The main primary colors include: Color theory, basic concepts and color wheel
Using a diverse range of shades, people do not think about such a category as color. It is formed by the refraction of rays of ordinary light, which are electromagnetic waves of various lengths. Once in another environment, they are refracted at different angles, decomposing into seven spectral colors.
What is color?
For the first time such an experiment was carried out by Newton. A rainbow after rain also represents the refraction of sunlight passing through drops of water. By passing the spectrum through you can see how these seven colors combine back into white.
Surprisingly, color does not exist in nature - it is a human visual sensation under the influence of electromagnetic waves striking the retina. Color appears when an object reflects a certain wavelength characteristic of the incident beam. And although this perception is quite subjective, it is the same for all people. A person sees a tree leaf as green because the surface of the leaf, absorbing rays of light of different lengths, reflects the waves of exactly that part of the spectrum that corresponds to the color green.
Meaning in human life
Nevertheless, color is an important characteristic of an object, one of its physical properties and plays a huge role in human life. object is decisive in many fields of activity: painting, trade, design, architecture. Its meaning was understood in ancient times. This is evidenced by the beautiful architectural monuments of France and Italy, which have preserved magnificent stained glass windows and wall paintings, which were distinguished by their brightness and durability. Already in the 12th century, Chinese ceramics were famous for their unusually beautiful shades of moonlight and sea waves. Canvases famous artists also amazes with its unusual color scheme. Each of them combined in his own way various colors, producing unique tones that are difficult to reproduce today.
A person obtains up to 80% of information about an object using color, which is also a factor of deep physical and psychological impact on the body. Some tones help increase blood pressure and heart rate, while others calm you down nervous system. In medicine, there is a section of color therapy, the essence of which is that colors affect the human body differently. According to the principles of Eastern medicine, a specific tone is used to treat each disease.
Color classification
Since ancient times, attempts have been made to classify colors. The procedure consisted of reducing the variety of existing shades into a specific system. For the first time such an attempt was made by Leonardo da Vinci, identifying four main color groups. Newton laid the scientific basis for the concept of color with his experiments on the refraction of light rays. great poet Goethe, working on the systematization of this concept, proposed a color wheel in which three tones (main) form an equilateral triangle - red, yellow and blue. If you mix them in equal proportions, you get a black tint. They were called primary colors.
The remaining three colors are formed from the three base colors. But the main ones cannot be obtained directly by mixing some other shades, which is why they are called pure. To understand which colors are secondary, you need to mix the base ones in pairs in equal proportions. This produces colors of the second order. They are located between the main ones. Orange, green and purple are secondary colors. In the same way, they form an equilateral triangle, only inverted in relation to the first.
Tertiary colors
There are third-order colors - they are formed by mixing three primary colors with secondary ones in equal proportions. The primary, secondary and tertiary colors together form a 12-color wheel. This figure is called the 12-frequency circle of J. Itten, the Swiss art critic who proposed this innovation. The rest of the many colors are obtained by mixing these twelve in the right proportions.
Colors can be divided into warm and cool. If you draw a straight line in the middle of the color wheel, then the half containing shades from yellow to green, including primary and secondary colors, will consist of warm tones, and the other half will consist of cool tones. This division is somewhat arbitrary, since in tertiary colors, where all tones are combined, the one with more yellow will appear warmer.
Coloristics
In painting, design, architecture, hairdressing, it is important to find something that evokes a more positive perception by a person. colors, the art of their combination is called coloristics. The ability to combine tones allows you to achieve At the same time, such a concept is individual for each person - it is a subjective concept. However, there are general rules a harmonious combination of various shades that must be mastered in certain professions. For example, when decorating a production facility, you should take into account what color schemes offer: primary and secondary colors in warm tones speed up metabolism and increase muscle activity. As for cold shades, they inhibit these processes. Some of them, when exposed to a person for a long time, tire him, and it does not matter which colors are secondary or primary. The most optimal in this regard are green tones with the addition of yellow.
A color scheme
Using the color wheel as a guide, you can choose the right combination of different tones. A combination consisting of shades of the same color will be harmoniously composed, since it has a beneficial effect on the nervous system. A contrasting composition is also possible. In this case, those tones that are located on opposite sides of the circle are combined (by the way, these can also be secondary colors). They are called complementary or complementary. Such a system will be filled with energy. Tones that are located at an angle of 90 degrees relative to each other are harmoniously combined in the color wheel.
Three colors will look great together if they are chosen correctly. A composition of three tones located at equal distances from each other will give a feeling of harmony and bright contrast. In such cases, secondary colors can be used. If you draw an isosceles or isosceles inside the color circle, then the tones located at the vertices of this figure are correctly combined. In coloristics, there are clear rules for combining colors. Guided by them, you can independently create various combinations that are distinguished by harmony and beauty.
Warm colors - These are the colors located on the chromatic circle, starting with yellow and ending with red-violet. However, given the phenomenon of one color influencing another, for example, red-violet may appear warmer if it is located next to a cool one green, and colder if a warm color, such as orange, is located next to it.
