Part two of our colour theory lecture involved acknowledging the seven colour contrasts. Acknowledging this means that you can start to view your work differently, see how colours can be affected by those around them eventually improve your work. Colour is contextual, and though one colour may look nice on a neutral background, put another colour beside it and the whole of its aesthetic changes.
The first three colour contrasts are tone, hue and saturation. These were simple enough to differentiate. The contrast of tone is in relation to light and dark values. Tones that are closer together have a low contrast and tones that are far apart have a bigger contrast. Simple enough. The contrast in hue then, refers to, the greater the distance between hues on the colour wheel, the greater the contrast. For example, blue and red put together are of greater contrast that red and orange. Thus saturation is the juxtaposition between pure colours and 'dull' colours. And the contrast of saturation was in relation to the intensity of a colour.
Then colour started to get more complex. Next was the contrast of extension, also known as the contrast of proportion. This is in relation to when someone starts to describe a colour as 'heavy' or 'light'. For example, violet is often considered to look 'heavy' as opposed to yellow which is often referred to as being 'light'. This is a psychological response to colour and the examples used in the lecture were really enlightening! After looking back at this, I feel like I often gravitate towards colours that appear 'light' rather than 'heavy', but I don't really know why.
Contrast of temperature is exactly like it sounds. Though there is no physical change in temperature, people often refer to colours as to being 'warm' or 'cool'. Temperature can be affected by putting colours together. For example having a true red colour next to a cooler toned, almost magenta colour, almost makes the true red look orange. Thus it would be considered 'warmer' looking.
Complimentary contrast is juxtaposing complimentary colours on a colour wheel. So green and red, are perceptual opposites, as well as yellow and purple.
Which leads to the last contrast of simultaneous contrasts. This is when colours try and pull their complimentary coloured partner out of the other colours next to them. For example if yellow and green were next to each other. The yellow would try and pull the blue out of the green and the green is trying to push the red out of the yellow, making it look almost orange. In this sense, it is hard to think of being able to control colour.
Contrast of temperature is exactly like it sounds. Though there is no physical change in temperature, people often refer to colours as to being 'warm' or 'cool'. Temperature can be affected by putting colours together. For example having a true red colour next to a cooler toned, almost magenta colour, almost makes the true red look orange. Thus it would be considered 'warmer' looking.
Complimentary contrast is juxtaposing complimentary colours on a colour wheel. So green and red, are perceptual opposites, as well as yellow and purple.
Which leads to the last contrast of simultaneous contrasts. This is when colours try and pull their complimentary coloured partner out of the other colours next to them. For example if yellow and green were next to each other. The yellow would try and pull the blue out of the green and the green is trying to push the red out of the yellow, making it look almost orange. In this sense, it is hard to think of being able to control colour.
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