Value is how light or dark the colour is, as discussed in Element 5 above. The chroma of a colour is not the same as its value.Ĭolours also have value. Too much saturated colour can give a garish result. In painting only small amounts of saturated colours are usually used as accents. The more pure the colour is (less of other colours mixed in), the more intense or saturated it is.

(Hue the name we give a colour.)Ī colour has intensity called chroma, also known as saturation, brightness or purity. There are several other and each works well in different situations.Ĭolour is described by its hue – red, green etc.

Another popular scheme uses Cyan, Magenta and Yellow as the primaries. The most common is the Red, Yellow, Blue model. There are various colour schemes which define the primaries. Colour theory is based on the colour wheel, colour value and on which colours work well together - also called colour schemes. It’s only a theory and can’t be proven but it is nevertheless useful to the artist. The colour wheel shows primary colours, (colours that can’t be mixed), secondary colours (made by mixing two primaries) and tertiary colours (made by mixing a primary and secondary colour).Ĭolour theory helps the artist to mix desired colours from primary colours. The colour wheel was developed by Isaac Newton who took the colour spectrum and bent it into a circle. In art, colours are arranged on a colour wheel. Colour is created when light is reflected into the viewer’s eye.

Simple harmony in art