide for arranging colors in compositions and for understanding Hue, Primary, Secondary, and Complementary relationships.

Quick recap of key terms

  • Color: all visual sensations perceived by the eye.
  • Chromatic: color present; discernible hue.
  • Achromatic: lacking discernible hue (example context used: brown).
  • Monochromatic: one hue.
  • Hue: the character/essence of a color.
  • Primary colors: red, yellow, blue.
  • Secondary colors: orange, green, violet.
  • Complementary colors: colors opposite on the color wheel.
  • Violet vs. purple: violet is the actual wavelength name; purple is a non-wavelength color name.
  • Value: the upcoming topic (brightness/darkness of a color).