COLOR VOCABULARY

PROPERTIES OF COLOR:

HUE: THE QUALITY BY WHICH WE RECOGNIZE ONE COLOR FROM ANOTHER; HUE IS THE NAME OF A COLOR.

VALUE: THE LIGHTNESS OR DARKNESS OF A COLOR, AS EXPRESSED BY THE AMOUNT OF BLACK OR

WHITE MIXED WITH A PARTICULAR HUE.

INTENSITY OR SATURATION: THE BRIGHTNESS OR DULLNESS OF A COLOR OR HUE.

TYPES OF COLOR:

PRIMARY COLORS: RED, BLUE, YELLOW

COLORS THAT CAN NOT BE MADE BY MIXING ANY OTHER COLORS TOGETHER; ALL OTHER COLORS ARE
MADE FROM THESE THREE PRIMARIES.

SECONDARY COLORS: ORANGE, GREEN, VIOLET

COLORS THAT ARE MADE BY MIXING TWO PRIMARIES
YELLOW + RED = ORANGE, BLUE + YELLOW = GREEN, RED + BLUE = VIOLET.
IN PAINT MIXING, ONE GENERALLY STARTS WITH THE LIGHTER OF THE TWO COLORS AND ADDS THE
DARKER OR STRONGER COLOR TO IT.

TERTIARY OR INTERMEDIATE COLORS: RED-ORANGE, YELLOW ORANGE, BLUE GREEN,

YELLOW GREEN, RED VIOLET, BLUE VIOLET.
COLORS MADE BY MIXING A PRIMARY COLOR WITH A SECONDARY COLOR. TERTIARY MEANS “THIRD”
THEREFORE, PRIMARY +SECONDARY= TERTIARY.

ANALOGOUS COLORS: ANY GROUP OF THREE OR MORE COLORS THAT ARE FOUND BESIDE EACH
OTHER ON THE COLOR WHEEL.

COMPLEMENTARY COLORS: TWO COLORS THAT ARE DIRECTLY OPPOSITE EACH OTHER ON THE
COLOR WHEEL.

WARM COLORS: SUGGEST HEAT, GENERALLY CONSIDERED TO BE THE FAMILIES OF:

YELLOWS, REDS, ORANGES, AND RED VIOLETS

COOL COLORS: SUGGEST COLD, GENERALLY CONSIDERED TO BE THE FAMILIES OF:

BLUES, GREENS AND BLUE VIOLETS

CHALLENGE OPTION/ ADVANCED COLOR VOCABULARY

NEUTRAL GRAYS / COMPLEMENTARY COLOR MIX: WHEN EQUAL AMOUNTS OF ANY TWO
COMPLIMENTS ARE MIXED TOGETHER THEY WILL CREATE A NEUTRAL GRAY, BROWN OR OLIVE
GREEN COLOR...

EARTH TONES: CITRON, OLIVE AND RUSSET

MADE BY MIXING EQUAL PARTS OF TWO SECONDARY COLORS
ORANGE + VIOLET = RUSSET (Reddish Brown), ORANGE + GREEN = CITRON (Golden Yellow), GREEN
+ VIOLET =OLIVE.

TRIAD: A GROUP OF THREE COLORS WHICH ARE EQUALLY SPACED AROUND THE COLOR WHEEL IN
THE FORM OF AN EQUILATERAL TRIANGLE;
FOR EXAMPLE: YELLOW-ORANGE, BLUE-GREEN AND RED- VIOLET.

TINT: ANY COLOR PLUS WHITE

TONE: ANY COLOR PLUS GRAY

SHADE: ANY COLOR PLUS BLACK