color EXERCISE
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PURPOSE
To UNDERSTAND COLOR HUES
To COMPREHEND TINTS and SHADES
To EXPLORE COMPLEMENTARY palettes
To DISCOVER ANALOGOUS palettes
THE EXERCISE
On light paper:
- Create a color wheel that includes primary, secondary and tertiary colors.
- Create a tint by blending from a saturated hue to white.
- Create a shade by blending from a saturated hue to black or gray.
- Create a complementary blend by blending from a color to the color opposite itself on the color wheel.
INSTRUCTIONS
PRIMARY
Create a COLOR WHEEL using HUES of PRIMARY COLORS (1) .
Example: Red, Yellow, Blue
TINTS
Create bars of a TINT (color to white) .
Example: Red + White = Pink
SECONDARY
Blend PRIMARY COLORS (1) to create SECONDARY (2) hues
Example: Orange, Green, Violet
SHADES
Create bars of a SHADE (color to black).
Example: Red + Black = Maroon
TERTIARY
Blend primary or secondary colors to create TERTIARY (3) hues.
Red-orange, Yellow-Green, etc.
COMPLEMENTARY
Create a bar showing a blend of COMPLEMENTARY COLORS.
Example: Across the wheel
THINK AND FEEL
How we feel about color can be used to express ideas. When we choose colors, we also think about what they might symbolize.
STUDY FURTHER
Color can be measured in frequency, using tiny units called ‘nano meters’. A chromaticity diagram is another system of organizing colors in this way.
SURFACE Look closely at the colors you blend. As color changes depending on whether it is made from paint, crayon, pastel or pencil, notice the way the light bounces off the surface.
MATERIALS Matte, non-shiny surfaces, will pull in the light and the color will appear like velvet. Shiny surfaces reflect the light because light rays bounce off hard or smooth surfaces, producing strong and bright highlights.
IMAGINE
Imagine the millions of colors in the world…
Look closely around you. Notice the blends, tints, shades as the light hits objects. Look at the sky. Notice the many shades of blues, greens or pinks and oranges. Look at the earth. Notice the variations on brown soil, ruddy clay, tan sand, gray rocks. Notice the vegetation and the full range of analogous and complementary colors.
Imagine an ANALOGOUS color palette.
How many subtle versions of 2-3 colors that are near each other on the color wheel might there be?
CULTURE
Notice the many ways we choose colors. Some palettes are chosen because colors have meaning. Others are chosen because they are pleasing to our eye. Surprising color combinations can stimulate our thinking.
MATERIALS NEEDED
Example: Use liquid paint or dry colored pencils or wax crayons or pastel pencils
You are learning to blend colors for comfort with the media AND to understand pigments in the color wheel
THEMES
This exercise explores the components of color (primary, secondary, tertiary), the blending of color (hue, tint, shade), and the analogous and complementary color palettes