The harmony of color combinations is quite important for many aspects of our life. After all, it is necessary to take into account the degree of interaction of various shades and color combinations in the interior, in clothes, in various types of art and many other industries.
Itten's color wheel
There is a certain scheme of basic color combinations. She is represented in a circle created by artist I. Itten. You see this circle in the image below.
In this model, the interaction of colors among themselves, the separation of colors by degree of primacy, is graphically presented. So, there are basic and additional, you can also trace the order of their combination.
Circle color combinations designed to help aspiring artists to simplify working with color. The circle taught the most harmonious combination of shades. It is relevant to date. The outer shell in the form of a closed circle contains twelve colors of the spectrum from red to purple. Red, blue, yellow are the basic, that is, the basic tones. All the rest, formed by mixing, belong to the secondary colors. With further mixing, tertiary shades form.
However, it is clear that in real life we perceive and use a much larger number of shades. Therefore, the most complete model can be imagined in the form of a sphere, the poles of which will carry white and black colors.
The concept of color harmonies
The laws of color harmony are based on the patterns of combinations and are the basis of the color composition as a whole. There are many of them. The schemes used to compose color harmonies are different in shape. The construction is carried out on the basis of a certain number of tones (two, three, four or more).
The use of such schemes will help you navigate in the variety of shades and choose their necessary combination.
To understand what will be discussed later, keep Itten’s color wheel in your head or look at the picture.
Two-color harmony color
It involves the compatibility of pairs of colors. These can be either adjacent or opposite sectors of the Itten circle. An example is a combination of opposites (complementary colors): red - green, blue - orange. All of them harmoniously interact with each other. The basis of such compatibility is color contrast. It is also possible to combine extremely remote tones from each other (light orange - blue).
Three-color harmony
It is also called the “color triad.” Such combinations can be represented by various schematic options. With an adjacent combination (adjacent colors) and a combination of similar colors (through one), harmonious color unions are formed. But the classic scheme is the use of triangles (isosceles and equilateral). In this case, harmonious color triads are formed (yellow, red, blue; violet, green, orange). Therefore, by inscribing any of these figures into the circle of Itten's color combinations and rotating, it is easy to determine the most harmonious union. As a rule, contrast combinations are obtained. You can also apply linear variations from complementary colors to adjacent ones and so on.
Four-color harmony
This is a complicated option. However, such harmony is easy enough to imagine. Her color a pattern is defined by fitting simple geometric shapes, such as a square and a rectangle, into the Itten circle. A trapezoid option is also possible. When mixing the colors of this combination, you get a black tone. An example of a four-color harmony: yellow, red-orange, purple, blue-green.
Harmony of six colors
It is formed by the inclusion in the space of a circle of an equilateral hexagon. This is a rather complex harmony, the color scheme of which consists of six different shades. Mentally, it’s rather difficult to make such a chain. Therefore, in this case, it is worth using the circle model. If we consider the sphere as the basis, then through spatial rotation you can achieve interesting color combinations.
Color matching
The whole solution to the question of selecting a tone depends on the goals, objectives and scope of a particular color. To solve design problems, there are peculiarities; for wardrobe selection - others. But one way or another, one can not do without using color theory, as well as concepts about how important harmony, color compatibility and general characteristics of colors. With a conscious approach, compiling the necessary compositional structure based on the basics of color science is quite easy.
Some of the tones that form the basis of Itten's circle have a number of features. Also, their distinguishing feature can be called increased brightness and saturation. Spectral colors are not always used in pure form. Often achromatic black and white join them. And many of them are difficult to mix or perceive.
For example, purple is a rather complex color. Color harmony formed with its use, quite interesting. It is formed by mixing light rays of red and purple. Choosing a particular tone to the existing one, it is important not to forget the rules of their combination, schematic models.
Characteristics of color. The main
Each color has three main characteristics. These include saturation, degree of lightness and color tone. It is also important to take into account contrast (color and light) and the spatial effect of a color. Color matching to solve a problem, one should begin by understanding these properties.
The color tone is determined by the position in the spectral structure and determines its name (green, red). The tone allows you to identify the difference between spectral and achromatic color.
Saturation is a characteristic that determines the degree of proximity to the ideal spectral color. The closer, the higher the degree of color saturation. If, for example, you add white or black paint to the color, a loss of saturation will occur. That is, in essence, saturation determines the degree of color remoteness from gray of the same degree of lightness.
The degree of lightness is a property of color that determines its position on a scale from white to completely black. In everyday life, this property is also called brightness.
Color contrast is a concept that is often used by artists, colorists, designers. It is based on the properties of contrasting colors, the degree of their interaction and compatibility. Contrasting shades enhance each other's saturation, while exerting a great influence on each other.
There are a number of terms used to characterize color. These are the concepts of intensity, sonority, degree of specularity. All components are variable, as they are directly dependent on the time of day, such as lighting.
Combination rules
It is necessary to adhere to the compatibility of no more than four shades (if there is no direct task to combine more).
Achromatic colors, as well as gray, are universal. They agree well with bright colors.
Bleached shades, the so-called pastel tones, as a rule, combine well with each other due to the generalizing element at the base (white).
Harmony standards are considered related (blue - purple) combinations or complementary (red - green).
A combination of monochrome colors (shades from one segment) can be a good solution.
Thus, racking one's brains over the choice of one or another color union, one should pay attention to the theoretical basis of coloristics, devote time to color models and the characteristics of the chosen colors.
In any industry, harmony is extremely important, the color structure of which affects the characteristics necessary for the selection of the right combinations. This should not be forgotten.