WHAT IS COLOUR? This may sound like a silly question but when you stop and ask yourself, what actually is it? Well this post will help you understand what colour is, where it comes from and all the different types.
Colour can only be seen when there is light, it is created by light hitting an object, some light will bounce off, while others are absorbed, this means we can only see the colour which is reflected off the object. The main light source which we have is the sun, the sun has all the colours mixed together, when they are all mixed it creates ‘White Light’, if white light hits a white object it obviously appears white because all the colours are absorbed, reflecting no colour, causing it to be white, this is the same for Black.
Every source of light contains colour, because light is made up of waves, and these waves all travel at different speeds, different colours are formed, Each colour has a different wavelength, the longest wavelength which we can see would represent Red, the shortest would be Violet. Each colour has its own frequency, wavelength and properties.
These wavelengths of colour can be described as the Visible Spectrum, this consists of seven main colours, which are:
Our eyes can only see three of these colours, Red, Blue and Green, these are known as Primary colours. Explained in the ‘Colour Terminology’ section just below.
http://www.colourtherapyhealing.com/colour/– ACCESSED OCT 26TH 2015
COLOUR TERMINOLOGY
The colour wheel is used to show the colours of the spectrum and how they relate to each other, this is based on Sir Isaac Newton’s work where bending light through prisms he discovered that the colours he found formed a spectrum, he then arranged these into a circe from Red, Orange, Yellow, Green, Blue, Purple and then returned to Red.
Primary Colours: Three colours our eyes can see. For example, Red, Blue and Yellow.
Complementary Colours: Colors that are opposite each other on the color wheel. For example, Red and Green, Blue and Yellow. When these colours are paired together, they appear more vibrant.
Analogous Colours: Colors that are next to each other on the color wheel. An example of analogous colors – Red and Orange, Green and Blue – By using Analogous colours it can help create a visual harmony within a space.
Hue: Colour or shade which can create depth, tone, shade and tint.
Value: The lightness or darkness of a colour.
Saturation: The purity or brightness of a colour. A highly saturated colour would be bright and clear. Compared to, a less saturated colour will appear more dull, grey or muted.
Tone: A colour that has been enhanced by the addition of black or white. Dark tones, or shades, result from mixing a saturated colour with black. Light tones, are achieved by mixing a saturated colour with white.
MOOD BOARD
After looking at colour we began too look at the use of mood boards. These are used to present ideas when showing clients the initial inspiration and it also helps having visual ideas which can be easily understood. To start exploring the use of mood boards I created one focusing on the Bauhaus. My main focus point was the Bauhaus colour blue, yellow and red. I wanted to show a link between the bauhaus and its colour and Interior design.
Peta-Louise Krog 