Element of Color

• Color; the most expressive element of art; It enhances beaty in all things and it shares a powerful connection with emotion.
• Colors are a property of light
• Colors were discovered by Isaac Newton
• Physical Properties of Color;

  1. Hue
  2. Value
  3. Intensity
• Hue; is the color, or the name of the color itself, it refers to the position of the color in the color spectrum
• Value; refers to the lightness or darkness of a color
• Intensity/Saturation; refers to the purity of a color.
• Pure hues; pertain to the absence of white, black, or gray
• Colors that are high in intensity tend to be bright
• Colors low in intensity tend to be dull
• The Color Wheel; circular illustration which is divided into 12 sections representing the twelve colors and how they relate to one another
• Primary Colors; Red, yellow, and blue. They cannot be produced by the mixture of any other colors
• Secondary Colors; Colors results from the combination of two primary colors in equal amounts. Orange, Green, Violet, Yellow, Cyan, and Magenta
• Intermediate Colors; combination of a primary and secondary color. Yellow-Orange, Yellow-Green, Blue-Green, Red-Orange, Blue-Violet, and Red-Violet
• The primary colors (3), secondary colors (3), and the intermediate colors (6) are the twelve (12) colors that are properly positioned in the color wheel.
• Tertiary Colors; created by combining any two secondary colors or by neutralizing one color by adding its complement or opposite color in the color wheel. Example: Browns and olive greens
• Neutrals; When we look at pigments, we realize that not all of them show color. Black, white or gray do not share the same characteristics of any color in the spectrum. Because they show no color quality.
• Color Scheme; colors that are opposite each other in the color wheel.
• Complementary Colors; When used together within an artwork, they make each other seem brighter and more dynamic, e.g. blue and orange.
• Analogous Colors; are colors which are next to each other in the color wheel.
• Analogous Colors; when used together, they create a sense of harmony, e.g. green, blue green, blue.
• Monochromatic Colors; an artwork is made from one color altered using tints and shades only.
• Color Temperature and Emotion; It is important for the artists to understand the importance and effect of the color they are using in trying to get the viewer's attention and for the viewers to feel a particular way while looking at the artwork.
• Warm Colors; Red, orange, and yellow are examples of ___ _ Colors that show stimulating and passionate emotions. When placed in an artwork, objects with warm colors optically appear to advance.
• Cool Colors; are often described as being low in temperature and are associated with water and sky. Blue, Green, and Violet are examples of ____ colors which show calming and depressing mood. When used in an artwork, objects with ____ colors optically appear to recede.
• Element of Value; - This element deals with how lightness and darkness are applied in the hue (color).
• Element of Value; - makes an object appear more real because of natural lights are imitated.
• Achromatic Value; When light falls on an object, the lights rays do not shine equally on all parts of the object, and on the area where light is blocked by the object , a cast shadow results. Cast shadows may have different degrees of values ranging from grey to black.
• Chiaroscuro; The technique of using light and shadow in painting. Example: Painting of Mona Lisa
• Value Scale; To better understand how value works, one needs to show a full value range of a hue; this means that there are very light areas, middle tones, and very dark areas of a certain hue.
• Techniques to Create Value:

  1. Cross-Hatching
  2. Stippling
  3. Soft Shading
• Cross-Hatching; This is a technique where irregular lengths of parallel lines cross over each other diagonally. The farther the lines from each other, the lighter the value, and the closer they are placed together, the darker the value.
• Stippling; This technique uses dots to create value. This can be accomplished by placing the dots farther apart to create a light value, and placing the dots closer to create a dark value
• Soft Shading; This is another technique of adding value wherein the artists use a brush or pencil, then creates a soft gradual movement from one value to the next.
• Elements of Texture; Describes the perceived quality of a surface, whether real or implied
• Tactile (Real) Texture; o how an object or its surface actually feels. This type of texture can be experienced through the sense of touch. Examples would be cotton balls, sandpaper, tree bark, puppy fur, etc.
• Implied/Stimulated/Visual Texture; an artist creates an illusion that the surface of an object has texture when it is totally smooth. This type of texture are usually found in drawings, painting, and photographs. Textures may look rough, fuzzy, gritty, or scruffy, but cannot be felt.
• Trompe l’oeil or, in English, “tricks the eye.”; Implied/Simulated/Visual Texture
• Abstract Texture; the artist would focus on one aspect of the real texture and emphasize it, thus, modifying the texture of the whole composition. The effect is more on decorative and aesthetic depending on the particular needs of the artist. Here, there is no attempt to fool the eye, but modification of texture would enrich the whole composition.
• Invented Texture; This texture is a product of the artist’s imagination. This presentation is usually seen in abstract artworks. Though solely from the artist’s mind, invented texture may still represent something that is real.