Color

achromatic Color

General

Without color. Being gray, white or black, neutral.

additive color mixture Color

General

Additive color mixture is a term applied to combining colors of light - such as combining a red beam of light with a blue beam of light.  If beams of yellow, red and blue light are combined, the result is white light.  

 

analogous color Color

General
Adjacent colors on the color wheel such as red, orange and yellow.

black Color

General
Devoid of a hue; reflecting little or no light. The absorption of light without the reflection of any rays of light.

blue Color

General
One of the primary colors. The color located between green and violet in the visible spectrum; a light illuminaiton containing a wavelength between 450 and 500 nm, the color of the sky.

Broken Color Color

General

Broken color was incorporated into the Impressionists’ paintings during the 19th century in French painting.  The color was painted on a canvas using small short strokes (versus the normal method of carefully blending the tones and colors together.  The result was a “patchwork” appearance in which the strokes gave the visual effect of light falling over the planes and forms of objects and figures.  Today broken color continues to be used popularly in paintings.

chroma Color

General
Intensity. The amount of brightness of a hue; the amount of purity of a hue.

chromatic Color

General
Containing color; the opposite of achromatic.

chromatic neutral Color

General
The dominant hue in a color mixture; color identity.

color constancy Color

General
The eye's ability to adapt to changes in illumination.

color harmony Color

Technical

Unlike the “Rembrandt effect” that some painters seek to create for harmony’s sake that had once been developed from time, dirt, and varnish on old master works – a preferred if not true color harmony in an art piece is one that reflects how that singular source of sunshine can wash over an outdoor scene of whatever colors – and yet allow for a united tone of reflected light and values. Achieving color harmony can give that assuring sense that all parts of a painting are from the same day – and moment. 

color identity Color

General
Chromatic neutral; the dominant hue in a color mixture.

color index number Color

General
An identification number attached to a specific pigment arrangement.

Color perception / Seeing color Color

General

Color perception is the color that we see when we view an object or scene.  Color perception can be influenced by a number of factors, such as color blindness, the inability to observe without preconceived notions, and the quality of light that one is seeing an object/scene in.  There are many theories about color perception.  There even exists a school in California dedicated solely to the art of seeing color!  When one simply “observes” something without the input of any preconceived notions, a better color perception occurs.  Becoming aware of color and trying to perceive color accurately is a skill that takes much time and effort to acquire.  Painters especially practice the art of perceiving color in order to paint objects as they are. 

color personality Color

General
A person's taste in regard to certain colors in an artist's work.

color scheme Color

General
An arrangement of colors based upon an orderly arrangement of colors on the color wheel used within a piece of artwork.

color shade Color

General
The value of a color ranging from dark to medium. A darker value of a color.

color solid Color

General
The properties of color presented on a 3D form.

Color symbolism / Color meaning Color

General

Color symbolism refers to the meaning associated with that of a certain color.  Each color may have several different color symbolisms attached to it depending on the context and culture it is used in.  (For example, white in some cultures symbolizes purity.  In other cultures, it symbolizes death.)  There are a number of influential factors that affect the symbolism of a color.  These influences include the following:
1. The different shades of a color (like red and pink).

2. The object or shape the color is contained within.

3. The position and amount of the color in an area.

4. The color combination used (such as red, white and blue, or red and green).

When color is used in a large region or shape, it can have a strong impact in its symbolism. Moreover, when a color is used along with a certain shape – such as a star, triangle, or hexagon – the symbolism of the color becomes more complex.  

One example of the use of color symbolism is the common use of the color black to symbolize one is in a state of mourning.  
 

color tint Color

General
A high key value of a particular color; a lighter value of a color

color tone Color

General
A color influenced by a complement or gray tone.

color wheel Color

General
A circular organization of the colors on the color spectrum.

colorant Color

General
Dye or pigment; color substance.

colorist Color

General
A person placing emphasis on color relationships in a piece of artwork.

compatible colors Color

General
Colors paired for similarities in intensity, tinting strength, opacity or transparency.

complementary colors Color

General
Colors on the opposite sides of the color wheel.

dominant color Color

General
The dominant color in a composition.

dye Color

General
The absorption of a transparent colorant by a particular surface material.