Cool colors - These colors range from blue-violet to yellow-green. However, yellow-green can appear cooler next to red and warmer next to blue.
Light or pale colors - These are colors containing varying amounts of white.
Dark colors - These are colors that contain black or complementary colors.
Bright or saturated colors - These are colors that, in principle, do not contain white, gray, black, or additional colors. But this concept is relative, since, for example, the bright colors of the blue range do not end with pure blue; saturated colors also include blues containing white or black. In contrast, orange containing black is considered a dull color because it turns brownish.
Dull colors - These are colors that contain some amount of gray or complementary colors.
Concepts of primary, secondary and tertiary colors
Primary colors(Figure 1) the primary natural colors of light and the primary colors of pigments (used in painting and printing) are separated. These are colors that are not created by mixing. If you mix the primary red, blue and green rays, you get white light. If you mix the primary colors of magenta, cyan and yellow - the colors of the pigments - you get black.
Figure 1 - Natural colors
(Figure 2) are obtained by mixing two primary colors. Secondary colors of light include: magenta, yellow and cyan (greenish blue). The secondary colors of the pigments are red, green and purple.
Figure 2 - Secondary colors
Tertiary colors: are formed by mixing primary and secondary colors. These include orange, crimson, light green, bright blue, emerald green, dark purple.
Additional colors (Figure 3): located on opposite sides of the chromatic circle. So, for example, for red, green is complementary (obtained by mixing two primary colors - yellow and cyan (greenish blue). And for blue, orange is complementary (obtained by mixing yellow and magenta).
Figure 3 - Munsell chromatic circle
The Munsell system describes color based on three indicators: hue, lightness and saturation (Figure 4).
Key - this is, for example, yellow or blue.
Lightness shows at what grayscale level (vertical axis) the color is located.
Saturation: shows at what distance from the vertical axis in the horizontal plane the tone is located.
Thus, in the Munsell system, colors are arranged in three dimensions and have the appearance of a tree. The barrel (vertical axis) represents a scale with gradations of gray (from black at the bottom to white at the top). The tones are located on a chromatic circle, which is, as it were, “implanted” on a vertical axis. The horizontal axes show the saturation of tones.
Figure 4 - Munsell system
Unlike most objects in the surrounding world, computer monitors do not absorb light, but emit it. To describe the processes of color formation on the screen, a model called additive color synthesis was required. In this model, color is obtained by adding several basic (primary) colors: red, blue and green.
Hue(hue)
Hue is a value that determines the position of a color in the spectrum. For example, green is located between yellow and blue. For the desktop, this attribute can be set in Control Panel.
Saturation(saturation)
Saturation is a color management parameter; purity of shade of color ranging from gray to pure color.
Brightness(brightness)
Color brightness on a scale from black to white on a user's monitor. Measured as a percentage: from 0 to 100%. Zero brightness is black.
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100% |
R- Red |
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100% |
B- Blue |
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100% |
G - Green |
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100% |
Y- Yellow |
C - Cyan (Cyan), M - Magenta (Purple), Y - Yellow (Yellow), G - Green (Green), B - Blue (Blue), R- Red (Red), O - Or ange (Orange), P - Purple (Purple).
Primary, secondary and tertiary colors
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Primary colors: red, blue, yellow (three "primary" pigments of red, blue and yellow) are called CMY system (Cyan, Magenta, Yellow or CMY system). |
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Mixing blue and yellow produces green. A mixture of yellow and red - Orange color, blue and red - violet color. These three colors (green, purple and orange) are called secondary colors. |
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Mixing primary and secondary colors with their closest shades gives. Tertiary or intermediate colors are orange-red (1), yellow-orange (2), yellow-green (3), blue-green (4), blue-violet (5) and red-violet (6) (Yellow-orange, red-orange, red-purple, blue-purple, blue-green and yellow-green) . |
This produces 12 colors:
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Magenta |
Scarlet |
Red |
Orange |
Yellow |
Lime |
Green |
Turquoise |
Cyan |
Indigo |
Blue |
Purple |
Illustration color formation as a result of absorption or reflection of the three primary colors (red, blue, yellow).
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Color |
Absorption |
Reflection |
Result (appears) |
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Light red |
Green & light blue |
Cyan |
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Light green |
Red and light blue |
Magenta |
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Light blue |
Red and light green |
Yellow |
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M+Y |
Green & light blue |
Light red |
Red |
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C+Y |
Red and light blue |
Light green |
Green |
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C+M |
Red and light green |
Light blue |
Blue |
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Where: Cyan ( C), Magenta (M), Yellow (Y). It's called the CMY system.
