Color theory may sound like a complex thing that requires extensive knowledge of the science of light and aesthetics. But it isn’t.

With just a basic understanding of colors and how they interact with each other and the viewer, you can use color to your advantage with balanced hues, effective contrast and attractive results.  

Painting of pale pink roses with gray-blue stems and leaves, laying on a color wheel and wooden work surface, surrounded by various tools and botanicals
Color theory is based on relatively simple concepts, but can quickly feel overwhelming with seemingly endless options. When all else fails, use the colors that you’re drawn to most. Still from the Skillshare class Class 15-Day Watercolor Floral Exploration: Create Stunning Color Combinations by Joly Poa

This article will help you learn to use color with purpose, and create work that feels intentional, looks cohesive, and connects with your audience. It will also encourage you to have a good time while creating!

What Is Color Theory–and Why Does it Matter to Artists?

It can be difficult for today’s creatives to imagine a world without color theory based in the science of light and aesthetics. In reality, it took centuries to arrive at the current understanding of color theory: the scientific understanding and creative use of color.   

Historical Roots

People have considered and theorized about color for thousands of years. From ancient times until the Renaissance, the predominant idea was that all colors were a combination of darkness and light with black and white. 

For example, Aristotle posited that deep crimson was the mixture of black with sunlight or firelight. For a world without artificial light sources or the technology to break down pigment, this is an understandable explanation. 

Leonardo da Vinci, in the late 15th century, discussed the contrasts between certain colors, which we now call complementary colors. He also perpetuated the long-held view that the four elements influenced most systems. Da Vinci organized a hierarchy of colors, beginning with white and yellow for earth, then green for water, blue for air, red for fire and finally black.  

By the 17th century, however, Isaac Newton had used a prism to separate white light, and within a few decades, he produced the first known color wheel.   

Bridging Art and Science 

When Newton split light with a prism, he was operating on the notion that color theory should develop from laboratory scientific experimentation. His work showed that white light could be broken into seven distinct colors:

  • Red
  • Orange
  • Yellow
  • Green
  • Blue
  • Indigo
  • Violet

Note: While this article focuses on a color system, wheel, and theory that uses red, yellow, and blue (RYB) as the primary colors, the world of light and printing uses a second color wheel with cyan, magenta, and yellow (CMY) as the primary colors.  

This visible (to humans) spectrum (often called ROYGBIV) opened doors for the understanding of electromagnetic radiation, and the fact that parts of our eyes are sensitive to their wavelengths. Before anything, color is a scientific measurement of energy.  

Interestingly, in the Romantic era, writer and thinker Johann Wolfgang von Goethe challenged the strictly scientific color theory. Going back to Aristotle’s idea that color was a mixture of darkness and light, he emphasized the psychological effect colors have on people.

Color and how colors interact with each other may be based on hard science. But for creative disciplines, color theory must be about more. Because it evokes moods and emotions, it’s essential to think of color theory within cultural contexts of time, place and who might be viewing your work.    

What Are the Building Blocks of Color? 

Although the seven colors of Newton’s ROYGBIV remain the scientific, visual spectrum of colors, the color wheel is based in threes. These individual colors can then be manipulated by combining them or adding blacks and whites.  

Watercolor painting of a color wheel including primary, secondary, and tertiary colors with two tints of each, surrounded by a palette, brush and water
Colors, and how they relate to each other, are far easier to understand when viewed as a wheel. Still from the Skillshare class Color Theory for Beginners and the Split Primary Color Wheel by Erika Lancaster

Primary, Secondary, and Tertiary Colors

The individual colors themselves can be categorized as:

Primary colors, which cannot be created with color mixing:

  • Red
  • Blue
  • Yellow

Secondary colors, which are made by mixing primary colors:

  • Orange (red and yellow)
  • Green (yellow and blue)
  • Purple (blue and red)

Tertiary colors, which are made by mixing primary and secondary colors:

  • Red-orange
  • Yellow-orange
  • Yellow-green
  • Blue-green
  • Blue-violet
  • Red-violet

Tint, Shade, and Tone

Once you have the basic colors (also called hues), you can manipulate the colors with white or black—or a mixture of black and white, which is gray. Doing this alters the hue’s saturation (purity, absence of white or black, also called “chroma”) and value (how light or dark a color is).

