INTRODUCTION
What is color??
A ray of light which is perceived by our eye and interpreted
by our brain is known as the source of all colors .From many years the research
has been done and some of the famous scientist and artists have studied that “why
human beings respond to some color combinations more favorably than others .In
early decades the experiments and work on color started with the development of
color wheel, and then theories keep on coming over decades to explain the behavior
and pattern of color.
A color circle based of red, yellow and blue is traditional
in the field of art. Isaac newton developed first circular diagram of colors in
1666.( http://www.cs.kent.edu/~svirdi/Ebook/wdp/ch07.pdf
).
Primary: Red, Yellow,
blue
These colors cannot me mixed and are most important colors
on the color wheel .
Secondary: Orange,
green and purple /violet
These colors are mixed by adding two primary colors together.
Like yellow and red make orange
Tertiary/intermediate:
Red-orange, red violet, blue green, blue violet, yellow-green and yellow orange
As by the names you can tell how to mix it . When naming
these colors the primary color comes before the secondary color
Neutral colors :
They are not found on the color wheel , white, Black ,grey ,brown,beige,tan,and
cream
The ability to distinguish colors and give then unique names,
for example like yellow, brown mustard yellow or sunlight yellow.
In 1990 According to Albert henry Munsell, who was the art
professor in Boston (USA) introduced the” most influential color-modeling
systems and a notation for precisely naming colors “.He identified the three
independent components of color:
HUE: According to
him “Hue is the quality by which we can distinguish among one color from another
“. And he also said light with different hues have different wavelengths.
VALUE: It
actually measures how bright or dark color is “The Quantity by which we
distinguish a light form a dark one.”
CHROMA (saturation):
it is the richness of hue. It differentiates deep blue form pale blue .It is
also known as colors saturation. Adding white paint to red reduces its
saturation or Chroma making it paler. A color at full saturation is a pure hue.
A color at zero saturation is a shade of gray . It is also known as “purity in
color”.( http://www.slideshare.net/LindseyMShepard/color-theory-3228729).
(Brooks/Cole book/January 28, 2003).
Meaning of color and
color theory:
Unlike any other language, Color is also means of communication.
It is the only language which does not require any words. Colors are used
everywhere in the world even in symbols and signs. We can talk about colors in
terms of light and energy. Every color has its own meaning and meanings are
different in every country depending on our style, esthetics, and food and most
important in the culture we are living in.” RED means danger in USA and in
CHINA it means joy and festivities and in JAPAN it relates to anger and in the
MIDDLE EEAST it refers to evil “.All colors are perceived in different context
in each country and culture.
Sometimes the color preferences are different and also
rooted in time period we are living in. For example, In early decades or can
say in ancient Egypt, black color was related to seeds sprouting form earth and
now a days it indicates the sign of mystery and evil.
RED :
warmth,love,anger,boldness,Excitement,speed,energy,determination,desire,courage
The longest wavelength of light is red; Bees can’t see the
red color
Orange:
cheerfulness, low cost, affordability, enthusiasm, stimulation, creativity,
aggression
Yellow:Attention,comfort,liveliness,cowardliness,hunger,optimism,overwhelm,summer,comfort,intellect,happiness,energy.
The happiest color of spectrum is yellow.
A yellow flag is used to indicate a penalty in football.
Green:Durability,reliability,environmental,spring,well,nature,calm.relaxation,honesty,optimism,harmony,freshness.
Green was the favorite color of First president of united
states “ George Washington”.
Blue: Peace
,professionalism,loyalty,reliability,honor,boredom,coldness,winter,depth,stability,trust.
Owls are only birds that can see blue.
Mosquito s are attracted to blue twice as much as to any
other color.
The blue ribbon is widely recognized as symbol of child
abuse awareness
Purple :
Power,royalty,nobility,elegance,sophisticated,artificial,luxury,mystery,magic.
It was the color of the first dye made by man.
Purple represents the planet Jupiter.
Purple is color of the highest valued poker chip 5,000 $ .
Grey :
Conservatism,traditionalism,intelligence,serious,dull,uninteresting
Brown :
Relaxing,confident,casual,nature,earthy,solid,genuine,autumn,endurance
Black: Elegance,sophistication,formality,power,strength.illegality,depression,night.
A black cat crossing one’s path is considered as bad luck in
many cultures.
Musicians in an orchestra concert wear black so as not to
draw attention away from the stage performers.
White: Cleanliness,
purity, newness,virginity,peace,innocence,simplicity,snow
Two of the most common peace symbols are dove and the truce
flag .( http://www.slideshare.net/
)
USES of color:
Colors are used everywhere, color is extremely versatile in
its uses. It can be used to make a “statement, create an atmosphere or call
forth a response. We can use color to get what we want it from the world, or we
can use it to find something is ourselves. Colors can be used is styling of our
clothes. In décor color will create an atmosphere, like in hospitals usually
green color for hospital ward and yellow color in kindergarten . In the world
of art and high culture color plays and important symbolic role. In therapy color
can be used to help others to stimulate their thoughts ,feelings and memories .
Actually color is a tool that we can used to open up ourselves . (http://colourconscious.com).
