Color Concept Basis Color Concept What is Color? In a physical sense, there really is no such thing as color, just light waves of different wavelengths. Color comes from light. The human eye can distinguish among these wavelengths, so we see the world in color. Light rays are the form of energy: electromagnetic vibrations. Rays of light vibrate at different speeds. Light rays move in a straight path from a light source. The sensation of color, which happens in our brains, is a result of our vision s response to these different wavelengths. When taken together, the various rays our eyes can distinguish are called the visible spectrum. Sir Isaac Newton proved that light waves contain color information by placing a prism in a window sill. A prism breaks up different colors into separate wavelengths (spectrum). A prism is a clear three-dimensional geometric shape that refracts light.
Within this light rays are all the rays of colors in the spectrum or rainbow. Shining a light into a prism will create a rainbow of colors because it separates the color of the spectrum. Different wavelengths bend differently when traveling through the air. Red has the longest wavelength, Violet has the shortest and it bends the most When light hits an object several things happen to the wave Most important are: 1) Reflection: reflection of light (object s surface) 2) Absorption: absorption of light rays by the surface White light: when all visible radiation is present in equal intensity White: Black: Middle-gray: absolution of color (reflects everything) negation of color (absorbs everything) 50% of the light is reflected There are 2 parts that make up a reflection or the bouncing of light waves from giving surface: The incident beam comes from the light source hitting the object. The reflected beam bounces off the object allows us to see its particular color. As white light hits the apple, all of the spectral hues are absorbed accept for the green hue, which reflected, giving the fruit its color and name.
Primary Colors Primary colors are pure hues from which all other colors can be mixed. They cannot be mixed by combining other hues. The artist s mixing primaries are red, yellow and blue (RYB): the additive primaries are red, green, blue (RGB): the subtractive primaries are cyan, magenta, yellow (CMY). There are 2 types of primary color: Additive Subtractive RGB are the primary colors of pure light and are referred to as additive primary colors. The subtractive primary colors, made from reflected light, fall in two types: The printer s primaries, which are cyan, magenta and yellow (CMY) The artist s primaries, which are red, yellow and blue (RYB) Additive Mixing (RGB Model) Additive Color: The RGB Red, Green, Blue primary (Light) The more light you add, the lighter the image becomes. Additive colors are produced by light emission (the eye sees the light directly generated from a light source). The colors used on computer monitor, digital cameras, televisions, and other light-based devices
Best for web and multimedia color images RGB are the primary colors on a monitor Uses light to display color Color result from transmitted light When equal amount of Red + Green + Blue are mixed the result appear White Subtractive Mixing (CMY Model) Subtractive Color CMY Cyan, Magenta, Yellow primaries (Transparent Pigments) Subtractive colors processes use inks of the primary colors cyan (blue-green), Magenta and Yellow (called the CMY colors). The term subtractive is used because the primary colors are pure until you begin mixing them together, resulting in colors that are less pure versions of the primaries. For example, red is created through the subtractive mixing of magenta and yellow together. The more ink (pigment) you add, the darker the image becomes Best for printed material Uses ink to display color Color result from reflected light
When combined in equal amounts, pure subtractive primary colors produce the appearance of black. Yellow, magenta and cyan inks-toner are mixed together to make the various colors. Why B (black) is added to CMY? A combination of 100% cyan, magenta, and yellow inks often results in a muddy dark brown color that does not quite appear black. Adding black ink absorbs more light, and yields much darker blacks. black ink is cheaper than using the corresponding amounts of colored inks Subtractive Mixing (RYB Model) RYB, the primary color system used in art classes, formed the basis of most color theory. As artist we use pigments in the form of powder or liquid paints to create color. Piet Mondrian
Henri Matisse Pablo Picasso. Woman with a Flower. 1932. Four Girls on a Bridge, Edvard Munch Seated Girl, Ernst Ludwig Kirchner (German Expressionist, 1880-1938 Katharina Grosse. Untitled 2005. acrylic on canvas Alert Response of Reptilian Species in a Forest Glen near a Culvert, 2014, oil on linen canvas, 33" x 44"
Color Wheels: a tool used to organize color. It is made up of: Primary Colors; Red, Yellow, Blue these color cannot be mixed, they must be bought in some form. Secondary Color-Orange, Violet, Green, these colors are created by mixing two primaries. Tertiary Colors: Those colors achieved by a mixture of primary and secondary colors. Complementary Colors: Those colors located opposite each other on a color wheel. Complementary colors work well when you want something to stand out. Complementary colors are really bad for text.