Colour Theory

COLOUR THEORY

The white light of the sun is composed of many different lights of different colours. When they are together, we cannot distinguish those colours, and we see this as white.

Sometimes, when the ray of light from the sun touches a drop of water in the atmosphere, we have the refraction of light phenomenon. Then, those different lights of different colours split and take different directions so that we can see them separately. That makes the rainbow.

When the light from the sun touches an object, there are two possibilities… The object can reflect some of those lights or it can absorb them.

How do we see colours?

Why do we see an object in red?

Because it reflects the red light and absorbs the other colours.

We see an object in white because it reflects all colours and doesn´t absorb anything.

We see an object in black because it absorbs everything and doesn´t reflect anything.

Primary Colours

1. You cannot get them by mixing any other colour.
2. Mixing them, you get all of the colours in the world.
3. If you mix the three of them, you get black. Cyan + Magenta + Yellow = Black

Secondary colours

… are the mixture at 50% of two primary colours.

Yellow + Cyan = Green

Yellow + Magenta = Red

Cyan + Magenta = Purple

 

Complementary Colours

A primary color and a secondary colour, when mixed together, makes black. They are placed opposite in the colour wheel.

Yellow + Purple = Black

(cyan + magenta)

Magenta + Green = Black

(cyan + yellow)

Cyan + Red = Black

(yellow + magenta)

Warm colours: are the ones that have more than 50% of yellow in their mixture.

Cool colours: are the ones that have more than 50% of cyan in their mixture.

Harmony: you have harmony when you choose colours that are placed next to each other in the colour wheel.

Contrast: You have contrast when you choose colours that are placed opposite in the colour wheel.