A color wheel is a great way to understand how colors relate to each other and to plan for color combinations. Because of the comprehensive nature of the pallet of colors in the Stampin' Up! line, it is easy to put together a color wheel to keep it all straight. Here are some color basics:
The PRIMARY colors are Red, Blue and Yellow. These are the basic, foundational colors that, when mixed, form all the other colors. In our culture, the primary color scheme suggests childhood as it reminds us of our kindergarten teacher's frantic attempts to teach us at least three basic color names.
The SECONDARY colors are Purple, Orange and Green--these are the colors that are formed when two primary colors are mixed (remember the zipping plastic bag commercial? Yellow and Blue make Green. Yellow and Blue make Green...)
The TERTIARY colors are the ones that you get when you mix the secondary colors with a primary color: If you mix Green with Yellow you get...yellow green (green galore, gable green, certainly celery). You can keep mixing and mixing from here, but the relationships stop having names.
In school, I had to make a 16 panel color study. Four colors were selected and painted into the corners of the grid. Each square was supposed to be a carefully mixed color that reflected the combination of those colors in the proportions its position on the grid implied. Geez. It was oddly fun but also frustrating. I had a very hard time getting the latex paint to become smooth--I'm too impatient to paint slowly like that. The original is entombed in a box in my attic (picture the last scene of Raiders of the Lost Ark). Now I'm glad that someone else does that kind of work for me and I have 48 useful colors to choose from.
COMPLIMENTARY colors sit exactly opposite each other on the color wheel. Many sports teams use complimentary color schemes because this arrangement sets up a contrast that is exciting because there is conflict embedded in harmony. Think orange and blue, purple and yellow. And why do we find the Christmas Holly and Berry theme of red and green so appealing? It is a complimentary scheme.
A MONOCHROMATIC scheme is one in which tints and tones of the same color are used. I am drawn to these kinds of schemes--they make me so happy I have to make a conscious effort to remember to add other colors sometimes. As much as I like it and as effective as it can be to use a monochromatic scheme, the world would be boring if it was all blue. Or all red. Or all any one color.
TINTS of a color are that color with white added, a lighter color: A tint of Blue would be bashful blue
TONES of a color are that color mixed with black, a darker color: A tone of blue would be night of navy
So now you have a basic understanding of color theory. You should probably bookmark (book mark?) this article so you can revisit basic color theory in case it all evaporates from your memory again. Or you can make your own color wheel to keep with your stamping supplies to help you. Or you could call me and order the color coach, Stampin' Up! custom color wheel that allows you to select color combinations easily. Of just close your eyes and select paper and see what you get--I really do do that sometimes.
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