Colour Schemes

Start with color terms

The mind map on color terminology is a useful starting point if you want to review the language used across these resources. It covers hue, the name given to a color, and value, its lightness or darkness. It also introduces tint and shade in terms of adding white or black.

Next, look at the Color Composition flashcards. They include prompts about colors opposite each other on the color circle and a scheme based on points of a triangle. Use the terminology map alongside the cards when you need to check a word.

Practice recognizing schemes

Name That Color Scheme Quiz asks about the color scheme in a painting by Degas. Its questions include an example of blue-green and red-orange as opposites on the color wheel. After trying it, return to the Color Composition cards to review the idea of opposite colors and contrast.

The Colors flashcards also ask about opposite colors, colors at equal distances on the wheel, and a variation of the complement. These prompts offer another way to practice the relationships used in the quiz.

Explore related color ideas

Color Theory/Mandala Quiz asks about the arrangement of hues around a circle and the group of basic colors that cannot be made by mixing. The flashcards on color also cover primary colors and color relationships.

The Limited Colour Range mind map brings together color names, feelings and ideas about color in pictures. You can use it to explore how the collection presents color beyond naming a scheme.

Use this section of Colour Theory

Colour Schemes is a section of the Colour Theory unit in Visual arts. The maps, flashcards and quizzes give you different ways to work with the terms and relationships listed here: read an idea, recall it from a prompt, then apply it to a question about a painting.

Choose a map or flashcard deck, then try a quiz when you are ready.