Color circle - a system of colors in which the color variety is ordered on the basis of an objective pattern. It can be used as a tool for an approximate calculation of the results of color mixing, for determining the intervals between colors when selecting combinations (Fig. 1). Color wheels can be different in the number of colors they contain, but not more than 150, since more the eye does not distinguish.

Primary colors- colors that cannot be obtained by mixing any paints. It's red, yellow and blue colors. The colors that can be obtained by mixing basic colors are conventionally called constituent or derivatives. These are orange, green and purple.

By drawing a diameter through the middle of the yellow color in the color wheel, you can determine that the opposite end of the diameter will pass through the middle purple. Against orange color Blue is on the color wheel. Thus, it is easy to determine pairs of colors, which are conventionally called additional. For red, green will be considered additional, and vice versa. The combination of complementary colors gives a feeling of special brightness of color. When two complementary colors are mixed, an achromatic color is obtained. Mixing two complementary colors of light rays gives White color. When mixing additional colors of pigments (paints), it turns out grey colour(Fig. 2).

The color wheel is divided into two parts - warm and cold. Warm colors are red, yellow, yellow-green. These colors resemble the color of fire, the sun, the color of hot bodies (Fig. 3). cold colors are blue-green, blue, blue-violet. They are associated in the representation of a person with something cold - ice, moonlight (Fig. 4). These definitions are conditional, most often they are based on our life experience. Purely- green color is neutral. It can be warm if yellowish, reddish hues are noticeable in it, and cold - if bluish, bluish hues predominate. The same can be said for purple and magenta. When warm and cold colors are in proximity, warm colors make cool colors colder, and vice versa.

The concepts of "warm color" and "cold color" are relative. Any cool color next to an even colder one will appear comparatively warm. warm colors on a neutral background, contrasts are weaker than cold ones. Therefore, it is more difficult to achieve harmony of colors in a picture with cold colors than with warm ones.

Warm and cold colors in the same conditions differ in opposite optical properties. In daylight, warm colors are perceived as protruding, cold colors are perceived as receding. For example, yellow visually, as it were, brings the surface closer to the viewer and expands it. Red color in daylight approaches us, i.e. protrudes forward, and at dusk it creates the impression of depth, i.e. is removed. The blue color in the daytime seems to recede from us. At dusk, on the contrary, it comes to the fore. Dark blue and purple objects daylight decrease in volume.

Warm colors and their shades, as well as cold colors and their shades, are called related between themselves. Related colors in the color wheel are located next to each other, with warm colors and their shades on the right side of the color wheel, and cold colors on the left. Opposite pairs of colors in such a color wheel will be contrasting. And, conversely, adjacent colors from the neighborhood with each other under the influence of contrast lose their brightness, saturation, change color in the direction of the neighboring spectral color. In this case, both colors seem warmer.

Practical tasks

Task number 1

Target: explore the properties of complementary colors.

Before completing the task, identify pairs of contrasting (complementary) colors. For this purpose, mark six circles, each with a diameter of 30 mm. Divide all six circles with a horizontal line through the center into two halves. Paint the upper part of the first circle with raspberry red, the lower part with green-blue paint. Thus, you have found the first pair of complementary colors. The second pair will look like this: top part circle - red, fiery color, lower - bluish-green. Third pair: top - orange, bottom - pure blue. Fourth pair: top - yellow-green, bottom - purple-violet. Fifth pair: top - lemon yellow, bottom - ultramarine blue. Sixth pair: top - bluish-blue, bottom - orange-yellow.

Draw four rectangles measuring 3x6 cm and divide each horizontally in half. Make a thin mixture of red and bluish-red paint. Mix the parts of the solutions on the palette. If the color turns gray when mixing the solutions, then the colors are complementary. If a third chromatic color is obtained, then one of the colors must be replaced. Next, fill in a part of the rectangle with each of the solutions. In the same way, make other pairs of colors and paint over the rest of the rectangles.

Task number 2

Target: study the location of its colors on the color wheel.

Draw a circle, divide by eight equal parts, having drawn four diameters of the circle, and with solutions of additional colors, cover the parts opposite to the center of the circle.