Flow chart of tint, tone and shade, beginning at the far left with one circle of pure green, which branches off into three circles: the top one lighter for tint, the middle one duller for tone, the bottom one darker for shade; each of these leads to one more circle: the top one white, the middle one gray, the bottom one black; to the right of these a vertical arrow indicates lightness, and beneath everything is an arrow labeled “chroma” 
Tint, shade and tone are easier to remember and grasp with practice using different base hues. Still from the Skillshare class Modern Color Theory: Master Color Mixing for Watercolors by Aima Kessy

Tint

Tinting is adding white to the color, thus lightening it. Think of adding white to red to make pink, or lightening a purple to lavender. The tint of a color is not automatically considered pastel, though the softening influence of the white is often part of making pastel versions of a hue. Start with the pure color or white and add the other, depending on how light you want the tint to be.    

Shade

Shading is adding black to the color, thus darkening it. Think of adding black to blue to make navy, or darkening a green to forest green. Adding black to a color will increase drama and intensity without making things brighter. Only start with black if you want the result to be almost black. Otherwise, begin with the pure color and add small bits of black. 

Tone

Toning is adding gray to the color, thus dulling it. Think of adding gray to orange for a rusty look, or dulling down a yellow into mustard. The reduction of intensity can actually make colors more neutral and pleasant for things like walls and counter tops. You can make the tone lighter or darker by adding more white or black to the gray.  

How Do Different Color Schemes Work?

A color scheme is an arrangement or combination of colors chosen explicitly for art or design. The range of color schemes is vast, but certain ones are used most often by artists and designers. 

Monochromatic

Artist holding a red-orange monochromatic portrait of a woman’s face up to the camera
Using only one color for a complex piece of art requires you to practice adding tint, tone and shade to your work. Still from the Skillshare class Paint a Beautiful Monochromatic Portrait in Watercolor and Watch Your Skills Grow by Fiona Di Pinto 

A monochromatic color scheme uses only one pure color in a range of saturations and values. So it will include the base hue and then variations of the hue with white, black and gray added.  

Complementary

Painting of deep red, five-petaled flowers on leafy green branches against a lighter green background
Complementary colors can make each other pop on the page, though it’s important to use a careful balance to avoid overpowering the viewer. Still from the Skillshare class Complementary Color Scheme by Larissa Yeung Fung 

A complementary color scheme uses colors that are directly across from each other on the color wheel, along with tints, tones and shades of both. Be aware that using bright, highly saturated versions of the colors can cause them to fight for attention.  

Analogous

Painting of a cut diamond in all different blues and greens, surrounded by a palette and cloth
Analogous colors are closely related, so don’t have much contrast between them. You can, however, use tint and shade to create contrast.  Still fromthe Skillshare class The Watercolor Painting Series - Analogous Geometric Diamonds by The Artmother

An analogous color scheme uses colors that are adjacent on the color wheel, such as blues and greens or reds and oranges. Because analogous colors have a lot in common, you’ll need to use white and black (on their own or with tinting and shading) to create visual contrast.  

Triadic

Book open to a page with several vases of flowers in reds, yellows, and blues, laying on a color wheel and wooden work surface, surrounded by various tools and botanicals
The primary colors are triadic, and can make a lovely color scheme when balanced with the correct tints, tones, and shades. Still from the Skillshare class 15-Day Watercolor Floral Exploration: Create Stunning Color Combinations by Joly Poa 

A triadic color scheme uses three colors that are evenly spaced from each other on the color wheel. While the three primary and three secondary colors each are triadic, relying too heavily on the pure hues could be jarring to the viewer. One way to avoid this in your triadic palette is by selecting one of the three colors to be dominant and the other two to be secondary to it.  

Tetradic/Square

A tetradic color scheme forms a rectangle on the color wheel and contains two pairs of complementary colors. 

