Short Color Lesson

This article is a compilation of four "Short Lessons" previously included in Ellen's newsletter.  The information is part of her Adventures in Color class/lecture.

Understanding the Color Wheel: 

A color wheel intimidates many people, but it's actually pretty easy to understand.  The key point is that each color swatch represents an entire color family.  The blue chip, or swatch, depicts EVERY blue:  from baby blue to navy, royal blue to country blue.  That one chip represents all blues.  Therefore, any color rule that applies to baby blue also applies to every other blue.  Note that the blue swatch DOES not portray blue-green or blue-violet, because they are represented by a different chip.

The main reason a color wheel is useful is because of the way it arranges the colors.  Although the arrangement is visually pleasing, it's also scientifically accurate.  Red, blue, and yellow - the primary colors - are spaced evenly around the wheel.  If two of these colors are mixed, their "offspring" lies half-way between it's two parents.  Thus, orange is halfway between red and yellow.  These mixed colors, orange, purple/violet, and green, are called Secondary colors.  In the same fashion, if a primary color and a secondary color are mixed, their offspring will again lie halfway between the two parent colors.  The resulting mixtures are called Intermediate colors.  They are the ones with double names, like red-orange and blue-green.

Look at yellow, at the top, and purple/violet at the bottom.  These colors are visually and scientifically opposite one another.  This is reflected in their opposite positioning on the color wheel.  They are called Complementary.  The word complementary comes from the same root as the word complete.  Scientifically speaking, these colors complete on another.  Whatever is absent in yellow is present in purple/violet, and vice versa.  On the other hand, look at yellow and yellow-orange.  They are very similar to one another, and it's no accident that their location on the color wheel is also similar.

Grouping colors into those that are similar and those that are opposite are the two most common color combinations.  More about that later.

Color Temperature:  Take a look at the color wheel, at right.  Some of the colors are considered warm.  These are the fire colors:  from yellow at the top, through orange and red, and ending with fuscia (red-violet,) near the bottom.  The remaining colors are considered cool.  They are the colors of nature:  from yellow-green near the top, through green and blue, and ending with purple/violet, at the bottom.

Note:  this is NOT a rule of any sort, but rather something that's worthy of your consideration.  There are MANY wonderful quilts that don't follow this guideline.

Color Combinations, Complementary Colors: 

Question:  What do a key lime pie and a wonderful quilt have in common?
Answer:  It's the combination of ingredients that makes them special!  Individually the ingredients in key lime pie (lime juice, sugar, raw eggs, and sweetened condensed milk,) are not very appealing.  But, in combination, they work together to create a fantastic result.  And so it is with colors.  It's the combination that's important.

Let's take a quick look at the most common way to combine colors: complementary (or opposite.)  Adding the complementary color always adds drama.  See what I mean here.  (Click that link.  You need to see this.)  In that example, strong blues and oranges were used.  But remember that peach and baby blue are also versions of orange and blue, and also complementary.  The same for the darker versions of rust and navy.

Remembering that each swatch on the color wheel represents an entire color family, where does your favorite color lie?  Sometimes it can be a little tricky to figure this out.  Take olive green, for instance.  It's actually a darker version of yellow-green.  That's probably not obvious, unless you've studied color a little.  That's why, in my color workshops, I have the students purchase an inexpensive artist's color wheel.  On the back side, it shows what happens to the pure colors if white, black, or grey are added.

Back to your favorite color.  Maybe it’s lime green.  What would be the complementary color?  Looking at the color wheel, you can see that is would be fuscia.  That’s a strong combination, but one that can be very effective – especially when some neutrals are added.  See these examples: Green Pear, Cosmo Boogie.  Of course, you could also use toned down versions of these colors, like apple green and berry.  I use the complementary colors of orange and blue quite a bit.  Here are some examples: Out of the Blue, San Juan Scenery.  (Remember, rust is a version of orange.)

Color Combinations, Similar Colors: 

If a complementary color scheme is the most popular, what's the second favorite color scheme?  It's one in which the colors are similar to one another.  Typically 3-5 colors are used in this combination.  Since we already know that similar colors have similar locations on the color wheel, it's very easy to look at the wheel and find similar combinations.  For instance, yellow, yellow-orange, orange, and red-orange.   Fire is an example of that.   Or how about blue-green, blue, and blue-violet?  You can see an example with Harbor Peace.

One caution when working with colors that are similar: they are automatically lower in contrast.  Therefore, the end result can sometimes become boring.  (The same thing can happen with a monochromatic scheme.)   That means you'll need to be sure to provide contrasts in value, and possibly texture, as well.  There's a wonderful saying in artistic circles that says this perfectly:  "Value does all the work and color gets all the credit."  There's a lot of truth in that.  No matter what colors you're using, you absolutely must have a variety of lights and darks.

Bonus info:  You absolutely don't need to know this to work with these colors effectively, but for those who like to use the correct artistic term, here goes:  the artistic name for a similar color scheme is analogous.  (It comes from the same route as the word analogy - meaning something similar.)  Now, doesn't the word similar say it just as well?