Task number 3

Target: determine how colors that are similar in saturation and lightness and colors with different lightness and saturation interact. Draw two rectangles measuring 4x8 cm. In each of them, draw a circle at the same level. Prepare saturated solutions of two additional colors and fill the circles inside the rectangles with one of them, and with the other, after the circles dry, cover the remaining plane of the first rectangle. Cover the plane of the second rectangle with the same color as the plane of the first, but with a significant addition of black paint to change the lightness of the color.

The color of the circles in the rectangles will noticeably change. It will appear different lightness and saturation.

test questions

1. What is a color wheel?

2. What colors are included in the color wheel?

3. What is the sequence of colors on the color wheel?

4. What groups are the colors in the color wheel divided into?

5. What are the properties of warm colors?

6. What properties are inherent in cold colors?

7. What colors are called complementary?

8. What are the properties of complementary colors?

BRIGHTNESS

The first color quality is BRIGHTNESS. For relative position bright colors use the color wheel. Let's draw our own color wheel, which we will use further. I should note that not all oil paints are the same. Each manufacturer produces paints that are slightly different in color, thickness, etc. In the beginning, choose a brand of paint that you like and try to use only them. As you gain experience, you can start mixing paints. different brands. From the very beginning, buy only quality paints that you can afford. Cheap ones are of little use.

Primary (or primary) colors are the three basic colors from which all the others are obtained by mixing. As mentioned earlier, these three colors cannot be obtained by mixing any of the others. Draw a circle, place a smear of cadmium yellow light on top, cadmium red light on the left, and ultramarine blue on the right

Secondary colors are shades of color that can be obtained by mixing two primary colors. Get the green color by mixing Strontium Yellow with Ceruleum and place the smear on the indicated spot. Get a lilac color by mixing ultramarine blue and crimson kraplak. Orange - mixing cadmium yellow light and cadmium red light.

Tertiary (derivative) colors are obtained by mixing primary and secondary colors. Yellow and green give us a yellow-green color, and so on. Draw a color circle, moving clockwise. Between cadmium yellow light and green, place strontium yellow, slightly shading with neighboring colors. Between green and ultramarine blue is ceruleum. Mix ultramarine blue and ultramarine violet. Place the raspberry speck between cadmium red light and purple. Mix cadmium red light and orange. Working up the circle, add Cadmium Yellow Medium and Cadmium Yellow Light to top point. We have a color wheel. This scheme will allow you to move on, study all twelve colors and imagine their relationship.

WARM AND COOL COLORS

Now that we have a color wheel with bright colors placed on it, remember that the colors on the "red" half of the circle are considered WARM, and those on the "blue" half are COOL. Yes, my circle is different from others that you have probably seen, but my own scheme seems more logical to me. In many other schemes, all yellow tones were classified as warm. I find this counterintuitive: some yellows, such as lemon yellow, are quite cool, almost greenish in appearance, and do not contain red impurities, like cadmium yellows. If you look at the circle, you can see that the yellow tones go quite far into the "cold" half and, therefore, play important role in both groups. I split the circle right down the middle, between cadmium yellow light and strontium yellow.

If you add a little white to any color from the area of ​​\u200b\u200blilac, you get a lavender or lilac shade. It can be attributed to both warm and cold tones, since it is a lilac color.

In this diagram, purple takes the place where purple usually stands. I believe that this will be correct: lilac is the result of mixing red and blue colors. Violet rays are the shortest in the visible spectrum, while ultraviolet rays give a bluish-purple color. Therefore, since purple is a bluish-purple color, its place is on the "cold" half of the circle. Purple is placed on the "warm" side, since it has more red than purple.

Here are examples of images of the same subject in WARM and COLD tones. These are great exercises. Try to complete them.

WARM GAMMA. Warm colors create a very different feeling than the cold ones in the study below. Ultramarine blue, burnt umber, dark kraplak, light cadmium red, light cadmium yellow, titanium white and burnt bone were used. Warm colors are chosen to give the impression of a hot afternoon.

