When we hear the term ‘colour theory’, many of us find it daunting, associating it with the rich pristine traditional artists who study art like a science, when in reality colour theory can be simplified to a few key ideas. Here are some basics of colour theory to make you feel more in tune with your artsy side; whether you are redecorating a house, choosing a colour scheme for a website, or making the next Starry Night, these pointers will come in handy!

Active vs Passive colours:

Different colours evoke different emotions, this is known as ‘colour psychology’. Balancing active and passive colours is essential when creating a colour palette for a piece. Too many active colours may overwhelm the eye, while too many passise colours may look uninteresting. 

Active and passive colours can also be used to indicate the strength of emotions, which is useful when trying to bring attention to something or tell a story through a piece.

Warm and Cool colours:

Warm colours tend to be active while cool colours are passive. Colours can be used to imply things like temperature, time of day, mood and story, which is why it's important to consider the ratio of warm to cool colours so that it conveys the desired effect. A common rule is that for a warm colour palette use 80% warm colours and vice versa for a cool palette, as using only warm or only cool colours can make the piece look flat. The juxtaposition of warm and cool colours helps to give the illusion of dimension, even just by using different shades of the same colour, such as a raspberry red compared to a crimson.
 

Additive vs Subtractive Colour:

There are two methods of producing colour: the additive colour mode is used when shades of light are used to create colours, while the subtractive mode is used when white light, such as sunlight, reflects off an object. 

 

Additive (RBG) colours are made by mixing different amounts of red green and blue (the primary colours of the light spectrum). Mixing these produces three secondary colours: yellow, cyan, and magenta – the primary colours of the subtractive colour mode. Additive colours begin as black and become white as more red, blue, or green light is added. 

Subtractive (CMYK) colours begin as white. As you add filters to the white light, such as ink, this white light takes on the appearance of colour. Any printed material uses CMYK, as well as paint and other mediums. Everything we see also gains the appearance of colour using a subtractive process: an object uses colourants such as pigments, dyes, or inks to absorb portions of the white light that illuminates the object, while reflecting other portions that we then perceive as colour.

Underpaintings:

An underpaintings is typically a semi-translucent wash of colour used to prep a page or canvas before a painting is created on top of it. This is done to create depth and dimension, as well as aid the artist in picking colours which will bring the piece together in a cohesive colour scheme.

I hope this was a helpful introduction to colour theory, for more info check out: blog.thepapermillstore.com