Basic color theory 

What colors do I choose? How can I make my artwork look bright? How do I make it not look pukey?

Well, this is where knowing a bit of color theory will come in handy! Color theory can be very complex and involved (specially if you love color), but we will look at the basics so you can get started painting and creating confidently.

Essentially, color theory is a set of principles that provide a guide on the relationship between colors. We will look and create a color wheel and learn how to mix the colors in said color wheel.

We will look at:

Primary: red, yellow, blue

Secondary: green, orange, violet

Tertiary: yellow-green, blue-green, blue-violet, red-violet, red-orange, yellow-orange

Neutral: white, black, gray, brown

Warm: warm colors tend to be active

Cool: cool colors tend to be calm, distant, soothing.

If you have a cool background and a warm subject in the foreground, the cool will recede and the warm will jump at you

Complementary: opposites in the color wheel. When placed together they can be very vibrant. For better results use one to be the the dominant in the pair. Violet/Yellow Red/Green Blue/Orange

Analogous: colors right next to each other in the color wheel. Limit to 3. Tend to be very harmonious.

Triadic: Three colors evenly placed around the color wheel

Don’t forget that color can carry meaning too. There is a research area that focuses on the psychology of color. Although colors are subjective, there are some that carry universal meaning. Generally, warm colors evoke feelings of warmth and passion and well as anger and hostility. Cool colors evoke calm feelings but can also be sadness and indifference.