How to Decorate Anything Using Color Combinations

Understanding color intensity and color combinations in painting is easy once you understand a few of the basics. If you learn how to master color combinations then you can make your paintings much more expressive.

When we use the word color it refers to the whole spectrum of colors. The word hue specifically refers to the pure spectrum of red, yellow and blue. Understanding this can help you create your own color wheel which is of great assistance to you when you are trying figure out the palette you want to use in a painting.

Color intensity is also relative to color values. It helps define form and create illusions of space. It is through the contrasting hues that we can distinguish backgrounds from foregrounds. It is also the key to understanding how to create appealing color combinations. You can also use color intensity to draw attention to a single item in the composition of a painting so that it stands out more than anything else.

The key thing to remember is that if values are close to each other in hue that shapes will seem flatter to look at. There is less contrast. This works no matter what colors are involved.

In theory all hues are mixed from three basic ones known as the primary colors or primary hues. When you mix all three of these colors together they create black which s why they are called the primary colors.

Any color that you are using to paint with is placed at opposite ends of a true color hue circle. These are colors that are desaturated because they have white, gray or black in them. Hues with white are known as tints. Hues with gray are known as tones and hues with black are known as shades.

A complementary color wheel consists of colors that are really tints, shades or tones. On this color wheel the colors are often very warm or cool in nature. Often the warmest colors are placed opposite the coolest colors on the wheel as well.

Hue and value systems in color vary according to different color wheels. Manufacturers, designers and marketing people use different types of wheels. These are digital systems. Two good examples are the Munsell system and the Pantone system. There is no correct color system to use – just the one that is right for you. In fact many of the greatest painters just invent their own color wheel.

How to decorate practically Anything using Color Theory

If you are a painter it is helpful to know a bit about color theory and the hue, value and chroma of pigments. Color theory is essential in the visual arts when it comes to mixing color.

There are more than a couple of factors when it comes to describing the hue, value and chroma of color. The value and chroma of a color has to do w89th how dark it is and how saturated the color is. Color saturation ranges from intense to dull in hue. Color chroma ranges from light to dark and becomes as basic as white versus black. The actual hue of the color refers to what it exactly is – purple, yellow, green, red, pink etc.

Color theory originated hundreds of years ago. The first one was designed by Sir Isaac Newton in 1666. The wheel is designed so that any of the colors in it will look great together. There are many different types and versions of color wheels in existence.

There are number of color combinations that are considered especially attractive when put together. In painting these are known as color harmonies or color chords.

Color wheels can be primary, secondary and tertiary. The primary colors are red, yellow and blue. The three secondary colors are green orange and purple. Another six tertiary colors are created by missing the primary and secondary colors together.

Furthermore colors can be divided into warm and cool hues. The warmer ones are vivid and energetic and tend to liven up the energy emanating from a painting. Cool colors are soothing and give an impression of calm.

There are three hues that are considered o be neutral. These are white, black and gray. These colors are also used to make different tints, shades and tones. A tint is created by adding white to pure hue. A shade is created by adding black to a pure hue and a tone is created by adding gray to a pure hue.

Complementary colors oppose each other on the color wheel. They are high contrast, have full saturation and look vibrant. An analogous color scheme uses color that is next to each other on the color wheel and usual match well. A triadic color scheme uses colors in threes that are evenly spaced around the color wheel. A split-complimentary color scheme sues two colors adjacent to its complement on the wheel.

There are many more variations on how colors can be used using a color wheel and if you are a serious painter you will find the possibilities to be endless and exciting when it comes to creating wonderful works of art.