Semester 2, Week 10: Warm and Cool Colors

Basic Color Theory

When was the last time you learned about colors? Kindergarten or first grade, right? That's generally when people learn about primary colors (red, yellow, and blue) and how they can be mixed to form all other colors.

Does this look familiar? Red and yellow make orange, yellow and blue make green, and blue and red make purple.

Learning about which colors can be mixed to make other colors is color theory at its most basic level. Color theory is the idea that different colors and color combinations create different visual effects, and therefore cause different reactions in people who view those colors.

One traditional way of organizing colors is into a color wheel. In a color wheel, red is at the top, and the colors go clockwise around the wheel in the same order as in a rainbow. Do you remember ROY G. BIV? Those are all the colors of the rainbow--red, orange, yellow, green, blue, indigo (dark blue), and violet (purple).

This is a basic color wheel.

Colors are often divided into two categories--warm colors and cool colors. Warm colors are the ones on the right side of the color wheel--red, orange, yellow, and some greens. When you think of warm colors, think of a hot stove or oven, summer and autumn, or sunsets. Warm colors tend to be more active, exciting, and stand out in a picture.

Cool colors are the ones on the left side of the color wheel: some greens, blue, and purple. When you think of cool colors, think of a refrigerator and freezer, winter and spring, or of standing in the shade. Cool colors tend to be more calm, relaxing, and chill.