Tag Archives: Color Theory

Color Theory – Spring 2024, Day 3: Exploring the Color Wheel and Color Harmonies

Objective:

I can use a color wheel to identify hues and their related color harmonies.  

Links:

Sensational Color – Understanding the Color Wheel: https://www.sensationalcolor.com/understanding-color/color-theory/know-color-wheel-806#.Uup6bPZgMQU 

Color Wheel – Color Calculator:
https://www.sessions.edu/color-calculator

Color Game – Method of Action:
https://color.method.ac/

Topics Discussed:

  • Color Theory
  • Color Harmonies
  • Color Wheel
  • Primary Colors
  • Secondary Colors
  • Tertiary Colors
  • Triad
  • Complementary
  • Split Complementary
  • Analogous
  • Monochromatic
  • Shade
  • Tint

Instructions:

Follow along with the in-class discussion on the color wheel and color definitions.

  1. After you have watched the tutorials, check out the color calculator to see an easy utility for calculating color harmonies based on a given color.
  2. Next, play the Color Game at the Method of Action website. Try to get the highest score possible for each of the Color Harmony levels.
  3. Take a screenshot (Command+Shift+4) of your highest score. You may replay the color game as many times as you wish to try and increase your final score.
  4. Place the screenshot on the third artboard (lower left) of the Adobe Illustrator document we started this week to complete today’s activity.
  5. The highest score in each class will win a prize!

Assigned: February 26th, 2024
Teacher Pacing Due Date: February 27th, 2024

Color Theory – Spring 2024, Day 2: The Color Wheel

Objective:

Students will be able to demonstrate a deeper understanding of Color Theory and Color Harmonies by using the shapes and color tools in Illustrator to produce a Color Wheel.

Online Lesson Link:

The Color Wheel

Topics Discussed:

  • Color Theory
  • Color Harmonies
  • Color Wheel
  • Primary Colors
  • Secondary Colors
  • Tertiary Colors
  • Triad
  • Complementary
  • Split Complementary
  • Analogous
  • Monochromatic
  • Shade
  • Tint
  • Swatches Panel

Instructions:

Use your knowledge of the Color Wheel and Color Harmonies to produce a color wheel in Illustrator demonstrating the key Color Harmonies discussed in class.

  1. View the online tutorial: The Color Wheel.
  2. Keep the tutorial open in your browser, and open the Illustrator document we have been working with this week. Follow the steps in the tutorial on the second artboard (upper right).
  3. Using the Shape tool, draw a square at the top of your document. Fill this square with RGB Red from the Swatches Panel.
  4. Consider the square you have just drawn as the 12 O’clock on a clock face. Continue drawing squares at 1 O’clock, 2 O’clock, 3 O’clock, all the way around to 11 O’clock. You should now have twelve squares arranged in a circular formation.
  5. Fill the squares with color in the following manner:
    • 1 O’clock: Red-Orange
    • 2 O’clock: Orange
    • 3 O’clock: Yellow-Orange
    • 4 O’clock: RGB Yellow
    • 5 O’clock: Yellow-Green
    • 6 O’clock: RGB Green
    • 7 O’clock: Blue-Green
    • 8 O’clock: RGB Blue
    • 9 O’clock: Blue-Violet
    • 10 O’clock: Violet
    • 11 O’clock: Red-Violet
  6. When you have filled all the squares, use the Line Tool to draw a straight line from the Red square at 12 O’clock to the Green square at 6 O’clock, and use the Text tool to label this “Complementary”.
  7. Next, use the Shape Tool to draw a triangle that represents the Primary Triad (the points of the triangle should touch Red, Yellow and Blue). Label this the “Primary Triad” with the Text Tool.
  8. Continue drawing triangles and using labels to identify the Secondary Triad and a Split Complementary color harmony. Make sure your triangles are not filled so they do not cover each other, and make each triangle’s stroke a different color.
  9. Finally, use the Pen Tool to draw an arc over the four colors in the upper left quadrant (Red, Red-Orange, Orange, Yellow-Orange), and use lines to point to these four colors. Label this arc “Analogous”.
  10. You now have a Color Wheel with several key color harmonies identified. Save your document, and we will continue working with the last two artboards this week.

Assigned: February 23rd, 2024
Teacher Pacing Due Date: February 26th, 2024