Regardless of what a person creates, whether it is an advertisement, a picture or a page on the Internet, this 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 considered when using this tool. Of course, there are people for whom it is useless. Possessing an innate talent, they pick up the
right combination 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. Practiced on this issue in almost all areas of science: optics, art history, cultural studies, psychology and others. In particular, it was because of this that color could not be formed as a separate science.
The first systematization was created by Leonardo da Vinci. He discovered that the variety of colors is limited, but called true black and white. He also examined the
perception of colors, revealed contrasting and additional ones.
A new stage of development began when Isaac Newton identified seven primary colors, taking as a basis the spectrum of white light. Such a phrase is still known: "Every hunter wants to know where the pheasant sits." But the great scientist closed the chain and added purple to it, considering it a mixture of red and purple. From this moment 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 Castell, it consisted of 6 sectors (now it is called the Goethe circle). The great German poet also owns the first colorization work in history - Theory of Color. Over time, improving, the circle came to a view in which it can be found almost everywhere.
There are other schemes for selecting colors, but using them in everyday work is inconvenient, so they are not so popular.
Itten Circle
This is the twelve-part circle, which is obtained from three primary, three secondary and six tertiary colors. The second three is obtained by mixing pairwise yellow, red and blue colors, and tertiary, respectively, when mixing primary and secondary. He was invented, as the name implies, by Johansen Itten - a Swiss artist and teacher. He made a huge contribution to understanding nature and the perception of color and its shades. Until now, he invented the scheme is considered 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. In displayed by Oswald
The palette can be divided into three primary colors. It is on them that the current additive color model RGB (Red, Green, Blue) is based, that is, red, green and blue. As it was proved, these colors are perceived directly by our eye, 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 extreme points of saturation.
The spectral color wheel is used mainly when you need to see as many shades as possible.
Perception training
It's no secret that the human eye is able to distinguish up to 150 shades. However, thanks to the training of artists, this number rises to 350-400. Many people working in areas where one has to deal with coloristics do not have an innate intuitive instinct, therefore Itten's circle saves them. Now it is available, you can print it on a printer or buy in a specialized store, but from time to time, for training, it is better to draw it yourself. It may not work out right away, but it is necessary for the correct perception, because it is very difficult to get the right shade the first time. For example, green should turn out to be green, not yellowish or bluish.
Formal approach
To create harmonious combinations, it is necessary to study more than one rule of the color wheel. Having understood the principle of work, you will be able to do everything. Whether you are creating clothes or drawing pictures, or maybe you are an interior designer, sooner or later you will have to deal with color.
But the use of various schemes in no case should 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 to select shades, since they all have the color wheel as their basis.
Complementary colors
They are also called complementary or contrasting. On Itten's 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 a strawberry in a garden look wonderful? Such combinations are used in cases when 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 equally spaced from one another in Itten's circle. For example, purple, green and orange. Each is located across 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, select one primary, and use the other two as auxiliary. But the analog triad looks harmonious in any case, since the three colors are arranged on a circle in series. A composition from such a triad does not irritate the eye and looks comfortable.
It is most often found in nature, therefore it is perceived naturally. But here it is better to make one color primary, and the other two additional. The third type is a contrasting triad, it is built from one color and two neighboring from its complementary brother. For example, take green. Its opposite is red, so for the three we take red-orange and red-purple. Use this combination is careful and only if you are sure that you will be able to do it most succinctly.
Rectangular and square patterns
Four colors, each pair of which is contrasting, make up a rectangular pattern. It gives the largest number of variations. The composition will look better if you select one color as the main, 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 distant from each other. This combination looks more vividly, therefore it is also preferable to choose one main shade here.
Now you know all the basic rules, but it is worth noting that if you follow only the rules, you can achieve little. People working with color should have a creative flair and taste. The color wheel is only an assistant, the rest depends on the imagination, you can not be content with only a formal approach.