Colour
What Is Colour?
Introduction
Colour is the aspect of things that is caused by differing qualities of light being reflected or emitted by them.To see colour, you have to have light. When light shines on an object
some colours bounce off the object and others are absorbed by it. Our
eyes only see the colours that are bounced off or reflected.
History
Since people have been wearing clothes, they have sought ways to make
their garments more attractive, more aesthetically pleasing—more
colorful. Greek philosophers Democritus and Aristotle and Roman writers
Pliny the Elder and Vitruvius described and recorded recipes and
processes to create fabric dyes. Most dyes derived from plants or
animals, which ranged from the ordinary to the exotic.
Blue
Blues and purples were known as vat dyes. Indigo and woad, a European
flowering herb of the mustard family, were used to make blue dyes.
These plants required lengthy immersion in an alkaline solution of ash,
lime, or most commonly, urine, which turned them into a water-soluble
salt. The fabric was then left to air-dry; oxidation made the blue color
fast.
Purple
At the other end of the financial (if not color) spectrum was the
Tyrian, or royal, purple derived from the mucous gland of the murex, a
mollusk. Not surprisingly, harvesting this color—a pound of dye required
four million mollusks—was a labor-intensive, time-consuming, and smelly
process. (The ancient Phoenician city of Tyre, from which the dye gets
its name, was known for its reek of rotting mollusks.) Only the rich,
such as the reigning emperor or monarch, could afford this shade, whose
acquisition would ensure that his heir would be born "into the purple."
Hope for the common people lay in the lichen orchil, the poor person's
purple, which produced a purplish hue after a two- to three-week ammonia
immersion.
Red
Reds were mordant dyes; they required the use of a fixative to create
an insoluble color that would remain true. Henna, a shrub, and madder, a
root, were mixed with alum (a sulphate of aluminum and potassium) to
render a color family far less intense than the red we know today. A
species of female scale insect, kermes, was used by the Egyptians and
produced a more vivid red. Similarly, cochineal dye was used by the
Aztecs with great effort (70,000 insects for one pound of dye) and to
great effect, ultimately becoming Mexico's most lucrative export after
silver.
Yellow
Colors in the yellow family were the least complicated. They were
direct dyes, produced with little drama. Weld, the seeds, stems, and
leaves of Dyer's Rocket; and safflower, petals from Dyer's Thistle, were
used to create yellows.
Colour Theory
Color theory encompasses a multitude of definitions, concepts and
design applications - enough to fill several encyclopedias. However,
there are three basic categories of color theory that are logical and
useful : The color wheel, color harmony, and the context of how colors
are used.
Color theories create a logical structure for color. For example, if
we have an assortment of fruits and vegetables, we can organize them by
color and place them on a circle that shows the colors in relation to
each other.
Colour Properties
Colour Wheel:-
A color circle, based on red, yellow and blue, is traditional in the
field of art. Sir Isaac Newton developed the first circular diagram of
colors in 1666. Since then, scientists and artists have studied and
designed numerous variations of this concept. Differences of opinion
about the validity of one format over another continue to provoke
debate. In reality, any color circle or color wheel which presents a
logically arranged sequence of pure hues has merit.
Primary Colours:- Red, yellow and blue
In traditional color theory (used in paint and
pigments), primary colors are the 3 pigment colors that can not be mixed
or formed by any combination of other colors. All other colors are
derived from these 3 hues.
Secondary Colours:- Green, orange and purple
These are the colors formed by mixing the primary colors.
Tertiary Colours:- Yellow-orange, red-orange, red-purple, blue-purple,
blue-green & yellow-green.
These
are the colors formed by mixing a primary and a secondary color. That's
why the hue is a two word name, such as blue-green, red-violet, and
yellow-orange.
Color Harmony
Harmony can be defined as a pleasing arrangement of parts, whether it be music, poetry, color, or even an ice cream sundae.
In visual experiences, harmony is something that is pleasing to the
eye. It engages the viewer and it creates an inner sense of order, a
balance in the visual experience. When something is not harmonious, it's
either boring or chaotic. At one extreme is a visual experience that is
so bland that the viewer is not engaged. The human brain will reject
under-stimulating information. At the other extreme is a visual
experience that is so overdone, so chaotic that the viewer can't stand
to look at it. The human brain rejects what it can not organize, what it
can not understand. The visual task requires that we present a logical
structure. Color harmony delivers visual interest and a sense of order.
Complementary Colours
Split-Complementary Colour
Tetrad
Triad
Analogous Colours
Colours used in food packaging.
Monochromatic
Monochromatic color schemes are derived from a single base hue and extended using its shades, tones and tints. Tints are achieved by adding white and shades and tones are achieved by adding a darker color, gray or black.
Monochromatic colour schemes provide opportunities in art and visual communications design as they allow for a greater range of contrasting tones that can be used to attract attention, create focus and support legibility.
The use of a monochromatic color provides a strong sense of visual cohesion and can help support communication objectives through the use of connotative colour. The relative absence of hue contrast can be offset by variations in tone and the addition of texture.
Achromatic
Achromatic means not readily colored by the usual staining agents, possessing no hue
: being or involving black, gray, or white.
Colour Value
Value is defined as the relative lightness or darkness of a color.
Tints,Tones,Shades.
Low Poly Portrait
Colour Psychology
What is Colour Psychology?
Color psychology is the study of hues as a determinant of human behavior. Color influences perceptions that are not obvious, such as the taste of food. Colors can also work as placebos by having the color of pills be certain colors to influence how a person feels after taking them. For example, red or orange pills are generally used as stimulants. Another way in which colors have been used to influence behavior was, in 2000, when the company Glasgow installed blue street lights in certain neighborhoods which resulted in a reduced crime rate. Color can indeed influence a person, however it is important to remember that these effects differ between people. Factors such as gender, age, and culture can influence how an individual perceives color. For example, males reported that red colored outfits made women seem more attractive, while women answered that the color of a male's outfit did not affect his attractiveness.
Use of Colour Psychology.
Color has long been used to create feelings of coziness or spaciousness. However, how people are affected by different color stimuli varies from person to person.
Blue is the top choice for 35% of Americans, followed by green (16%), purple (10%) and red (9%).A preference for blue and green may be due to a preference for certain habitats that were beneficial in the ancestral environment as explained in the evolutionary aesthetics article.
There is evidence that color preference may depend on ambient temperature. People who are cold prefer warm colors like red and yellow while people who are hot prefer cool colors like blue and green.Some research has concluded that women and men respectively prefer "warm" and "cool" colors.
A few studies have shown that cultural background has a strong influence on color preference. These studies have shown that people from the same region regardless of race will have the same color preferences. Also, one region may have different preferences than another region (i.e., a different country or a different area of the same country), regardless of race.Children's preferences for colors they find to be pleasant and comforting can be changed and can vary, while adult color preference is usually non-malleable.Some studies find that color can affect mood. However, these studies do not agree on precisely which moods are brought out by which colors.
Colour Meaning and Symbolism.
Colors hold significance for people around the world. Not only do colors influence emotion, but they also hold meaning in religion and various cultures.
Colour in Indian Culture.
From the deep orange marigold flowers that bejewel almost every celebration to the deep hues of red that deck up the bride on her most important day, color in India has, over time, become synonymous with religion – an expression of faith and beliefs. In a country where a deep understanding of the prevalent diversity is perhaps the only common thread that ties its people together, India is a magical experience that ought not to be missed.
Reference
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