DEFINITION

DEFINE DEFINE DEFINE...

1. HUE

= What we call any color that can be plucked, in a pure state, out of the light spectrum. Think of a rainbow, or that array of colors one gets when using a prism - the results are hues. It all has to do with light and wavelengths thereof. Confusion creeps in to this definition when speaking of hues of pigmented color, rather than elements of the light spectrum. In this context (pigmented color), the phrase "a hue of blue/red/yellow/insert color here" is often bandied about, when the more accurate terms shade ortint should be employed.

Pronunciation: Hew

Also Known As: color

Examples:

"Drawing contains everything, except the hue." - Jean Auguste Dominique Ingres

2. VALUE

= An element of art, value refers to the lightness or darkness of a color. Value becomes critical in a work which has no colors other than black, white, and a gray scale. For a great example of value in action, think of a black and white photograph. You can easily visualize how the infinite variations of gray suggest planes and textures.

Pronunciation: val·you

3. SATURATION

=The purity or intensity of a hue or color on a scale from bright (full saturation) to dull (low saturation) chromatic purity. The degree of difference from the achromatic light-source color of the same brightness.

4. SECONDARY COLOR

= Secondary colors are made by mixing equal parts of primary colors. For instance, green is a secondary color made by mixing yellow and blue. Orange comes from mixing red and yellow. Violet results from mixing blue and red. These colors are less strong than primaries, but they are more pleasing when mixed with white to make a tint.

Common Misspellings: sekondery, secondery

Examples:

Secondary colors are pleasing to the eye.

5. TERTIARY COLOR

= Tertiary colors are formed by mixing two secondary colors. For instance, combining green and orange make a wheat color, while orange and violet make brick. Tertiary colors are sophisticated and add wonderful variety to a color scheme.

Pronunciation: Ter shar e

Also Known As: Sometimes called intermediate colors

Common Misspellings: turshary, tershary

Examples:

She used a color scheme formed of tertiary colors.

6. COMPLEMENTARY COLORS

=Complementary Colors are those which are opposite to each other on the color wheel. Complements are red and green, blue and orange, or yellow and violet. Complementary colors neutralize each other when mixed together in equal amounts - making a neutral gray. When a small amount of one color is mixed into its complement, the resulting color is a less intense, more pleasing version of that color.

Pronunciation: com - plah - meant - airy

Also Known As: Opposite colors

Common Misspellings: Complimentary

Examples:

She used violet in her room, toned down a bit with its complementary color - yellow.

7. ANALOGOUS COLORS

=Analogous colors are colors that are adjacent or next to one another on a color wheel.

An analogous color scheme is one in which only three adjacent colors are used. The theory is that colors work well or harmonize together. Usually one of these colors is dominant, or used more than the other two, in the painting.

8. TINT

=A tint is a color to which white has been added to make it lighter. Take pink, for instance. Pink is a color, but it's also a tint of red. Sometimes tints are referred to as "pastels." While this is technically inaccurate (pastels are a type of crayon), it's such a common phrase that it's worth noting here.

Pronunciation: tint

Examples:

"Where does the violet tint end and the orange tint begin? Distinctly we see the difference of the colors, but where exactly does the one first blending enter into the other. So with sanity and insanity." - Herman Melville

9. SHADE

=A shade is what one ends up with when black (or some other dark color) is added to a pure hue. Suppose you had some green paint and mixed a bit of dark gray paint into it. The resulting paint would be darker than (also known as a shade of) the original green. Think of a dazzlingly sunny day with intense color all around, then picture the way the light and colors change when you place yourself under the leafy shade of a tree. The opposite of shade is tint.

Pronunciation: shayd

Examples:

"I never saw an ugly thing in my life; for let the form of an object be what it may, light, shade, and perspective will always make it beautiful." - John Constable

10. NEUTRAL

=Neutral usually means without color. Neutral colors such as beige, ivory, taupe, black, gray, and white appear to be without color, and yet in many applications these hues often have undertones of color. Be aware of these underlying tones as you match colors or choose paint. For example, beige might have an undertone of pink or tan or gold. White might be slightly ivory, yellow, bluish, or peachy.