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    Harmonious Color Schemes; no-nonsense approach using the Color Wheel
    Harmonious Color Schemes; no-nonsense approach using the Color Wheel
    Harmonious Color Schemes; no-nonsense approach using the Color Wheel
    Ebook178 pages1 hour

    Harmonious Color Schemes; no-nonsense approach using the Color Wheel

    By Elaine Farmer

    4.5/5

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    About this ebook

    This book offers instruction on the use of the Color Wheel that has been in use for many years, developed by The Color Wheel Company. The Color Wheel represents twelve colors, three primary, three secondary and six tertiary colors.
    As you learn to use The Color Wheel you will see how it serves to simplify color mixing for the artist by using a controlled group of colors and creating harmony in artwork.
    The front side of the Color Wheel illustrates the color mixes that result when using the primary colors. Black shades and white tints are also illustrated.
    The back side of the Color Wheel illustrates a group of stacked geometric shapes representing spatial degrees of separation which, when used, will prove to create harmonious color schemes. This might include one color for a monochromatic color scheme to six colors using an expanded complementary color scheme. White is always a given paint tube to be added to your palette, but black is not necessary when you learn how to make a dark using complementary colors.
    So then why are there so many paint colors out there to choose from when all you need is a few? The answer is that the manufacturers are making money from it. The more colors they make, the more colors you think you need, so the more you will buy. Manufacturers feed on this notion and in essence, it disables us from actually learning and understanding how to mix color. Knowing “What’s in your Tube” is the second half of the equation. Using pure color is about knowing what is actually in your tube of paint.
    There are no magic potions for mixing color. The good news, though, is that through practice you will gain knowledge and confidence in your color mixing. The practical knowledge is the easy part; the work comes when you practice it. I frequently remind my students that there is a reason why art is often referred to as artwork....it is work!
    This method is suitable for the beginner student as well as the professional artist. It can be applied to any subject or style of art including abstract, expressionism or impressionism and can be applied to all painting mediums including beyond paint such as fiber art and interior decorating. Color harmony is essential to all good art no matter the medium, subject or style.
    Whether you are just beginning your art journey or have been struggling to mix color, this systematic approach will help you get on the right track. No more failed piles of color. No more random color selections. The hit or miss mixing process will become a thing of the past.
    I have found that most students and artists don’t take the time to paint color charts or do the color studies before a painting. For that reason, I offer workshops on this subject. This book will serves as a reference guidebook, and teaching tool for years to come.
    Color mixing can take a lifetime of exploration because of the endless combinations possible. For that I am grateful. "Happy are the painters for they shall not be bored” -Winston Churchill. I have been painting for over forty years and still, it is fun and fresh every time I return to my easel.
    If you don’t already own a Color Wheel, you may want to have one to follow along. If you do, dust it off and let’s get going!

    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherElaine Farmer
    Release dateSep 11, 2013
    ISBN9780989954907
    Harmonious Color Schemes; no-nonsense approach using the Color Wheel
    Author

    Elaine Farmer

    Born into a family of musicians, Elaine began her own artistic journey at an early age. She studied art worldwide through classes and workshops with renowned artists. Landscapes have always been her love, where shapes, textures and lighting always offer an endless source of subjects and challenges.She has a deep connection to the natural world around her and enjoys taking part in translating natures’ inspirations to canvas. Her current body of work focuses on the New England landscape with emphasis on historical settings throughout the New England area. She holds the Hudson River Valley Artists in high regard for their valuable studies en plein air along with their classical academic approach to painting. She strives to remain faithful to this process when creating her own art by experiencing the mood of the landscape en plein air, and walking off the beaten path to render small drawing or painting studies, usually for use on larger studio pieces.Elaine has been a professional artist since 1985, began teaching in 1991 and continues to offers fine art classes and workshops. Through her teaching experiences her students have led her to focus on developing an easy to understand color mixing method for use by working artists, teachers and the novice painter.A national award winning artist, Elaine is an active art exhibit participant in juried shows as well as having gallery representation.She has served as a juror in a number of area art exhibits, serves on the Londonderry Arts Council, and is an active advocate of the fine arts in her community.

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    Reviews for Harmonious Color Schemes; no-nonsense approach using the Color Wheel

    4.5/5

    25 ratings3 reviews

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    • 5/5
      Read all you can on color theory, only tons of visual information will make you GRASP the idea in a MENTAL image!
    • 5/5
      This is a really great, thorough and practical overview of color theory. Highly recommend!
    • 5/5
      One of the great modern books on color theory. A difficult subject.

      2 people found this helpful

    Book preview

    Harmonious Color Schemes; no-nonsense approach using the Color Wheel - Elaine Farmer

    HARMONIOUS COLOR SCHEMES

    a no-nonsense approach using the color wheel

    Written and Illustrated by

    Elaine Barrette Farmer

    Smashwords Edition

    Published on Smashwords by:

    Elaine Barrette Farmer

    Harmonious Color Schemes: A No-Nonsense Approach Using the Color Wheel

    Text and Illustrations Copyright 2013 by Elaine Barrette Farmer

    ISBN: 978-0-9899549-0-7

    All rights reserved. All images in this e-book are copyrighted and may not be reproduced without written consent of the author. Without limiting the rights under copyright reserved above, no part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in or introduced into a retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form, or by any means (electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise) without the prior written permission of both the copyright owner and the above publisher of this book.

    Smashwords Edition License Notes

    This ebook is licensed for your personal use only. This ebook may not be re-sold or given away to other people. If you would like to share this book with another person, please purchase an additional copy for each person you share it with. If you are reading this book and did not purchase it, or it was not purchased for your use only, then you should return to Smashwords.com and purchase your own copy. Thank you for respecting the author’s work.

    TABLE OF CONTENTS

    INTRODUCTION

    Chapter 1 COLOR WHEEL INTRODUCTION

    History of the Color Wheel and its Theory Contributors

    What is Color Theory?

    The Front Side of the Twelve Step Color Wheel

    The Back Side of the Color Wheel

    Tinting with White

    Tone or Shade with Black

    Chapter 2 THE TWELVE BASIC COLOR GROUPS

    Color Bias

    PRIMARY COLORS

    Red

    Yellow

    Blue

    SECONDARY COLORS

    Orange

    Green

    Violet

    TERTIARY COLORS

    Red-Orange

    Yellow-Orange

    Yellow-Green

    Blue-Green

    Blue-Violet

    Red-Violet

    HIGH INTENSITY COLORS

    LOW INTENSITY COLORS

    Chapter 3: WHAT’S IN YOUR TUBE? THE TECHNICAL STUFF

    ASTM Labeling

    Alternative Names

    Binders

    Cadmium

    Color Code (Manufacturers Inventory Code)

    Color Index Name (C.I. Name)

    Color Index Number (C.I. No.)

    Chemical Description

    Granulating/Staining (ST) (Watercolor only)

