Color Theroy

Hue:

A hue is an alternative name for a color.

Intensity:

Intensity describe the saturation or the dullness of the color.
If the hue is saturated, the color is bright and vibrant.
If the hue is dull, the hue has a gray tonality.

Tint:

A tint is a light value of a hue.

Shade:

A shade is a dark value of a hue.

Primary Colors:

The primary colors are red, yellow, and blue. They are the three main colors that, when blended together, create different colors.​

Primary Colors

Secondary colors are created when two primary colors are mixed together. The following mixtures create secondary colors:

• Yellow + Blue = Green

• Blue + Red = Violet

• Red + Yellow = Orange

​​ Secondary Colors

Tertiary colors are created when a primary color is mixed with a secondary color. The following mixtures create tertiary colors:

• Red + Orange = Red-Orange

• Red + Violet = Red-Violet

• Yellow + Orange = Yellow-Orange

• Yellow + Green = Yellow-Green

• Blue + Green = Blue-Green

• Blue + Violet = Blue-Violet

​Tertiary Colors

Analogous colors are hues that neighbor each other on the color wheel and share a common color.

​Analogous Colors

• Colors that are opposite of each other on the color wheel.

• When they are placed in close proximity, the two hues make each other look brighter

  • Red and Green

  • Blue and Orange

  • Yellow and Violet

​​ Complementary Colors

• Warm colors have a bright and warm tonality:

  • Red-Violet

  • Red

  • Red-Orange

  • Orange

  • Yellow-Orange

  • Yellow

• Albino Hinojosa,  My Dad’s Chevy, 1978, acrylic paint on Masonite, 19 inches X 37 inches, Tyler Museum of Art, Tyler, Texas.

• Cool Colors have a cool and soft tonality:

  • Yellow-Green

  • Green

  • Blue-Green

  • Blue

  • Blue-Violet

  • Violet

• Dennis Blagg, Fresno 1, 1987, oil on board, 15 inches X 30 inches, Tyler Museum of Art, Tyler, Texas.