Understand the color

As a well fact, color is the component that makes object appealing, attractive and gives pleasure to the observer. There are approx 8000 different colors that exist with different derivatives.

Color is actually an aspect of vision. The color seen by you is transmitted to the brain through nervous system. However, each individual elicits a different response to this information and experiences varying emotions and influences.

Know the color wheel

A color wheel is a chart depicting a combination of colors.To understand and explore the universe of colors it is important to understand the color wheel.The color wheel is a simple device to understand the colors in relation with one another.

A color circle based on red, yellow, green and blue is traditional in the field of art. Sir Isaac Newton developed the first circular diagram of colors in 1666. Since then, Artists have studied and designed numerous variations of this concept.

Understand the concept of colors

In human beings, color is perceived through three cones of the retina in the eye. These cones are sensitive to the wavelength of the color. This information of color, as perceived by the eye is then sent to the brain through the nervous system. Once processed by the brain, it then, allows one to see the full color spectrum.

Primary colors

Red, yellow and green is the primary colors. They are also called basic colors because all other colors are obtained by mixing these elementary colors. However, these are the primary colors of pigment or paint and crayon.

The primary colors of light is red, green and blue. The pigment color system does not apply to computer monitors because colors are created on monitors by adding light.

Secondary Colors

The color obtained from the mixture of primary colors is termed as secondary color. You can mix yellow and red to get orange, very similarly blue and yellow to get green and violet can be derived by mixing red and blue.

Complementary colors

These are colors that are positioned opposite to each other in the color wheel. Thus, for instance, red and green are complementary to each other.

Similarly, yellow and violet is another such pair. In color theory, complementary colors are important because, when they are placed next to each other, they appear more intense and bright.

To make some extra contrast we generally use complementary colors in typography fonts and the background.

Natural colors

White and black are natural colors. These are not regarded as colors. White indicates light while black indicate dark or absence of light. These colors can be used to mix with other colors to create lighter or darker shades.

Tertiary colors

If any two secondary colors are mixed together in equal proportion, then you generally obtain a third grade color. In tertiary colors, the primary or the original color are always dominate. For example, yellow is the primary color in both green and orange and consequently the mixture becomes yellowish gray.

Warm color

Red, yellow orange and brown are warm colors. Red is the most powerful color , so you don’t often see pure red used in large amounts. It stirs up excitement, and is the favored color for both sports cars and fire trucks. Have you ever wondered why red is so powerful in dining rooms,restaurants and movie theaters? Science has proven that red stimulates appetite.

Yellow and orange are the sunny colors that denote warmth. Yellow is one of the most difficult color for the eye to process and therefore, some believe that it makes larger rooms look warm and cheerful. The range of warm colors include popular colors like peach, terracotta and brown, all of which owe their warmth to red and yellow.

Cool colors

Blue, green and violet are the cool colors. Viewing these colors soothes the mind. They are related to water, sky and greenery. In order to create the effect of depth or distance in a painting, the foreground should be painted in warn color while cool colors should be used for the portion that is in the background.