Visual Elements :
There are many elements that can make a design as well as
visual design , and can tell whether its good or not . Actually there are so
many visual elements but most common elements are 7 . All are different form
each other and play their own roles in designing and are very important . If
one can differentiate between and can identify the elements of design either
its his/her own work or someone else. Then one can know where and how to apply
the principles of design .( http://www.noupe.com).
The most common elements are :
1 Line
2 form
3 shape
4 texture
5 color
6 value
7 space
8 form (volume)
I am going to talk about few of them
1 )Line : It is
known as the most basic element of design .A line is a mark made by tool as it
is drawn across a surface or sometimes known as open path and line is also series of marks or points .
Line can be thick thin it comes in all types of sizes and shapes. Line tells
about the variety of verbal and visual concepts. Like thick lines are bold and
draw attention to them whereas thin lines are opposite. Color can also change
the impact of line, by drawing darker colors drawing and with bright colors .
There are three categories of line :
Line Types: It refers how the line is moving from
beginning to an end .Lines are usually straight, curved or angular.
Line direction: It describes a relationship between
the page like horizontal move across the page, vertical moves up and down and
diagonal lines used for comparison .Usually line directions are horizontal, vertical,
slanted.
Line Quality: It refers to how a line is drawn. A
line can be bold, smooth or broken, thick ,thin regular or changing .
In kirchner “Forest cemetery” , bold black lines define
shape in what could otherwise be a muddled green abstract. The lines are varied
in their length, thickness and curvature which creates contrast in the work . (“Forest Cemetery,” color wood cut by Ernst Ludwig
Kirchner in 1933).
2) Shape : It is
the combination of lines resulting in the subject of the image. Shape is also
known as general outline of something .Shapes are usually two-dimensional but
we can translate three-dimensional forms of the real world into two-dimensional
shapes .Circles,square,rectangles,triangles ,polygons and some other abstract
shapes. Like ,circles are often associated with movement . Shape can make a
huge difference in how it is perceived .
Categories of shapes are :
Geometric shapes : circles,squares,rectangles and triangles
.
Organic shapes: leaf,seashells,flowers.
Positive shapes: solid forms in a design such as bowl of
fruit .
Other forms of shapes are Static, dynamic and negative.
In the picture below, Valloton creates the image of two
lovers in a room by the use of just black and white shapes. (“La Raison Probante,” woodcut by Félix Vallotton
in 1898)
3)Color : Colors
are always important and we are taught about colors from an early age .Color
always have a huge impact on the way a piece is interpreted by audience. Color
is always very eye-catching, creating emphasis and evoking relationships to
known world. “color is also capable of creating strong reactions among people”,
Especially to those who apply certain specific meanings and emotions to different
colors. Before designing anything color is the most obvious thing , and
designer should have the knowledge of color theory and its important aspects .
Designer should have the casual knowledge of difference between a shade ( when
black color is added into pure white ). Tint ( when white is added to color )
and tone ( when gray is added to color ). To identify or label objects in an
illustration colors are also used .( http://graphics.stanford.edu)
We can divide color into 3 more specific categories
HUE: It is the name of color which is red or green,
blue or orange
Value : It is the range of lightness and darkness
which is red or dark red, light yellow or dark yellow.
Shade , tone and tint are the aspects of value .
Saturation : It is the brightness and dullness of a color,
which is red or dull red , light or bright green .
Color wheel is also used to organize color which is made up
of :
Primary colors : Red,yellow,blue these color cannot be
mixed.
Secondary colors : Orange,violet,green,they are created by
adding two primary colors .
Tertiary/Intermediate colors : Red orange, yellow green,
blue violet etc. By mixing a primary color with secondary color creates these.
In the figure below ,Toulouse-lautrec keeps his colors
simple and bold utilizing the three primary colors with black and white in
large strokes, The colors are rich, emphasizing the dramatic interpretation of
the character in the print.( “Ambassadeurs:
Aristide Bruant dans son cabaret,” color lithography by Henri de
Toulouse-Lautrec in 1892 ).
4 Texture:
Texture is the illusion of tactile surface that is achieved in 2-D
format.(99designs.com).There are two categories of texture
1)tactile:
we can feel their surfaces with our fingers actually. They can be created by
cut and paste like lace or sandpaper to a surface etc.
2 )visual :
they are illusionary and give impression of real textures . The most common and
easiest way of creating visual textures is by grouping various lines together,
and can be create with pens, markers, pencils and computer software .
Katsushika achieves this by repetition ,giving the user
illusion of texture they can feel.(“Ono Waterfall
at Kisokaido,” woodblock print by Katsushika Hokusai in 1830/1831)
5) Space : It
determines how the objects are related or relate to each other within the artwork,
and this is the location on which elements are placed.
Categories of space
Positive space : Like in positive shape it is the actual
sculpture or building .
Negative space : It’s the space around the sculpture or
building.
Picture plane : It is the flat surface of your drawing paper
or canvas
Composition : It is the organization and placement of the
elements on your picture plane.
Focal point : It is the area you want viewer to look first .
Goya’s bulls are centered in the piece, giving the illusion
of a deep black space around them and drawing attention to the dramatic forms
themselves.( “Disparate 22. Lluvia de toros o Disparate de
toritos.” aquatint print by Francisco Goya, done between 1815 – 1823).
References
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