Color Theory

A basic understanding of color theory is very important.

It is very important to keep in mind that watercolor pigments are transparent. Watercolors that use the transparency of the pigments are more interesting in their use of color and texture. One blends color In watercolor painting by 1. Mixing two or more pigments with water in a pallet. 2. By applying washes into wet washes on paper. Or 3. by applying washes over dry washes on paper. One can achieve what are termed brighter colors by applying washes over dry washes instead of mixing two wet pigments either in a pallet or on paper. Wet washes applied over dry washes do not mix mechanically as they would if they were mixed wet into wet, so each wash retains some of its individual hue or color. A third color is still the result, but our eyes mix the two colors much like looking through two pieces of colored glass. An example would be a light blue pigment washed over a dry yellow pigment. The resultant color that one would percieve would be green.

Color Theory
This brings us to the importance of color theory and how colors blend. But, first let us look up color wheel and then look at an example of a simple twelve section color wheel.

Primary colors
Red, yellow, and blue are the primary colors. Primary colors are often depicted on a color wheel. Theoretically, it is possible to make all colors by blending these three hues.

Secondary colors
Secondary colors are orange, violet and green. Secondary colors are made by blending primary colors.
Blend red and yellow and the result is orange.
Blend red and blue and the result is violet.
Blend blue and yellow and the result is green.

Analogous colors
Colors that are next to each other on the color wheel and are closely related. For example, blue, blue-green, and green all have the color blue in common. Families of analogous colors include the warm colors (red, orange and yellow) and the cool colors (green, blue and violet). Analogous colors are sometimes referred to as adjacent colors.

Complementary colors
Colors that are directly opposite each other on the color wheel, such as red and green, blue and orange, and violet and yellow. When complements are layered or mixed they can form neutral hues or colors that appear "neutral" or grayish in nature.

Split complements
One color plus the two colors that are on either side of its complement on the color wheel. For example, the complement of orange is blue, and the two colors on either side of blue are blue-green and blue-violet. Therefore the split complements of orange are blue-green and blue-violet.

Harmonious Colors
Harmonious colors look good together because they are complementary colors, analogous colors, or otherwise related.

Harmonic Triads
Place an equilateral or isosceles triangle in the center of the color wheel, the 3 colors touched by at the corners are known as triadic colors. These color combinations create a harmonious color theme. They are lively and contrasting, and provide the strongest contrast in terms of hue. All pure undiluted colors contrast.

Value Key
The relative level of a color's value, whether referencing an individual color, or a color scheme seen either in an artwork's entirety or in a passage within one. The lighter the value, the higher and more cheerful the value key; the darker the value, the lower and more somber the value key. See also chroma key.

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