TheVirtualInstructor Blog

Knowing where colors are found on the color wheel is just one step to understanding color theory.  You must also understand practical applications of using color theory in your artworks and designs.  Seldom are colors used as their pure hue.  Most often, color combinations or color schemes, implore a variety of values and intensities of the colors used.  For example, if you were to use a complementary color scheme of red and green, you might use pink and a darker green.  Pink, you’ll recall is really the color red- a tint of red.    It seems that beginning artists really struggle with this concept.  It is hard for them to separate color and value. And understand that although related, color and value are different.  I found a great video that describes not only the basics of color theory, but also a clear explanation on how light affects the values of the colors that we perceive…

To better help my students understand the relationship between color and value, I decided to create a color wheel chart that demonstrates different values.  I put each range of value for each specific color at it’s native location on the color wheel.  This helped the students to see the color but also understand that each color also has a range of value. To see some of the other color wheel charts I created, visit color wheel charts for teacher and students.

Feel free to download this color wheel chart and use it for yourself or with your students.  (Just click on the image, then right click, save as.)

Finding the right color wheel chart can be a daunting task. There are literally hundreds of thousands of color wheel charts out there. Most of which are never quite what you need for the art lesson. Part of the issue with the ever growing number of color wheels out there is that there are varied ideas when it comes to color theory in general. Most of us agree that there are 3 Primary colors: Blue, Red and Yellow; and 3 secondary colors: orange, green, and purple. Most of us can also agree that the complementary colors exist as opposites on the color wheel. This means that orange is the complement of blue; purple is the complement of yellow; and green is the complement of red.

There are Different Color Wheel Charts!

I came across a site the other day that took color theory to another level. Honestly, it made me wonder if I really knew anything about color at all. You can visit this page and read for yourself. The argument here is that the color wheels that we have been using for years are wrong. The author of the site argues that red, blue, and yellow are not the true primaries. He states that the true primaries consist of cyan, magenta, and yellow. (I have seen color theory taught this way) The arguments presented are fairly convincing. However, using this color wheel would force the complement of blue(ultramarine) to be yellow. I have a hard time swallowing that one. It does however show cobalt blue to complement orange. I guess that helps. It’s worth mentioning this theory because the color wheels charts that I’m sharing today are in the traditional vein.

(You are free to download any of the color wheel charts below…click on the image-then right click and “save as”)

Anyhow, I decided that I would create a series of color wheel charts that teachers, students, artists-whoever can use that may fulfill a specific need. Either to teach basic color mixing, complements, and so on.

The first color wheel chart I created is intended for teaching basic color mixing. It includes a gradation of hue around the color wheel with labeled primary and secondary colors.

Color Wheel Chart for Color Mixing

The second color wheel chart that I created is intended to help students recognize complementary colors on the color wheel

Color Wheel Chart for Complementary Colors

I plan on adding new color wheel charts in future posts according to specific usage. Hopefully, some of you will find them useful and helpful to you.

I also want to share with you some color theory worksheets that I use to teach color theory to my beginner classes. Students mix paints and paint directly on the sheets. To download these sheets, click on the thumbnail-right click on the image and click “save as”

If you are looking for an interactive experience when it comes to the color wheel, try The Interactive Color Wheel.

Facts About Color

Color is a powerful tool. Many good artists and designers recognize it’s power and use it to manipulate to their benefit. Recently, I have been researching color in general and have uncovered some interesting facts about color. Use this information wisely, as it will allow you the ability to subtly manipulate your audience.

Color Can Affect You Physically

Did you know that the color in a drawing, painting, or object can effect the way you feel about it? In fact, simply the color of an object can affect your mood and feeling. There is actually research that suggests that the light of colors can affect the center of emotions found in the hypothalamus. This region of the brain, in turn affects the pituitary gland, which controls the endocrine system. The endocrine system, in turn controls the thyroid and sex glands, which control hormone levels. Hormone levels control mood and emotion. It may be a long trip, but color does physically affect our body through our mood and emotion.

Color Can Affect You Psychologically (Although it’s Hard to Prove)

I think that all of us can agree that color does affect our psyche. It is quite hard to prove this however, if you are the scientific type. Despite this, there have been several attempts over the years to prove the connection between color and psychology. Neuropsychologist, Kurt Goldstein experimented with the affects of color on one’s psyche in the 1930’s. These experiments yielded some interesting results on how color affects us. For example, the experiments showed that objects seen in red light appear bigger or heavier. In contrast, objects that were viewed in the opposite color, green, appeared smaller and lighter.

Here are a few more ways color is thought to have had an impact on psychology…

A factory in the United States changed the color of the bathrooms to an unpleasant green and saw production increase by 8%.

Customers of a coffee house constantly complained about the cool temperature in the room. At that time, the walls were painted a light blue. After changing the color to orange, there were no more complaints.

The color yellow can cause nausea, so it is avoided in airplanes.

Black boxes seemed heavier to workmen than green boxes filled with the same material.

Red can make you hungry, while the opposite color, green, suppresses it.

The color red can also increase your muscle reaction, make you want to gamble more, and raise your blood pressure. Blue has the opposite effect.

Blue street lighting resulted in lower crime rates in Glascow in 2000.

Blue conveys trust and reliability.

Green is believed to increase concentration.

I came across these interesting facts about color in my research and I thought that I’d pass them on. While color does have an impact on our psychology, we bring our own experiences to the table making color psychology an imperfect, but fun science.

Color theory is an important part of creating any artworks that include color.  It is important in painting, drawing, design and sculpture.  It is equally important that all students of art learn the basics of color theory.  I think most of us agree that choosing colors for a composition should never be guesswork.  Instead, a color combination should be well planned and executed.  This can only happen by having a good understanding of the basics of color theory.   I personally think that color theory is cool.  The way that the color wheel fits together like a puzzle is just cool.  Imparting that “coolness” to students and getting them excited about color theory can be difficult.  Color theory, when not presented in an exciting way, can be boring-not to mention confusing.  Over the years, I have experimented with different ways to teach color theory to students.  I also observed the way other teachers teach the concepts of color theory to their students.  Our students, or well maybe my students, are engaged in learning most when they can interact with the concepts that I’m trying to teach to them.  Sure, mixing colors with paint, and filling in a color wheel is interactive.  This is an activity that all students should participate in.  I’m not suggesting that this activity be scratched.  But I felt like my students needed a tool that would answer their questions about the basics of color theory in a more immediate way, something that they could could interact with.  A tool that they could have access to, and that would reinforce the traditional concepts that I taught them.  I searched for some color wheels on the internet and wasn’t satisfied with the results, so I decided to make my own.  So here it is, an interactive color wheel that students can access on a classroom computer.  It gives basic information about color theory as well as information about each color.  It breaks down the complementary color of each color, the immediate analogous colors, the split complements, a color triad, and a color tetrad.  It also explains the different types of colors on the color wheel and the role of the neutral colors.  I hope that you find useful for yourself as an artist or for your students.  Find the Interactive Color Wheel Here