COLOR THEORY 101

Red, Orange, Yellow, Green, Blue, Indigo, Violet
ROY G BIV

The primary colors, red, yellow and blue
can be used to make all other colors.

The secondary colors: orange, green and violet
are made by mixing the correct two primary colors together

Orange is made from equal parts of Red and Yellow

Green is made from equal parts of Yellow and Blue

Violet is made from equal parts of Blue and Red

Warm Colors

The warm colors are red, red-orange, orange, yellow-orange and yellow
 These are analogous colors (colors that are located adjacent to each other on the color wheel)

Here are some pictures, with an analogous color scheme, where I used mostly warm colors:

Cool Colors

Greens, blues and blue violets make up the cool colors
These are analogous colors (colors that are located adjacent to each other on the color wheel)

Here are some pictures, with an analogous color scheme, where I used mostly cool colors:

In general, if you add more blue to a picture it will look cooler.

If you add more yellow to a picture it will appear warmer.

Here are two versions of the same picture;

one with yellow added to appear warmer... 

...the other with blue added to appear cooler.

During his blue period, Pablo Picasso painted very sad paintings. He used cool colors to express his feelings. These pictures often had  analogous color schemes. To learn more about Picasso's blue period click here.

Try It:

Create an Analogous color scheme:

Try mixing yellow and blue. First, mix a color with a lot of yellow and just a bit of blue. What happens to the color as you gradually add more blue?

A picture with just one color plus black and white is known as a monochromatic picture.

Try It:

Create a Monochromatic color scheme:

Select a single color of paint and create a simple design using just that color plus black and white.
When you add white to a color you create a tint of that color
When you add black to a color you create a shade of that color.
a monochromatic painting contains a single color plus black and white

COMPLEMENTARY COLORS

When we put a warm color next to a cool color both colors stand out and appear brighter. This is known as contrast.

Complementary colors are also known as 'opposite' colors because they appear opposite each other on the color wheel.

Let's start with red, yellow and blue, the three primary colors. Here is how you find their 'opposites' without referring to a color wheel:

Red and green are complimentary colors

If you mix yellow and blue you get green. The primary color left over is red. Therefore red is green's complement.

Yellow and violet are complementary colors

If you mix red and blue, you will get violet. Which primary color did you not use?

You did not use yellow. Yellow and violet are complementary colors.

If you mix red and yellow you will get orange. Which primary color did you not use? You did not use blue. Blue is the complement of orange.

Here are some pictures where I used complementary colors to create contrast.

Orange and blue are complementary colors. I deliberately framed the orange leaves against the blue sky to make the leaves look brighter

Red-orange is directly opposite blue-green on the color wheel. They are complementary colors. The red-orange flowers appear to 'pop' out of the picture.

Violet and yellow are complementary colors

Violet and yellow are complementary colors

Mixing a color with it's complement  will make the color duller or less intense. Artists will often dull down a color if they are putting it in the background so that it will appear to recede. 

The video below demonstrates exactly how this works:

To learn more about how to use advancing and receding colors to paint a realistic landscape, see my post on  ATMOSPHERIC PERSPECTIVE. 

Artists will also mix two complimentary colors to create shadows without using black paint. 

Look at the worksheet below to see how: