The Color Wheel

An Introduction to the Color Wheel and Color

Theory

Weblinks

Resource List

By Pam & Tim OLoughlin

Art Specialists
Oshkosh Area School
District

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The Color
Wheel

The color wheel

shows relationships
between the colors.
Artists often use the
color wheel to help
understand how
colors relate to one
another.

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The Color
Wheel

Lets learn about

Color!
Primary, Secondary, &
Tertiary Colors
Warm Colors
Cool Colors
Neutrals
Color Schemes
Monochromatic,
Complementary, &
Analogous

Mixing Colors
Color Meaning
Advanced Color Theory
Click on the Red Boxes to the Right to
Proceed

Hue, Intensity, & Value

Color Wheel Web Links

COLOR MIXING
It's easy to mix paints to make new colors. You can
use the primary colors (red, blue, and yellow) plus
black and white to get all of the colors of the
rainbow!

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COLOR MIXING
Primary + Secondary
When you mix the Primary Colors
together, you get the Secondary
Colors.
What colors
do+these
make?
Orange
Red
Yellow
=

Red + BluePurple
=
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Blue + YellowGreen
=

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Click the Mouse Anywhere to Reveal the Answers

COLOR MIXING
Tints and Shades

Making
Tints and
Shades

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A shade of color
is made by
mixing that color
with black.
A tint of color is
made by mixing

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COLOR MIXING
Tints and Shades

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Fields in a Rising
Storm
By Vincent Van Gogh

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.
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Go to Value

COLOR MIXING
Value, Tints, & Shades

The lightness or darkness of

a color is called its value.

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Tints are light values that are made by

mixing a color with white. For example, pink
is a tint of red (red+white), and gray is a tint
of black (black+white).
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.

Color Schemes

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Monochromatic Color Scheme

Analogous Color Scheme
Complementary Color Scheme
Split-Complementary Color
Scheme
Double Split-Complement Color
Scheme
Color Scheme
Triadic
Game Color Scheme
Click on the Red Boxes Above to Proceed

The Color
Wheel

Primary Colors
Secondary
Colors
Tertiary Colors

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Click on the Red Boxes to the Right to

Secondary Colors

Tertiary Colors

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Primary Colors

The primary colors

are red, blue, and
yellow.
Primary colors
cannot be made
from other colors.
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Secondary Colors

Tertiary Colors

Primary Colors
Can you see
the primary
colors in this
painting by Piet
Mondrian?
What shapes
did Mondrian
use in this
painting?

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Boogie Woogie By Piet

Mondrian

Primary Colors

Tertiary Colors

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Secondary Colors

The secondary
colors are orange,
green, and purple.
Secondary colors
are made from
mixing the
primary colors.

Primary Colors

Secondary Colors

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Tertiary Colors
Mixing primary and secondary
colors creates tertiary colors.
Tertiary colors include:
1) Red-Violet
2) Blue-Violet
3) Blue-Green
4) Yellow Green
5) Red-Orange
6) Yellow-Orange
On the color wheel, the
tertiary colors are located
between the primary and
secondary colors they are
made from.

Cool Colors

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Warm Colors
The warm colors are
red, orange, yellow,
and anything in
between.
They are called warm
because they remind
you of the sun or fire.
Warm colors seem to
come out at you in
space.

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Cool Colors

Warm Colors

The Fighting Temeraire by William Turner

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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!

Warm Colors

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Cool Colors
The Cool colors are
blue, green, purple
and anything in
between.
They are called cool
because they remind
you of the earth or a
cool creek.
Cool colors seem to
recede from you in
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space.

Warm Colors

Cool Colors

The Walk, Lady with a

Parasol by Claude Monet

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In this painting by Claude Monet, The Walk, Lady with

a Parasol , the cool colors of the ground and sky
contributes to the peaceful feeling of the painting.
Imagine how different the painting would look with a
bright red skyit might seem more exciting or
energetic than restful.

Neutrals

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Neutrals don't usually show

up on the color wheel.
Neutrals include black, white,
gray, and sometimes brown
and beige. They are
sometimes called earth
tones.
There are a few different
ways to make neutrals. You
can blend black and white to
make gray. You can create
brown in two waysby
blending two complementary
colors together or by blending
all three primary colors
together.

Snow in New York

by Robert Henri
In Snow in New York, Robert Henri uses
many different neutrals. You can see a
few glimpses of red paint, but the
overall effect is of natural browns,
whites and grays--like those you might
see in rocks, sand, dirt, or clay.

Color Schemes

Monochromatic
Colors
A monochromatic scheme consists of different
values (tints and shades) of a single color. An
example of a monochrome color scheme
could include any color mixed with white or
black. The example above is a green
monochromatic color scheme.
A shade of green is made by mixing green and black.
A tint of green is made by mixing green and white.

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Color Schemes

Analogous Colors
These colors are
located next to each
other on the wheel,
such as:
Blue, Blue-green,
Green
Red, Red-Orange, and
Orange

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Analogous colors are

sometimes called
harmonious colors.

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Color Schemes

Analogous Colors

Sunflowers
By Vincent Van
Gogh

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Orange, yellow-orange, and yellow are also

examples 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 coloreach of them
contains some yellow.

Color Schemes

Complementary Colors
Complementary
colors are the
colors that are
directly across from
each other on the
color wheel
Blue & Orange
Red & Green
Purple & Yellow
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Color Schemes

Complementary Colors

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Carnation, Lily, Lily,

Rose by John Singer
Red and green are an Sargent
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).

Color Schemes

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Split-Complement Color
Scheme
A split-compliment
color scheme
includes a main color
and the two colors on
each side of its
complementary
(opposite) color on
the color wheel.
An example of a splitcompliment color
scheme could be
green, violet-red, and
red-orange.

Color Schemes

Double Split-Complement
Color Scheme

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A double splitcomplement (also

called tetradic) uses
two pairs of
complements, one
space apart on the
color wheel.
An example is red,
green, orange, and
blue.

Color Schemes

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Triadic Color
Scheme

A triadic color scheme

uses colors at the
points of an equilateral
triangle (three colors
spaced equally on the
color wheel).
These are sometimes
called balanced colors.
An example of a triadic
color scheme could be
red, blue, and yellow;
green, orange, and
purple, etc.

The Meaning of
Color

Black

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Click on a color to learn about its

meaning.

White

The Meaning of Color-Red

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Meaning of Color
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Red is the color of fire. It is associated with energy,

war, danger, strength, power, determination and
love.
Red is a very emotionally intense color. It enhances
human metabolism, increases respiration rate, and
raises blood pressure. It has very high visibility,
which is why stop signs, stoplights, and fire
equipment are usually painted red. It is a color
found in many national flags.
Red brings text and images to the foreground. Use it
as an accent color to stimulate people to make
quick decisions; it is a perfect color for 'Buy Now' or
'Click Here' buttons on Internet banners and
websites. Red is widely used to indicate danger
(high voltage signs, traffic lights).

The Meaning of ColorOrange

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Orange combines the energy of red and the

happiness of yellow. It is associated with joy,
sunshine, and the tropics. Orange represents
enthusiasm,
fascination,
happiness,
creativity,
determination,
attraction,
success,
and
encouragement.
To the human eye, orange is a very hot color, so it
gives the sensation of heat. Nevertheless, orange is
not as aggressive as red. Orange increases oxygen
supply to the brain, produces an invigorating effect,
and stimulates mental activity. As a citrus color,
orange is associated with healthy food and stimulates
appetite. Orange is the color of fall and harvest.
Orange has very high visibility, so you can use it to
catch attention and highlight the most important
elements of your design.

The Meaning of Color-Yellow

Yellow is the color of sunshine. It's associated with joy,
happiness, intellect, and energy.
Yellow produces a warming effect, arouses cheerfulness,
stimulates mental activity, and generates muscle energy.
Yellow is often associated with food. Bright, pure yellow is
an attention getter, which is the reason taxicabs are
painted this color. When overused, yellow may have a
disturbing effect; it is known that babies cry more in
yellow rooms. Yellow is seen before other colors when
placed against black; this combination is often used to
issue a warning.
Use yellow to evoke pleasant, cheerful feelings. Yellow is
very effective for attracting attention, so use it to highlight
the most important elements of your design. Shades of
yellow are visually unappealing because they loose
cheerfulness and become dingy.
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The Meaning of Color-Green

Green is the color of nature. It symbolizes growth,
harmony, and freshness. Green has strong emotional
correspondence with safety. Dark green is also commonly
associated with money.
Green has great healing power. It is the most restful color
for the human eye; it can improve vision. Green suggests
stability and endurance. Sometimes green denotes lack of
experience; for example, a 'greenhorn' is a novice. Green,
as opposed to red, means safety; it is the color of free
passage in road traffic.
Green is directly related to nature, so you can use it to
promote 'green' products. Dull, darker green is commonly
associated with money, the financial world, banking, and
Wall Street.
Dark green is associated with ambition, greed, and
jealousy. Olive green is the traditional color of peace.
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The Meaning of Color-Blue

Blue is the color of the sky and sea. It symbolizes trust,
loyalty, wisdom, confidence, intelligence, and truth.
Blue is considered beneficial to the mind and body. It
slows human metabolism and produces a calming effect.
Blue is strongly associated with tranquility and
calmness.
Blue is used to promote products and services related to
cleanliness (water purification filters, cleaning liquids),
air and sky (airlines, airports, air conditioners), water
and sea (sea voyages, mineral water).
When used together with warm colors like yellow or red,
blue can create high-impact, vibrant designs; for
example, blue-yellow-red is a perfect color scheme for a
superhero.
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The Meaning of Color-Purple

Purple combines the stability of blue and the energy
of red. Purple is associated with royalty. It
symbolizes power, nobility, luxury, and ambition. It
conveys wealth and extravagance. Purple is
associated with wisdom, dignity, independence,
creativity, mystery, and magic.
According to surveys, almost 75 percent of preadolescent children prefer purple to all other colors.
Purple is a very rare color in nature; some people
consider it to be artificial.

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The Meaning of Color-White

White is associated with light, goodness, and
innocence. It is considered to be the color of
perfection.
White means safety, purity, and cleanliness. As
opposed to black, white usually has a positive
connotation. White can represent a successful
beginning.
White is associated with hospitals, doctors, and
sterility. White is also often associated with low
weight, low-fat food, and dairy products.

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The Meaning of Color-Black

Black is associated with power, elegance, death,
evil, and mystery.
Black is a mysterious color associated with fear and
the unknown (black holes). Black denotes strength
and authority; it is considered to be a very formal,
elegant, and prestigious color (black tie event).
Black gives the feeling of perspective and depth.
When designing for a gallery of art or photography,
you can use a black or gray background to make
the other colors stand out. Black contrasts well with
bright colors. Combined with red or orange other
very powerful colors black gives a very aggressive
color scheme.
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Advanced Color Theory

Color
An element of art which has three
properties.

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1) Hue, which is the name of a color. For

example,red, yellow, blue are hues.
2) Intensity, which refers to the brightness and
purity of a color. For example, bright red or dull
red.
3) Value, which refers to the lightness or darkness
of a color.
Click on the Links Above to Proceed

Return to
Advanced Color
Theory

Hue
Hue refers to the
name of a color.
For example red,
blue, and purple
are hues.

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Return to
Advanced Color
Theory

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Intensity
Intensity refers to
the brightness or
dullness of a color.
An example is bright
red (or dull red).
When a hue is strong
and bright, it is said
to be high in
intensity. When a
color is faint, dull
and gray, it is said to
be low in intensity.
Intensities of Green

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Advanced Color
Theory

Value
Here is an example of a value scale that has values ranging from the
darkest dark, to the whitest white.

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Value is the lightness or darkness

of a color.
You can obtain different values by
adding black or white to a color.
A light color is called a tint of
the original hue. For example,
pink is a tint of red.
To make a color darker in
value, black is added. A dark
color is called a shade of the
original hue. Maroon is a
shade of red.

Can you identify the color scheme in the image

below?
Primary
Is itColors
a.

Red, yellow and blue - may not be created by mixing

other colors.

Secondary
They result from the mixing of two of the primary
Colors
colors. Orange, green, and purple.

Cool Colors

Colors ranging between blue-violet and yellow-green

on the color wheel.

Warm Colors

Colors ranging between yellow to red-violet on the

color wheel.

Monochromatic
Tints (color + white) and shades (color +black) of a
Colors
single color.

Complementary Colors
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Colors that are opposite of each other on the color

wheel.

Analogous
Colors
Analogous colors are three colors that are right next
to each other on the color wheel.

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Can you identify the color scheme in the image

below?
Primary
Is itColors
a.

Red, yellow and blue - may not be created by mixing

other colors.

Secondary
They result from the mixing of two of the primary
Colors
colors. Orange, green, and purple.

Cool Colors

Colors ranging between blue-violet and yellow-green

on the color wheel.

Warm Colors

Colors ranging between yellow to red-violet on the

color wheel.

Monochromatic
Tints (color + white) and shades (color +black) of a
Colors
single color.

Complementary Colors
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Page

Colors that are opposite of each other on the color

wheel.

Analogous
Colors
Analogous colors are three colors that are right next
to each other on the color wheel.

NEXT

Click the Mouse Anywhere to Reveal the

Can you identify the color scheme in the image

below?
Primary
Is itColors
a.

Red, yellow and blue - may not be created by mixing

other colors.

Secondary
They result from the mixing of two of the primary
Colors
colors. Orange, green, and purple.

Cool Colors

Colors ranging between blue-violet and yellow-green

on the color wheel.

Warm Colors

Colors ranging between yellow to red-violet on the

color wheel.

Monochromatic
Tints (color + white) and shades (color +black) of a
Colors
single color.

Complementary Colors
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Page

Colors that are opposite of each other on the color

wheel.

Analogous
Colors
Analogous colors are three colors that are right next
to each other on the color wheel.

NEXT

Click the Mouse Anywhere to Reveal the

Can you identify the color scheme in the image

below?
Primary
Is itColors
a.

Red, yellow and blue - may not be created by mixing

other colors.

Secondary
They result from the mixing of two of the primary
Colors
colors. Orange, green, and purple.

Cool Colors

Colors ranging between blue-violet and yellow-green

on the color wheel.

Warm Colors

Colors ranging between yellow to red-violet on the

color wheel.

Monochromatic
Tints (color + white) and shades (color +black) of a
Colors
single color.

Complementary Colors
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Page

Colors that are opposite of each other on the color

wheel.

Analogous
Colors
Analogous colors are three colors that are right next
to each other on the color wheel.

NEXT

Click the Mouse Anywhere to Reveal the

Can you identify the color scheme in the image

below?
Primary
Is itColors
a.

Red, yellow and blue - may not be created by mixing

other colors.

Secondary
They result from the mixing of two of the primary
Colors
colors. Orange, green, and purple.

Cool Colors

Colors ranging between blue-violet and yellow-green

on the color wheel.

Warm Colors

Colors ranging between yellow to red-violet on the

color wheel.

Monochromatic
Tints (color + white) and shades (color +black) of a
Colors
single color.

Complementary Colors
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Page

Colors that are opposite of each other on the color

wheel.

Analogous
Colors
Analogous colors are three colors that are right next
to each other on the color wheel.

NEXT

Click the Mouse Anywhere to Reveal the

Can you identify the color scheme in the image

below?
Primary
Is itColors
a.

Red, yellow and blue - may not be created by mixing

other colors.

Secondary
They result from the mixing of two of the primary
Colors
colors. Orange, green, and purple.

Cool Colors

Colors ranging between blue-violet and yellow-green

on the color wheel.

Warm Colors

Colors ranging between yellow to red-violet on the

color wheel.

Monochromatic
Tints (color + white) and shades (color +black) of a
Colors
single color.

Complementary Colors
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Page

Colors that are opposite of each other on the color

wheel.

Analogous
Colors
Analogous colors are three colors that are right next
to each other on the color wheel.

NEXT

Click the Mouse Anywhere to Reveal the

Can you identify the color scheme in the image

below?
Primary
Is itColors
a.

Red, yellow and blue - may not be created by mixing

other colors.

Secondary
They result from the mixing of two of the primary
Colors
colors. Orange, green, and purple.

Cool Colors

Colors ranging between blue-violet and yellow-green

on the color wheel.

Warm Colors

Colors ranging between yellow to red-violet on the

color wheel.

Monochromatic
Tints (color + white) and shades (color +black) of a
Colors
single color.

Complementary Colors
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Page

Colors that are opposite of each other on the color

wheel.

Analogous
Colors
Analogous colors are three colors that are right next
to each other on the color wheel.

The
Click the Mouse Anywhere to Reveal End
the

Resources

Images have been borrowed from the following websites

Fields in a Rising Storm by Vincent Van Gogh
www.factmonster.com

The Fighting Temeraire by William Turner

www.all-art.org

Sunflowers by Vincent Van Gogh

www.allartclassic.com

The Walk, Lady with a Parasol by Claude Monet

www.latifm.com

Snow in New York by Robert Henri

www.usc.edu

Carnation, Lily, Lily, Rose by John Singer Sargent

Weblinks

www.artcyclopedia.com

Boogie Woogie by Piet Mondrian

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Page

www.paintings.name/piet-mondrianbiography.php

Web Links

Resource List

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Page

Clickable Color Wheel

Basic Color Schemes Color Wheel
Carmines Introduction to Color
This site uses fun rhymes to explain what primary, secondary, and intermediate colors
are. Mix colors before moving to another page and complete a quiz on color wheels.
Sanford's ArtEdventures with Carmine Chameleon
During this online adventure kids can learn about the color wheel, primary, secondary,
and intermediate colors. Students also can find out what colors create these secondary
and tertiary colors. Includes interactive game for mixing colors online.
Color Factory
Visit the online color factory for fun activities. Select the "Sorting Sector" and practice
your knowledge of the color wheel by selecting and placing right colors into the circle. Go
to the "Mixing Room" and create secondary and intermediate colors using online mixing
machine then go to the "Messy Area" to paint pictures.
Make a Splash with Color
Learn about color. Find out why and how we see colors. Discover how hue, saturation, and
brightness effect an image. Click on the "Combining All Three" link to go to the part of the
site with interactive color wheel for practicing use of hue and saturation.
The Science of Light: Made from Dots
Read how cyan, magenta, and yellow colored dots are mixed together to produce images
on paper. Click on the "Go" link and use three swatches to mix and match colors.
The World of Color
Here are interactive applets that demonstrate how colors interact, mix with each other,
and affect images.
Additive Color
Learn what color addition is and how it works. Use spotlights to practice mixing colors.
Subtractive Color
Find out how color subtraction works and mix some colors.