    Health Labeling for the USA

    Lake Pigments

    Lightfastness or Permanence Rating

    Manufacturers Grade of Paints

    Opaque Color

    Organic vs Inorganic

    Semi-Transparent Color

    Series Number

    Tinting Strength

    Translucent Color

    Transparent Color

    Toxicity Labeling

    Identify your Colors

    Create an Inventory of your Colors

    Chapter 4: COLOR SCHEMES DEFINED AND ILLUSTRATED

    Identify the Dominant Color

    TRIAD Color Scheme

    TRIAD with a different dominant Blue

    TETRAD with the original BLUE

    COMPLEMENTARY Color Scheme

    Identify the Dominant Color of a Neutral

    Change the Composition to Create Dominance

    Record your Color Schemes

    Summary

    Chapter 5: TRIAD COLOR SCHEMES

    Primary colors in a TRIAD Color Scheme

    Secondary colors in a TRIAD Color Scheme

    Tertiary colors in a TRIAD Color Scheme I

    Tertiary colors in a TRIAD Color Scheme II

    High Intensity colors in a TRIAD

    Low Intensity colors in a TRIAD

    Chapter 6: TETRAD COLOR SCHEMES

    Square Tetrad

    Rectangle Tetrad

    Chapter 7: COMPLEMENTARY COLOR SCHEMES

    RED/GREEN Complementary

    ORANGE/BLUE Complementary

    YELLOW/VIOLET Complementary

    Chapter 8: SPLIT COMPLEMENTARY AND ANALOGOUS COMPLEMENTARY COLOR SCHEMES

    Split Complementary

    Analogous Complementary Color Schemes

    Chapter 9: ANALOGOUS AND MONOCHROMATIC COLOR SCHEMES

    Analogous Color Scheme

    Monochromatic Color Scheme

    GLOSSARY OF TERMS

    ABOUT THE AUTHOR

    CONNECT WITH ELAINE

    CONTRIBUTORS

    INTRODUCTION

    Overview

    This book offers instruction on the use of the Color Wheel that has been in use for many years, developed by The Color Wheel Company. The Color Wheel represents twelve colors, three primary, three secondary and six tertiary colors.

    As you learn to use The Color Wheel you will see how it serves to simplify color mixing for the artist by using a controlled group of colors and creating harmony in artwork.

    The front side of the Color Wheel illustrates the color mixes that result when using the primary colors. Black shades and white tints are also illustrated.

    The back side of the Color Wheel illustrates a group of stacked geometric shapes representing spatial degrees of separation which, when used, will prove to create harmonious color palettes.

    Most students and artists are not inclined to spend precious creative time studying color theory in depth although I do recommend it. I believe that using this tool is the easiest way to simplifying color mixing and achieve harmony in your paintings simply and accurately. The Color Wheel is readily available in local art supply stores and online; you may already own one.

    The Knowledge you will Gain

    You will learn about the twelve basic colors on The Color Wheel, the color bias for each, and their history as well as physical and emotional interpretations. You will also learn how to select color schemes based on the dominant color and choose a color scheme of limited colors. The essence of this approach is to Simplify, simplify, simplify! —Henry David Thoreau (Where I Lived and What I Lived For Walden).

    The Misnomer

    Students come to me frustrated by not being able to get the right pre-mixed colors. I began to understand that their frustration came from the lack of knowledge regarding what colors to choose before they start a painting. In addition, they were trying to color match all the colors they saw in their reference photos and felt they needed a tube color for each of those colors in the reference.

    Too Many Colors

    While living in England for three years, I stepped into a local art supply shop to purchase some supplies and I observed that the artist supplies available were fewer than that in our American counterparts. Then, on a painting trip near Siena, Italy, on visiting an art supply shop I again found that there were fewer artist supplies, similar to England. Like so many other products in our country today, we have so many choices, too many sometimes. So, I began wondering why we have so many different artists’ colors available on the market. That led to paying attention to the ingredients in tube colors which led me to the research for the section What’s in your Tube? An aspect to mixing accurate colors that is seldom addressed.

    No Perfect Color, No Magic Potions

    There are no perfect tube colors that match the blue of the sky. It doesn’t come from a pre-mixed tube called Perfect Blue Sky or some other made up name by the manufacturers. The question that begs asking then is "Why are there so many paint colors out there to choose from? The answer is simple. It all comes down to money making for manufacturers. The more colors they make, the more colors you think you need, so the more you will buy. Manufacturers feed on the idea that we need to have all those beautiful colors to create our works of art. In essence, it disables us from actually learning and understanding how to mix color. Color mixing is not difficult when you use a controlled palette with just a few pure colors. Knowing What’s in your Tube" is the second half of the equation. In addition to using pure colors, I will review the use of a wider range of colors that I call convenience colors. High key and neutral colors can also be added. My rule of thumb is to first understand color mixing using a controlled palette. Then you can add the convenience colors later if you like. The fact remains that with just 12 pure colors in your paint box, you have all the colors you need.

    I believe

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