^^ Want to listen instead of read? Click play ^^
Color theory seems so foreign to me I often find myself amazed at all the artists out there who can verbally walk you through color without any effort what-so-ever. Yet I am completely overwhelmed by all of the terms and concepts, I can’t even begin to explain how confused my brain gets. These terms and concepts make sense when they are in front of me. Perfect examples of tone, value, and shade. Full understanding of complementary, analogous, and monochromatic schemes, but outside that book, video, or blog post I can’t explain what is going on with color.
It is as confusing, if not more, than sentence structure and word patterns. I can’t explain any of those terms or concepts either, but my brain understands. Full disclosure: everything I know about sentence structure and word patterns I learned from MadLibs and reading (thank you Stephen King).
Can we learn to understand color theory without actually learning color theory? Do we already have this innate ability to understand color and all that it entails? Are the terms and concepts just trying to undermine what our brains already know? Is “the man” just trying to keep us down? You know what Jack Burton always says, “Damn ‘the man’, save the empire!” I may have crossed more than a few lines there, ah well…
Color Theory, Yay or Nay?
Let’s dive into a few questions first.
What is Color theory? The AI answer
“Color theory is the study of how colors work together, combining art and science to understand color mixing, harmony, and the psychological impact colors have on people, serving as a guide for creating visually appealing designs and communicating specific moods or messages, with the color wheel as a fundamental tool for understanding relationships between hues like primary, secondary, and tertiary colors.”
Do I need to understand color theory to make art?
Simple answer: No. For the same reason you don’t need to understand biology and physics in order to walk.
Imagine, or relive, a time when you asked Dad or Grandpa to teach you how to hammer a nail. What did they do? My guess is they gave you a hammer, a nail, pointed to a spot and told you not to hit your thumb. They didn’t say a word about physics, construction, nor mention anything about tool safety. Chances are you hit your thumb. Maybe not that day, maybe yesterday or sometime last week.
Color theory is no different and is probably something you’ll want to dive deeper into someday. But for now you just need a hammer, a nail, and someone to point to a spot. Or some art supply version of that.
How do i explore color without understanding the theory?
The Roy G. Biv way, of course!
You remember Roy G. Biv. Probably met sometime around middle school, in science class. While it was drilled into our brains to remember the visible light spectrum, it is also a great way to remember the basic color wheel, which consists of Primary (red, yellow, blue) and Secondary (orange, green, purple) colors.
There is one small change to be aware of. You can see from my color wheel below indigo is not represented. And while, technically, indigo does fit between blue and violet, it is not part of the basic color wheel.
Red
Orange
Yellow
Green
Blue
Violet
And this, my friend, will be the color pallet we will use to unlock the secrets of color: red, orange, yellow, green, blue, and violet.
What do I need to start learning about color?
Grab a few basic art supplies, something to color, and, since silence isn’t golden, some background noise. When you are ready, here is my suggestion:
Your favorite movie
Alcohol Markers
Mandala Coloring Pages
Alcohol markers are my preferred choice for this activity because they are vibrant, consistent, and there’s no prep needed. Choose colors based on name by finding the closest match to the Roy G. Biv color name. For example, choose Red over Red Oxide, or Scarlet Red. Or, if you have swatch cards, choose colors based on those swatches but be sure to add an extra side of intuition.
Mandala coloring books, or pages, are great for this activity because of the nature of mandalas. Not only do you get to see how colors work together in different patterns, how the colors stack, and what you prefer. You also get to make some pretty good progress towards filling up that dusty old coloring book.
Don’t have a coloring book, try some online resources like Coloring Bunny.
How do i color My mandala?
The easiest thing to do is start with Red in the middle. Each time the layer changes you will switch colors. Go clockwise around the color wheel, or R-O-Y-G-B-V, and keep repeating until you are finished. Once you complete a mandala, or thirteen, you will notice a few things start to happen. You will:
- Know what colors you want where, even before you start
- Add more colors
- Experiment with lighter or darker shades of each color
- Restrict your color palette even more
- Change the color palette all together
Your brain will start to understand what goes together, and what doesn’t. The real goal here is to get you started working with color so you feel like you are making progress, actually learning something in a way that makes things click. This isn’t a replacement for Color Theory, it is merely a stepping stone to give you the desire to learn more, in a fun and creative way.
