QUALITIES OF A COLOR

occurs at a wavelength of approximately 555 nanometers and that less response is

indicated on either side of that point. From this information, it can be seen that
the average person's eye is most sensitive to yellow-green light.

2. Qualities of color. There are three qualities which are used to describe any
one color. These are hue, saturation, and brightness.

a. Hue is a quality which is used to identify any color under consideration,

such as red, blue, or yellow.
Hue, which defines the wavelength of the color,
would be synonymous with frequency, which defines the wavelength of the radio wave.

b. Saturation is a measure of the absence of dilution by white light and can be

expressed with terms such as rich, vivid, or pure. Saturation defines the purity
of the color, and is synonymous with signal to noise ratio, which defines the
purity of the radio wave. A 100-percent saturated color contains no white light.

c. Brightness defines the amount of light energy which is contained within a

given color. It is synonymous with amplitude, which defines the amount of energy
in the radio wave. Brightness is a characteristic of both white light and color.
Hue and saturation are characteristics of color only.
The brightness level of a
color can be changed without changing the saturation. The converse is also true.

3. Any given color, within limitations, can be reproduced or matched by mixing

three primary colors. This applies to large areas of color only. Color vision for
small objects or small areas is much simpler because only two primary colors are
needed to produce any hue. This is because, as the color area is reduced in size,
it become more difficult to differentiate between hues. For small areas every hue
appears as gray. At this point a change in hue is not apparent; only a change in
brightness level can be seen.

For example, a large area of blue can be easily

distinguished from a large area of blue-green.
However, when these areas are
reduced in size, it becomes more difficult to distinguish between the colors.

4. Color mixing.
In color television, the additive process of color mixing is
used.
It uses colored lights for the production of colors.
The colors in the
additive process do not depend upon an incident light source; self-luminous
properties are characteristics of additive colors. Cathode ray tubes contain self-
luminance properties, so it is logical that the additive process would be employed
in color television.
a. The three primaries for the additive process of color mixing are red, blue,
and green.
Two requirements for the primary colors are that each primary be
different and that the combination of any two primaries do not produce the third.
Red, green, and blue were chosen for the additive primaries because

DIFFERENT GROUPS OF COLOR

Cool Colors
Red, yellow and blue are the primary colors. Primary colors are the most basic colors. You can't
make them by mixing any other colors. Orange, green and purple are the secondary colors. A
secondary color is made by mixing two primary colors. For instance, if you mix red and yellow,
you get orange.
The Color Wheel

A color wheel shows how colors are related. On a color wheel, each secondary color is between
the primary colors that are used to make it. Orange is between red and yellow because orange is
made by mixing red with yellow. What goes between secondary colors and primary colors?
Intermediate, or tertiary, colors are made by mixing a primary color with a secondary color that
is next to it. Red-orange, yellow-orange and yellow-green are some intermediate colors.
TRY IT! Making a color wheel is a good way to understand how colors work. Start with red,
yellow, and blue paint—the primary colors. Use these to make secondary colors. Then make
tertiary colors by mixing primary colors with the nearest secondary colors. (For example, you
might mix yellow with green to make yellow-green, or yellow with orange to make yellow-
orange.)

Value: Tints and Shades

The lightness or darkness of a color is called its value.
You can find the values of a color by making its tints and shades.
Tints are light values that are made by mixing a color with white. For example, pink is a tint of
red, and light blue is a tint of blue.
Shades are dark values that are made by mixing a color with black. Maroon is a shade of red,
and navy is a shade of blue.
This painting by Vincent Van Gogh, Fields in a Rising Storm, has tints and shades of blue in the
sky, and tints and shades of green in the fields.
TRY IT! Start with some paint in your favorite color. Mix it with different amounts of white to
make tints, and different amounts of black to make shades. Then try creating a picture or a
design that uses all these tints and shades.
Complementary Colors
Complementary (com-pluh-MEN-tuh-ree) colors sit opposite each other on the color wheel.
Because they are opposites, they tend to look especially lively when used together. When you
put complementary colors together, each color looks more noticeable.
Red and green are an example of complementary colors. Look at the painting Carnation, Lily,
Lily, Rose by John Singer Sargent. The reddish-pink color of the flowers really stands out against
the green background. Imagine if Sargent had painted all yellow or blue flowers instead. They
would just blend in with the green (ho-hum).
TRY IT! Choose colors that are opposite each other on the color wheel. For example, you might
choose blue and orange. Make a picture that uses both colors. Don't they make an interesting
contrast? That's because the colors are opposites.

Analogous Colors
Analogous (uh-NAL-uh-gus) colors sit next to each other on the color wheel. They tend to look
pleasant together because they are closely related.
Orange, yellow-orange, and yellow are an example of analogous colors. They are blended nicely
in Sunflowers, a painting by Vincent Van Gogh. How do you know that these colors are closely
related? They share a color—each of them contains some yellow.
TRY IT! Choose a primary color and a secondary color. For example, you might choose blue and
green. Don't they look nice together? That's because they are analogous. With just these two
colors, you can create even more analogous colors—blue-green, green-blue, and others in-
between. All of these will have a color in common: blue.

Neutral Colors
Neutral (NOO-trul) colors don't usually show up on the color wheel. Neutral colors include
black, white, gray, and sometimes brown and beige. They are sometimes called “earth tones.”
In Circus, Georges Seurat uses many different neutral colors. You can see a few glimpses of red,
blue, and yellow in this painting. But the overall effect is of natural brown and gray colors, like
those you might see in rocks or in sand, dirt, and clay.
TRY IT! There are a few different ways to make neutral colors. You can blend black and white
to make gray. You can create brown in two ways—by blending two complementary colors
together, or by blending all three primary colors together.

Warm Colors
Warm colors are made with red, orange, yellow, or some combination of these. Warm colors
tend to make you think of sunlight and warmth.
In The Fighting Temeraire by William Turner, the warm colors of the sunset give a feeling of
brightness and heat. Look at the red spreading from the setting sun and the deep golden glow on
the water. If you're feeling cold, looking at colors like these can actually make you feel warmer!

Cool Colors
Cool colors are made with blue, green, purple, or some combination of these. Cool colors might
make you think of cool and peaceful things, like winter skies and still ponds.
In this painting by Georgia O'Keeffe, White Barn, the cool blue of the background contributes to
the quiet feeling. The simple shapes and stillness of the barn give this painting a restful look, and
the blue makes it feel even more peaceful. Imagine how different the painting would look with a
bright red sky—it might seem more exciting than restful.

SYSTEM OF GROUPING COLORS