expanded palette Color

General
The expansion of the six basic primaries and secondaries to include more than twelve hues.

fugitive color or pigment Color

General
The fading or changing of a chemically unstable pigment over time due to lighting or storage conditions.

granulation Color

General
The sedimentary visual effect of washes.

gray Color

General
A neutral hue; a color located between white and black.

green Color

General
One of the secondary colors; a color located between blue and yellow. The color of pine trees.

hue Color

General
The name of a color on the color spectrum, such as purple, orange, and red.

intensity Color

General
The amount of brightness of a hue; the amount of purity of a hue. Chroma.

limited palette Color

General
A select number of colors used to create a piece of artwork.

local color Color

General

The color of something without the affect of any color created from shadowing or exposure to various lighting.  Local color is the true color of something.  For instance, a rose may appear to be the color of violet in the shade, but its true color (local color) may be red.

luminosity Color

General

The glow or brightness in a piece of artwork. Luminosity in a painting refers to the created light which can vary in gradation, and other ways (i.e. reflection, and/or amount of diffraction & intensity). 

mingle Color

General
Allowing colors to retain their hue color by only partially mixing them .

mixed contrast Color

General
The overlaying of an afterimage upon a different color; successive contrast.

monochromatic Color

General
Being only one color.

neutral Color

General
Without color; being gray, white or black. Achromatic.

opacity Color

General
The degree to which an object is impenetrable to light rays.

optical mixture Color

General
A mixture created in the eye by which two colors juxtaposed together blend together.

orange Color

General
One of the secondary colors; a color located between red and yellow. An illumination of light containing a wavelength between 590 and 610 nm.

paint Color

General

Pigment held in suspension within a liquid.

pigment Color

General
The powder color substance used in the creation of paints.

primary color Color

General
One of the three main colors - blue, yellow, magenta, cyan and red. A color that cannot be made from other colors

properties of color Color

General
The value, hue, intensity, and temperature of a color.

red Color

General
One of the primary colors. A color located at the end of the visible spectrum; a color resembling a strawberry or blood. A light illumination containing a wavelength between 610 and 780 nm; a color located between orange and yellow.

reflected color or light Color

General
The color or light on an object that is bounced off of other nearby objects.

saturation Color

General

The amount of brightness of a hue; the amount of purity of a hue. Chroma. Intensity.

secondary color Color

General
A color created from mixing two primary colors. Orange, purple and green.

secondary color Color

General
A color created by mixing two primary colors.

semiopaque Color

General
Partially opaque.

semitransparent Color

General
Partially transparent.

simultaneous contrast Color

General
The result that happens when two colors are placed side by side and viewed together or one after the other.

spectrum Color

General
The range of colors created when white light goes through a prism - yellow, green blue, purple, orange and red.

split primaries Color

General
The six primaries utilized by artists to mix colors; the cool and warm pigment for every primary color.

stain Color

General
Dye; the absorption of a transparent colorant by a particular surface material.

style Color

General
An artist's sense of expression; the choice of colors and techniques an artist uses in his/her art

substractive color Color

General
The color reflected from a mixture of paint that absorbs every color but the local color of an object.

successive contrast Color

General
The complementary color seen after viewing a particular color; the afterimage one sees after seeing a certain color.

temperature Color

General
The coolness or warmth of a particular color in relation to other colors beside it.

tertiary color Color

General
The combination of a primary color and the secondary color beside it, such as blue-green or yellow-orange.

tetrad Color

General
A color scheme arrangement derived from the color wheel that contains four colors.

tinting strength Color

General
The ability of a particular color to impact or change a paint mixture.

toned support or ground Color

Product
A canvas or piece of paper prepared with a wash or undertone before a painting or drawing begins.

transparency Color

General
The ability of a dye or paint to permit a secondary color to come through.

triad Color

General
The three color scheme on the color wheel based on a logical relationship.

violet Color

General
One of the secondary colors. A color located between red and blue; the color of a plum or grapes. An illumination of light containing a wavelength between 400 and 450 nm.

white Color

General
Possessing no hue color; transparent. Reflecting the sum total rays of light.

yellow Color

General
One of the primary colors. A color located between orange and green; the color of a lemon. An illumination of light containing a wavelength between 570 and 590 nm.