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Choose the right colors and color combinations for your projects
Color theory is the art and science of using color. Color Theory For Dummies explains, in simple terms, how colors relate to one another and how they can be combined to work together in an aesthetically pleasing way. An understanding of color theory can help you create art, decorate your home, design a beautiful wedding, and impress your friends at parties. With this book, you’ll learn how humans perceive color, how colors harmonize or clash with each other, and how you can apply these principles in your life and work to add a little, well, color to things.
Color Theory For Dummies simplifies and illuminates the world of color theory, outlining and defining color in a digestible and applicable way.
Eric Hibit, MFA, is a visual artist who has taught studio art at The Cooper Union, Drexel University, Tyler School of Art, and Hunter College. He attended Corcoran College of Art + Design and Yale University School of Art. He has exhibited at numerous New York galleries, as well as nationally and internationally. Hibit is co-director of Ortega y Gasset Projects, a non-profit art gallery in Brooklyn, NY.
Introduction 1
About This Book 1
Why Dummies? 2
Knowing the four c’s of color 2
Foolish Assumptions 3
Icons Used in This Book 3
Beyond the Book 4
Where to Go from Here 4
Part 1: Opening Your Eyes to Color 5
Chapter 1: Your Color Journey 7
Color and the Power of Limits 8
Slowing Down to See Color 8
Where Color Begins 8
Appreciating the history of color 8
Talking about color 9
Why Is Color So Slippery? 9
Seeing color in context 10
Getting to know color contrasts 10
Dealing with dynamic color 10
A Colorist’s World 11
A limited palette is a powerful palette 11
Meaningful color 11
Ways of Working with Color 12
Getting systematic with color 12
Colorful mediums 12
My Colorful Part of Tens 13
Saying hello to a colorful crew 13
Getting your hands dirty with color 13
Chapter 2: History of Color 15
Early Humans and Color 15
Ancient Pigments and Dyes 16
Color in Sacred Art 19
Colorlessness in the Protestant World 23
Modern Color 23
Contemporary Color 25
Chapter 3: The Science of Color 29
Color in the Physical World 29
Defining light and color 30
Understanding why things are colorful 31
Subtractive and additive color models 33
Biological Aspects of Color Perception 34
The human eye 35
Photoreceptor cells 36
Color in the brain 37
The Subjectivity of Color Perception 38
Addressing “the dress” 38
Color vision deficiencies 40
Synesthesia 42
Other factors that affect color perception 43
Chapter 4: The Language of Color 45
Talking about Color with the Right Words 45
Value: Gray is not a color! 46
Hues: Colors from the wheel 48
Tints: Not just pastels 52
Tones: Dull is not boring 53
Shades: Black is beautiful! 54
The dimension of color: puce 56
Using Colorful Language 57
Getting creative with fancy color words 57
Describing color with adjectives 58
Developing your color vocabulary 58
Outliers and Oddballs 59
Fluorescent colors: Ack! My eyes! 59
Metallics: Color with shine 60
Part 2: Examining Color Relationships 61
Chapter 5: The Relativity of Color 63
Seeing How Value Changes with Context 64
Exercise #1: working with a dark gray 64
Exercise #2: working with a light gray 65
Seeing How Color Changes with Context 67
Exercise #3: the flushing effect 67
Exercise #4: simultaneous contrast 68
Exercise #5: light intensity 70
Exercise #6: flickering boundaries 72
Exercise #7: optical color mixing (Bezold effect) 75
Exercise #8: after image 78
Worksheet for exercise #1 83
Worksheet for exercise #2 85
Worksheet for exercise #3 87
First worksheet for exercise #4 89
Second worksheet for exercise #4 91
Third worksheet for exercise #4 93
First worksheet for exercise #5 95