COLD GAMMA. The decision of the study in cold colors creates the impression of an early morning, which differs from the mood of the upper illustration. Ceruleum, natural umber, cadmium yellow light, strontium yellow, dark speck, zinc white and carbon black were used.

Red is considered psychologically dominant warm color, and blue - dominant cold. The application of this psychological classification of colors is very important for those who mix and use paints. Red is associated with fire and heat, blue - with water, ice, heaven and coolness. Therefore, the more red a color contains, the warmer it is, and the more blue, the colder. Yellow is also a "warming" color when added to others, but it should be noted that it is also a brightening color - the lightest on the color wheel, opposite the darkest, mauve. Taking advantage yellow as "warming", we associate it with sunlight, and therefore yellow tones on the warm half of the circle "raise the temperature" of the color they are added to. cold color, such as lemon yellow, brightens the color but does not "warm" it like cadmium yellow light or cadmium yellow medium. Both cadmiums contain more red than lemon yellow (because lemon yellow is a greenish yellow tone) and therefore act as "warming". To see the difference between yellow tones, squeeze some cadmium yellow medium onto the palette. Then a little cadmium yellow light. Lastly, place a smear of lemon yellow (strontium yellow) next to these colors. Note that the lemon yellow looks greenish, while the two cadmium yellows look much warmer.

Choosing warm and cold range, think about the time of day. Morning conditions are usually cooler than midday ones, so for paintings with similar subjects, you will have to select different palettes. At the end of the day, towards evening, the color is not only warmer than at other times of the day, but also indicates the approach of sunset. Writing sunsets is extremely exciting, but it’s not worth doing only them, missing the beauty of another time of day. At correct selection In terms of color relationships, an image of noon can be just as beautiful, though less bright, than a sunset.

Early morning most often seems to us quiet and clear, with invigorating air and fresh colors. Such sensations arise because during the night the air cools down, dew falls on the ground. Day dust settles, the earth becomes cool. When the sun comes out, the rays penetrate to us through a clean and humid atmosphere and give freshness to the colors, at the same time making them cold. The morning sky has more pastel, cold hues than the afternoon or evening sky. Winter skies are colder than summer skies. As you can see, painting a picture is not just choosing a subject and then capturing it on canvas. It is necessary to think over the way of transferring the chosen motive. What time are we depicting - morning or evening, winter or summer, sunny or cloudy day, clear or rainy? All these decisions should be made in advance, a work plan should be drawn up that will allow you to successfully choose the color solution for the work. So we systematically create a picture, and do not act at random, not knowing what we will succeed.

On the next page are four examples of color solutions. The pictures show different time days and years. Despite the fact that the plot is the same, the landscapes evoke different sensations. They are similar to each other and at the same time unique. The most noticeable difference is "Winter". Try to perform these exercises, remembering the time of day and year, and your sketches will convey the appropriate atmosphere. The palettes of these landscapes are simple and limited.

In the morning the colors are cool and fresh. Here we see snowy peaks, greenish grasses and trees at the foot of the mountains. The feeling of a cool morning is created by strontium-new yellow. Warmth and depth of the landscape - cadmium red light. Cool sky and greenery are painted with the addition of ceruleum. Titanium white brightens colors. That's all. A very simple palette.

Here we see warmer colors,

Blue tones on the shady slopes of the mountains look warmer, closer to purple. Please note that since it is already daytime, the direction sun rays has changed. Such details should be given close attention. Paints used: cadmium orange, cadmium red light, kraplak dark and ultramarine blue. light shades obtained in mixtures with titanium white.

On this motive, the changes are especially noticeable. In nature, there have been transformations characteristic of the winter season. Cadmium orange, ceruleum, ultramarine blue, titanium white and burnt bone are used here. Notice how the mixture of white and ultramarine for shadows on the snow stands out spectacularly next to places lit by the sun (cadmium orange plus white).

I like to paint autumn with its amazing colors. The colors of the study are especially warm, creating a wonderful feeling of fading nature. Note how the foliage begins to darken. The shades of the mountains have become warmer, the haze at their foot is thicker. Cadmium yellow medium, cadmium red light, kraplak dark, ultramarine blue and titanium white are used here. Very simple yet effective palette.