See:
Web Design Styles Web Design Styles 2 (3 color combination) Web Design Styles 3 (3 color combination) Web Design Styles 4 (3 color combination) Web Design Styles 5 (4 color combination) Web Design Styles 6 ( combination of 4 colors) Red styles Orange styles Yellow styles Green styles Blue styles Blue styles Purple styles Gray styles Web design styles 7 (page layout) Web design styles 8 (page layout) Web design styles 9 (page layout) Web styles design 10 (page layout) Web design styles 11 (page layout) Web design styles 12 (page layout) Web design styles 13 (page layout) Web design styles 14 (gradient backgrounds) Web design styles 15 (gradient backgrounds ) Web design styles 16 (gradient backgrounds) FAQ on styles Corporate style (examples of corporate styles) Our style
Secondary colors: are obtained by mixing two primary colors. Secondary colors of light include magenta, yellow, and cyan (greenish blue). Secondary pigment colors: red, green and purple.
Tertiary colors: are formed by mixing primary and secondary colors. These include orange, crimson, light green, bright blue, emerald green, dark purple.
Additional colors: located on opposite sides of the chromatic circle. That, for example, for red, green is complementary (obtained by mixing two primary colors - yellow and cyan (greenish-blue). And for blue, orange is complementary (obtained by mixing yellow and magenta).
The law of color is the basic system for understanding color relationships. By mixing colors, you can make sure that the combination of the same colors gives the same result. Red and blue colors, mixed in equal proportions, always give purple. Equal parts of blue and yellow always create green. From equal parts red and yellow flowers It always turns out orange. This system is called the law of color, since these laws of color compatibility are the result of repeated tests that have proven their accuracy.
Basic primary colors
Primary colors cannot be obtained by mixing. These are blue, red and yellow. All other colors are derived from them. Colors with a predominance of blue are called cool, while colors with a predominance of red and yellow are called warm.
Blue is the darkest of the primary colors. When added to another color, the resulting color becomes darker and cooler. Blue is the only cool primary color and when added to any primary, secondary or tertiary it becomes dominant (Figure 1). By making another color cold, blue also enhances its depth and gives it a dark tint. The blue pigment granules are the largest and its concentration is the highest.
Rice. 1
Secondary colors
Secondary colors are green, orange and purple. They are obtained by combining two, and only two, primary colors in equal proportions. Green is a combination of blue and yellow, orange is a combination of red and yellow, purple is a combination of blue and red. Green and purple contain blue, so they are cool tones. Orange combines red and yellow, making it warm (Figure 2).
Rice. 2 Secondary colors
Tertiary colors
These are blue-green, blue-violet, red-violet and yellow-green.
Tertiary colors are created by mixing a primary color with an adjacent secondary color. Blue-green and blue-violet are cold tones, red-violet is also cold, but not as much as the previous two, because red predominates in it. Red-orange and yellow-orange are warm tones. Yellow-green is a warm tone, but not as warm as the previous two, because it contains blue (Fig. 3).
Rice. 3 Tertiary colors
Since the beginning of this school year I have a new resolution - to write regularly on LJ. Let's see how long I can last.
To start somewhere, I decided to start with color. It is color that catches our eye first when we look at something.
If we start completely from the beginning, then color is electromagnetic waves of different lengths. The eye catches them, and the brain converts them into color sensations. Since color perception is a subjective characteristic, each person sees colors differently. At the same time, everyone’s visual apparatus is structured the same, so we see colors, although in our own way, but very similarly. The light wave itself has no color. Color appears only when this wave is perceived by the eye and brain. This or that color appears in the process of absorption of light waves. Black color absorbs all light waves, and White color on the contrary, it reflects all waves. A blue cup, for example, absorbs all light rays and reflects only blue light.
Color can be chromatic or achromatic. Achromatic color has no color tone, it is white, black and gray. Accordingly, chromatic color is all other colors.
Primary, secondary and tertiary colors.
Many colors and shades can be obtained by mixing small amounts of paint. At one time, the desire to decompose everything into elements led to the isolation of primary colors. Primary or base colors are colors that cannot be created by mixing. There are three primary colors: red, yellow and blue. If you mix them, you get black.
Secondary colors are obtained by mixing two primary colors:
Red + blue
Red + yellow
Yellow + blue
Tertiary colors are made by mixing a primary and an adjacent secondary color.
Thus, we got twelve colors, from which we can get countless different shades.
Color circle
Waves of color flow smoothly into each other, creating a continuous range of colors.
And if we imagine this spectrum in the form of a circle, we get a color wheel - a very important tool for artists, designers and everyone who works with color. Including stylists.
The most used is the two-dimensional Itten circle
and three-dimensional Munsell circle
In a two-dimensional circle, you can clearly see how the colors are located in relation to each other. This is a reminder to help you create different color combinations.
The 3D circle shows a color change. This brings us to color characteristics.
There are three generally accepted characteristics of color:
- tone (Hue) - determines the color. Red, orange, green, etc. Right here we're talking about about warm and cool colors.
- brightness (Saturation) - determines the addition of gray to the main color. Pure color is bright, with additions of gray it is soft.
- with lightness - determines the admixture of white or black in the main pigment.
