color theory & middle school lessons

The Color Wheel
	*The Color Wheel describes the relationships between colors. The Color Wheel shows primary, secondary, complementary and intermediate colors.*
		Primary colors are red, yellow, and blue.
		Primary colors are hues which can be mixed to create all other colors. One can mix two primaries to get a Secondary Color.
		Secondary colors are green, purple, and orange.
		Secondary colors are the hues between the primary hues on the color wheel. The image to the left shows the colors that are mixed to make up the secondary color.
		Complimentary colors are colors that are across from each other on the color wheel.
		These colors contrast each other in the most extreme way possible.
		Intermediate colors are created by mixing a secondary color with a primary color.

These colors are six colors in between a primary and a secondary color. They are red-orange, red-violet, blue-violet , blue-green, yellow-green, and yellow-orange.

Colors with a temperature!

Warm Colors

Cool Colors

Warm colors are on the right side of the color wheel. They represent sun and fire and warmth. They are Red, Orange, and Yellow.

Cool colors are on the left side of the color wheel. They represent snow and ice and cold. They are Green, Blue, and Violet.

Two other common color schemes used in art are Monochromatic and Analogous.

Monochromatic colors is one color and its values. "Mono" means one and "Chroma " means color. The Mona Lisa to the right would be a color scheme using one color, purple.

Analogous colors are 3 to 5 colors next to each other on the color wheel. The student artwork to the left is an example of using Analogous colors.

What about Black, White, Brown, and Grey?

They are commonly referred to as Neutral colors. Sometimes referred to as earth tones. Grey or Gray? Both are correct spellings.

Color Fun Facts - Did you know?

	Yellow surroundings seem to enhance the performance of schoolchildren
	The color Orange had no name in Europe until the fruit arrived from Asia.
	*For three centuries a rich dark pigment known as Mummy was very popular with artists. It was, in fact, made from grinding the remains of Egyptian mummies.*
	Walls in prisons are painted pink because that color helps to calm inmates.
	Blue has always been a very expensive color to obtain. During the later middle ages the Vatican was about the only sure source of supply of blue pigment.
	*In the United States one would most likely be horrified if a bride wore a red wedding gown. However, in China this is expected.*

The Color Wheel