Illustration of a person sitting on a doc with a steaming cup of coffee in a pink coat and purple stocking cap; the view is from over their shoulder, looking down into a blue pond with green lily pads and flowers and the reflection of the yellow moon and stars; overlaying the picture is a cyan-magenta-yellow color wheel with a tetradic color scheme plotted on it 
A rectangular tetradic color scheme works best when one color dominates and the other three accent it. Note that this image’s color wheel is based on cyan-magenta-yellow (CMY) primary colors.  Still from the Skillshare class Colourful Canvas: Colour Theory for Beginners by Nansu Laine 

A square color scheme is a type of tetradic scheme, but forms a square on the color wheel with four colors that are evenly spaced from each other. 

Illustration of a woman’s back, her hair in grey-blue buns and her orange coat reading “Adopt Don’t Shop” as she carries a gray-brown cat; the pink background is full of yellow stars and the edges of the image have various palms and cactuses in a range of greens; overlaying the picture is a cyan-magenta-yellow color wheel with a square color scheme plotted on it  
A square color scheme includes hues from every “corner” of the wheel, resulting in a relatively colorful image. Note that this image’s color wheel is based on cyan-magenta-yellow (CMY) primary colors. Still from the Skillshare class Colourful Canvas: Colour Theory for Beginners by Nansu Laine


In tetradic color schemes, it’s best to pick one dominant color and use the other three as accents, as the contrast will be significant and could overpower the piece. 

How Does Color Impact Emotion, Perception, and Meaning?

Scientific studies on the impact of color are relatively new and inconclusive. Still, as we know, people like Goethe have considered the psychological effects of color for over 200 years. Certain colors do seem to have specific impacts on many people. 

For example: 

  • Red suggests passion, either of a romantic sort or of anger.
  • Blue suggests coolness, either of relief or iciness. 
  • Black suggests mystery, but also strength
  • White suggests purity, but also nothingness
  • Yellow means joy to some, and caution to others
  • Green is associated with both lushness and illness  

Warm colors, meaning red, orange, and yellow, invoke images of fire, heat, spice and vibrancy. Cool colors, meaning blue, green, and purple, invoke images of the ocean, winter scenes and calm. 

While these associations are often evident in how people select and use colors, time, place, and culture also play a significant role in color interpretation. Take orange, for example. Someone in the United States might think of fruit juice, the sun, and other bright, warm-weather things. In the Republic of Ireland, however, wearing orange may be considered offensive.  

This applies not just to individual colors, but to color schemes and palettes. Not only can you suggest moods, but specific color groupings indicate settings, time periods and cultures. 

“Understanding themed palettes can help you quickly access the right colour choices to communicate the mood and message you want to give the viewer. Quiet, Rich, Earth Tones, Cultures, Eras - all these and more have specific palettes associated with them.”

Jen Dixon, Quiet or Riot: Color Communication in Your Art 

Where Does Color Theory Show Up Beyond Fine Art?

Color theory is evident everywhere. Organizations create branding and advertising based around the colors they've determined will attract their target market. From the earliest color printing to the color grading and correction of graphic design, color is in every aspect of numerous cultures.   

Red suggests urgency, so fast food restaurants sometimes use it to encourage immediate visits. Green is associated with money, so financial establishments include it to send the message of saving cash.     

In a different world, places like spas and yoga studios want to appear as centers of calm, clean, and improvement. They tend to use softer colors, like lavender and neutral tones, bringing to mind natural settings, gentle surfaces, and the opposite of urgency.   

For those who work in marketing or who are trying to build a brand themselves, it’s worth exploring the specifics and differences between color theory for illustrators, color theory for graphic design, and color theory in fine art to get a sense for what works best in your particular industry, medium, and style.  

Color Theory Isn’t Law—Honor Your Intuition

When all is said and done, color theory is not physics. It’s never a bad idea to work with the colors you want to use and go from there to create something you love. At the same time, and especially in professional settings, core knowledge of color theory will serve you well. Find the balance that works for you, and enjoy the process!   

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Written By
Katie Mitchell

Katie Mitchell

Katie lives in Michigan with her husband, kids and pets. She enjoys cooking, travel and live music.

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