Second worksheet for exercise #5 97
Chapter 6: Contrasts of Color 99
Distinguishing Opposites with Color 99
Contrast of Light and Dark 101
Contrast of Cool and Warm 104
Contrast of Complements 108
Contrast of Extension 112
Contrast of Saturation 114
Contrast of Hue 117
Chapter 7: Color Dynamics 119
Feeling a Color’s Weight 119
Watching Color Advance or Recede 123
Seeing Red and Blue: Chromostereopsis 125
Experiencing the Fluting Effect 128
Sensing Color’s Wetness or Dryness 129
Opacity: Hitting the Color Wall 131
Transparency: Seeing Through Color 132
Translucency: Obscuring with Color 136
Part 3: Coloring Your World 137
Chapter 8: Color Palettes 139
Building a Palette 139
Monochrome: seeing the power of one 140
Analogous colors: harnessing the power of three 143
Primaries and secondaries: palettes from the wheel 145
Complementary color: splitting the difference 147
Neutrals: using browns and grays 148
Working with Nature’s Colors 150
Gradation palettes 150
Flower-and-leaf color combinations 151
Autumnal color: blazing glory! 153
Forgetting Everything You Just Learned: the Intuitive Approach 155
Researching color 155
The power of your color limitations 156
Chapter 9: Using Color to Convey Meaning 157
Color and Consumer Culture 158
Color and company logos 158
Color and brand identity 160
Influencing Your Taste Buds with Color 161
Color and flavor associations 161
Color and taste preferences 164
Affecting Emotions and Mood with Color 165
Color and emotion 166
Color and mood 169
Getting Personal with Color 171
Color personality types 172
Color and group identity 173
Subjective color 173
Part 4: Color at Work 175
Chapter 10: Systems of Color 177
Understanding the Types of Color Systems 177
Standardization Color Systems 178
Werner’s color nomenclature 178
Munsell color system 179
Color-aid color system 182
Pantone color systems 184
Application Color Systems 185
Mary Gartside’s color blots 185
Sanzo Wada’s dictionary of color 187
Kandinsky’s color 187
Checking Out Digital Color Systems 189
RGB color system 189
CMYK color system 190
Chapter 11: Creating with Color 195
Painting with Professional Artist’s Paints 195
Oil paint 197
Oil mediums 197
Acrylic paint 198
Acrylic mediums 198
Watercolor 200
Differences in paint quality and cost 200
Paint compatibility 201
Color mixing 201
Painting with Other Kinds of Paints 203
Enamel 203
Spray paint 203
Interior Painting 205
Choosing interior colors 205
Painting a test square 206
Time to paint! 207
Drawing with Color 207
Color pencils 207
Acrylic markers 209
Pastels 209
Dyeing 211
Working with natural dyes 212
Working with synthetic dyes 212
Collaging with Color 213
Collaging with found images 213
Organizing by color 214
Painting paper à la Matisse 214
Cutting, tearing, gluing 216
Working with Color Digitally 217
Color work with digital photos 217
Altering color in Photoshop 219
Digital painting 221
Part 5: The Part of Tens 225
Chapter 12: Ten Colorful Careers 227
Marcie Bronkar, Textile Designer 228
Paul Bronkar, Film Colorist 230
Richard A Chance, Illustrator 232
Jamie Drake, Interior Designer 234
Leatrice Eiseman, Color Specialist 236
Aura Friedman, Hair Colorist 239
Jay Jones, Garden Designer 241
Keisha Prioleau-Martin, Painter 243
Fanny Singer, Food Aficionado 245
Gabriele Wilson, Graphic Designer 247
Chapter 13: Tens Ways to Kickstart Your Color Creativity 251
Exercise #1: Building Your Color Vocabulary 252
Exercise #2: Mixing Cellophane 252
Exercise #3: Exploring Nature’s Colors 252
Exercise #4: Planting a Colorful Garden 253
Exercise #5: Expanding Monochromes 253
Exercise #6: Concocting a Food Palette 253
Exercise #7: Crafting a Color Blot 254
Exercise# 8: Creating a Personal Palette 254
Exercise #9: Adding Color to Your Home 255
Exercise #10: Making a Mood Board 255
Index 257
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