Regardless of what a person creates, be it an advertisement, a picture or a page on the Internet, it should be pleasing to the eye. Therefore, almost all designers, illustrators and some artists use different color matching schemes.
The most common of these is the color wheel. It allows you to choose harmonious and pleasant combinations, however, in order to use such a thing, you need to know how it works. There are rules and nuances that will have to be taken into account when using this tool. Of course, there are people for whom it is useless. Possessing an innate talent, they select the right combinations of colors and shades by eye. But now it's not about them.
History of Creation
Since ancient times, man has been trying to understand the nature of color, there have been many theories. Almost all spheres of science de alt with this issue: optics, art history, cultural studies, psychology and others. In particular, it was precisely because of this that coloristics could not form as a separate science.
Firstsystematization was created by Leonardo da Vinci. He discovered that the variety of colors is limited, and called black and white true. He also analyzed the perception of colors, revealed contrasting and complementary ones.
A new stage of development began when Isaac Newton identified seven primary colors, based on the spectrum of white light. The following phrase is still known: "Every hunter wants to know where the pheasant is sitting." But the great scientist completed the chain and added purple to it, considering it a mixture of red and purple. From that moment on, it became possible to draw up the famous color wheel scheme. Although the very first circle was drawn by Goethe, who was interested in the coloring of surrounding objects. The first symmetrical color wheel was created by Castel, it consisted of 6 sectors (now it is called the Goethe circle). The great German poet also owns the first ever work on color - "The Theory of Color". Over time, improving, the circle came to a form in which it can be found almost everywhere.
There are other color matching schemes, but they are inconvenient to use in everyday work, so they are not so popular.
Itten Circle
This is a twelve-part circle that is made up of three primary, three secondary and six tertiary colors. The second triple is obtained by mixing pairs of yellow, red and blue colors, and the tertiary, respectively, by mixing primary and secondary. It was invented, as the name implies, by Johansen Itten, a Swiss artist and teacher. He made a huge contribution to the understanding of nature andperception of color and its shades. Until now, the scheme he invented is considered a classic and is still used by designers and artists around the world.
Oswald Circle
A more modern version is presented in the form of a spectrum. Three primary colors can be distinguished in the palette displayed by Oswald. It is on them that the current additive color model RGB (Red, Green, Blue), that is, red, green and blue, is based. As it has been proven, these colors are perceived by our eye directly, all other shades are obtained by mixing these three. Of course, in such a scheme there is neither black nor white. They have no place in the spectrum, they are considered as the extreme points of saturation.
The spectral color wheel is mainly used when you want to see as many shades as possible.
Perception training
It's no secret that the human eye can distinguish up to 150 shades. However, thanks to training, this number increases to 350-400 for artists. Many people working in areas where they have to deal with color do not have an innate intuitive instinct, so the Itten circle saves them. Now it is available, you can print it on a printer or buy it in a specialized store, but from time to time, for practice, it is better to draw it yourself. It may not work right away, but this is necessary for correct perception, because it is very difficult to get the right shade the first time. For example, green should be exactly green, not yellowish or bluish.
Formalapproach
To create harmonious combinations, you need to study more than one rule of the color wheel. Having understood the principle of work, everything will be on your shoulder. Whether you're a fashion designer or a painter, or maybe you're an interior designer, sooner or later you're going to have to deal with color.
But the use of various schemes should in no way limit your own flair or imagination. So, there are basic combinations or combinations in which there are from 2 to 4 colors. If you are an active computer user, you can always use special programs for selecting shades, since they all take the color wheel as a basis.
Complementary colors
They are also called complementary or contrasting. On the Itten circle, they are located opposite each other. Their combinations look quite energetic, although it is believed that they are too sharp, in nature you can find more than one example of their harmonious unity. Don't red roses framed by green leaves or strawberries in the garden look wonderful? Such combinations are used in cases where you need to highlight or emphasize something. But they are completely unsuitable for text compositions.
Triads
There are three types - classic, analog and contrast. The first is formed by colors that are at an equal distance from each other on the circle of Itten. For example, purple, green and orange. Each is located three sectors from the other. The combination looks life-affirming and positive, even if you take unsaturated shades. But to achieve the greatest harmony of colors, choose one main one, and use the other two as auxiliary ones. But the analog triad looks harmonious in any case, since the three colors are arranged sequentially on the circle. The composition of such a triad does not irritate the eye and looks comfortable.
It is most often found in nature, so it is perceived naturally. But even here it is better to make one color the main one, and the other two - additional. The third type is a contrasting triad, it is built from one color and two neighboring ones from its complementary brother. Let's take green for example. Its opposite is red, so for the three we take red-orange and red-violet. Use this combination carefully and only if you are sure that you can do it most concisely.
Rectangular and square designs
Four colors, each pair of contrasting colors, make up a rectangular scheme. It gives the largest number of variations. The composition will look better if you choose one color as the main one, and use the rest as additional or auxiliary. The second scheme is square, it also consists of four colors. If you look at the color wheel, they will be equally removed from each other. This combination looks brighter, so here it is also preferable to choose one main shade.
Now you know all the basic rules, but it's worth noting that if you follow the rules alone, you can achieve little. people workingwith color, must have a creative flair and taste. The color wheel is only an assistant, the rest depends on the imagination, you cannot be content with just a formal approach.
