Hue
Hue is what makes a color identifiable and different from any other color, e.g. orange, red-orange, red. Hues are determined (and can be measured) by a color's wavelength. There are millions of hues around the color wheel chart, but the human eye & brain cannot distinguish them all from each other.
Primary Colors
The three basic, primary colors are yellow, red, and blue. If you mix all three primary colors in equal parts, you'll get a neutral color, usually a murky gray (it depends on the pigments you use).
Secondary Colors
When you mix any two primary colors, you get the secondary colors: yellow and blue produce green, blue and red produce purple, red and yellow produce orange.
Tertiary Colors
On the 'third' level, we now mix primary with secondary colors, all the way round the color wheel chart (this is where the fun really starts!) These mixtures are sometimes called 'tertiary' colors, but the term is not used in the same way everywhere.
Here's what you get: blue (primary) + green (secondary) = blue-green blue (primary) + purple (secondary) = blue-violet red (primary) + purple (secondary) = red-violet red (primary) + orange (secondary) = red-orange yellow (primary) + orange (secondary) = yellow-orange yellow (primary) + green (secondary) = yellow-green
Tints
A tint is a color plus white. The addition of white makes the color paler and less saturate. (Another word for 'tint' is 'pastel').
Shades
A shade is a color plus black. Dark blue, in other words, is blue that has been darkened by adding black.
Saturated & De-saturated Colors
Saturation is the degree of intensity ('chroma'), purity and brilliance of a color. You can gradually de-saturate a color by adding black, white or grey, or by mixing it with another color that has itself been muddied down (brown is a good candidate for de-saturating other colors!).
Saturated Painting
De-saturated Painting
Value
The value of a color is its relative lightness or darkness (i.e. whiteness or blackness), irrespective of its saturation.
Complementary Colors
Complementary colors are any two hues that sit directly opposite each other on the color mixing wheel. When you mix these two hues 1:1, they "complement" (=complete) each other to a neutral grey. (In the real world, the paint pigments usually produce a murky grayish-brown ;-)
Complementary Painting
Split Complementary Colors
Split complementary colors come in sets of three: one hue combined with the hues on either side of its complementary color. Split complementary colors are very useful in creating color combinations for design.
Split-Complementary Painting
Analogous Colors
Analogous (related) colors are adjacent to each other on the color wheel. They usually combine to harmonious color schemes. Some examples: blue & green ('seaside' colors) red-orange, red/pink, fuchsia lime, lemon, orange ('citrus' color scheme)
Analogous Painting
Warm & Cool Colors
In the most general terms, 'warm' colors are related to the yellow/red side of the color wheel chart. They attract attention and are generally perceived as energetic or exciting. 'Cool' colors sit on the blue/green side of the color wheel; they are generally perceived as soothing and calm.
Warm Painting
Cool Painting
Simultaneous Colors
Simultaneous Contrast: Looking at the color in the center of each box, Which of them is cooler than the other?
Neither one is cooler! They re both the same color!! Their 'coolness' varies depending on the surrounding colors.
Monochromatic Colors
Mono= ONE Chromatic = COLOR Monochromatic colors are all the hues (tints and shades) of a single color.
Monochromatic Painting
Relaxed Monochromatic Colors
Relaxed Monochromatic colors are tints, shades, and values of a single color.
Relaxed Monochromatic Painting
Rev. 1-2012 http://www.dreamhomedecorating.com/color-wheel-chart.html#three