Colour Theory

Colour Theory

1. History

   • Colour theory was originally formulated in terms of three primary also known as primitive colours - red, yellow and blue, because these colours were believed capable of mixing all other colours. The primary colours became the foundation of 18th Century theories of colour vision. These theories were enhanced by 18th Century investigations of a variety of purely psychological colour effects, in particular the contrast between complementary or opposing hues that are produced by colour afterimages and in the contrasting shadows in coloured light. During the 19th Century, industrial revolution gave birth to other colours namely; cyan, magenta, and yellow. 

2. Primary Colours

   •   These are red, yellow and blue. In traditional colour theory (used in paint and pigments), primary colours are the 3 pigment colours that can not be mixed or formed by any combination of other colours. All other colours are derived from these 3 hues.   
   • Secondary Colours
     •  These include green, orange and purple. These are the colours formed by mixing the primary colours.   
     • Tertiary Colours
       • These are the colours formed by mixing a primary and a secondary colour. That's why the hue is a two word name, such as blue-green, red-violet, and yellow-orange. They can be classified as yellow-orange, red-orange, red-purple, blue-purple, blue-green and yellow-green.

3. Colour Wheel

   • Complementary Colours
     •    They are any two colours opposite each other on the wheel. For example, blue and orange, or red and green.   
   • Hue
   • Saturation
   • Value

4. Warm and cool Colours

   • Tone
     • Tones are created when both black and white (grey) are added to a hue. Depending on the proportions of black, white and the original hue used, tones can be darker or lighter than the original hue, and will also appear less saturated or intense than the original hue. Tones can reveal subtle and complex qualities in a hue or combination of hues, and are more true to the way we see colours in the real world.
     • Tint
     • Shade

Bilder und Dateien der Mindmap

• Creativity Express: Newton's discovery (Einbetten)
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• Colour Theory: Hue and Saturation (Einbetten)
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