Did you know that, according to various estimates, the human eye is able to distinguish from 8 to 16 million colors and their shades? Thanks to this most complex organ, we are able to observe and be surprised at the whole variety of colors that are both found in nature and artificially created by people. The importance of color is very high, and this fact has long been proven by psychologists. Therefore, many designers, planners, artists and all those whose activities are at least a little connected with coloring are of great help to Itten's color wheels, which make it easy to achieve harmony in all kinds of combinations of shades. Even if a person does not work in these areas, knowledge of this tool will allow you to properly equip your home, successfully create your own style of clothing, select accessories that match each other, etc.
Who is Johannes Itten?
This person is a fairly well-known and significant figure for all artists without exception. Want to know why Itten's color circles are so important? It is known that when a person focuses his efforts onany subject for a long time, he inevitably becomes a professional in it. So, Johannes Itten devoted his whole life to research on the topic of color, and for 50 years he led an author's course on this topic in the Bauhaus and European private schools. He wrote an excellent book, The Art of Color (1961), which has become a basic textbook for all colorists. Agree, all these facts indicate that the conclusions of this remarkable person are really worth reading.
Itten's color wheel
This tool is the basis on which all modern theory and practice of color is built. What does he represent? This color scheme has three components:
- Central, in the form of an equilateral triangle inscribed in a circle.
- Medium, in the form of a hexagon added to it.
- External. It is a circle with a large radius, forming something like a donut, divided into 12 equal sectors.
The principle of construction begins with coloring parts of the triangle and donut sectors opposite its corners in three primary colors: yellow, red and blue. They are basic, and all other shades are obtained from their combinations. If you mix them in pairs, you get the colors of the second order: purple, orange and green. They color the remaining parts of the hexagon, which Itten's color circles contain inside, as well as the sectors opposite these vertices. The last thing left to do is get the restshades in the empty parts of the outer circle. This is achieved by mixing the tones of the sectors that are directly nearby.
Itten's color wheel: how to use this scheme
Based on this tool, it is possible to successfully select combinations of two or more shades. Consider some of the most popular ways:
1. Selection of complementary (additional) color. Produced by finding the main color on the outer ring and determining the shade that is located opposite. Such contrasting combinations look very harmonious and perfectly complement each other. For example, orange and blue.
2. Choosing a combination of three opposite colors. Produced by constructing an equilateral triangle with vertices in the sectors of the outer circle. The resulting combination may seem rather bold, but in fact it looks very elegant in fashion.
3. A combination of 3 neighboring colors. Shades are selected that are located in close proximity to each other. This combination is, in comparison with the previous one, more calm and restrained. Example: fuchsia, blue, purple.
4. A combination of three complementary colors. This option is similar to the first one in that here the main shade is also selected first. But instead of one supplementing it on the opposite side, two are taken adjacent to it on both sides. The solution turns out to be quite bold, but at the same time not as contrasting as when using the firstway.
As you can see, Itten's color wheels are pretty easy to use. Being the basis for almost any creativity, they allow you to select the most successful combinations that bring even greater harmony and beauty to life.
