Jessica Crabtree

“Color My World”

Red, yellow, and blue are considered the primary colors. They are equally spaced from each other in the spectrum – and hence in the color wheel. They combine to form white light (which represents all colors). And they can blend together in various combinations to form every other possible hue. The first three levels of color combinations fall into the following groups:

Primary Colors – Red, Yellow, Blue, that combine to form all the other colors
Secondary Colors – Orange (Red + Yellow), Green (Yellow + Blue), Violet (Blue + Red)
Tertiary Colors – Combinations of secondary colors – such as blue-green or red-orange

An example of how primary colors combine to form white light

If an artist was restricted to using only hues, however, his paintings would probably look more like something done with a first-grader’s crayon set. This is because the colors or light signatures in the spectrum can’t represent realism without the variation of light. Remember, artists don’t paint so much with color as they do with light – because the appearance of the things they portray with pigments is based entirely on the interaction of light with a given surface. This is why we have shades, tones, and tints (see my last post about Birren’s triangle).

Color wheel showing primary and secondary colors

Birren’s color model is a useful extension of the color wheel, because it deals with color in terms we relate to pigments such as paint or chalk. More importantly, it includes a vocabulary for expressing different shades of meaning (no pun intended!) concerning the technical side of color. Most of these terms are used interchangeably on an everyday basis; but when used for their actual intended purpose they can be a valuable communication tool for the artist.

For instance:

• A hue is a particular wavelength of light on the spectrum (or color wheel); otherwise “color” – but more precise.
• A tint is a hue blended with white; if red is the hue in question, hot pink might be a resulting tint.
• A shade is a hue combined with black: i.e., crimson is a darker shade of red.
• A tone is a hue that has been desaturated, or diluted with both black and white (that is, gray), making the original color seem “muddied.”

Birren Color Triangle

It’s interesting to note that specific art eras, or even individual artists, can be classified by their signature range within the color triangle. Paintings in which tints predominate tend to be bright, airy, and imaginative. Tones are good at portraying gloomy, mysterious, or atmospheric subjects, while a tendency towards shades provides intensity and drama.

(Thanks to wetcanvas.com for the graphic.)