achromatic
without hue
analogous hues
1. hues that lie adjacent to each other on the color wheel; contain two, but never three, primaries; and have the same hue dominant in all samples.
2. analogy exists when all elements in a color group contain a readily discernable common hue and only two primary colors are present.
complementary colors
hues that lie directly opposite each other on the color wheel.
when a pair of complementary colors is mixed, the resulting mix absorbs almost all of the light waves, thus resulting in a mixture that has no discernable hue.
co-primaries
the result of the subdivision of the primary triad into three pairs consisting of two versions of each hue.
hue
the name given to a color based on its location in the color spectrum.
monochromatic
a color scheme based on one hue.
overtone
a term used to describe the secondary hue “bias” of a primary color. For example, alizarin crimson is a red that leans toward violet, while scarlet is a red that has an orange bias.
primary triad
composed of red, yellow, and blue, which are equidistant from each other on the color wheel.
it is called primary, because, theoretically, all other colors can be mixed from it.
range of hue
overall configuration of hues in a given image.
the range of hue in a piece of art or design can be described as broad, medium, or narrow.
saturation
refers to the relative purity of hue present in a color. A highly saturated color vividly shows a strong presence of hue; conversely, low saturation refers to a weak hue presence.
secondary triad
orange, green, and violet.
they are called secondary because each can be made by combining two primaries.
split complementaries
colors that are adjacent to the complementary of a color.
subtractive color
color seen in pigment as the result of reflected/absorbed light, as opposed to additive color which is color as seen in light. Additive color primaries are red, green, and blue-violet; when they are combined, the result is white light
tertiary colors
also called intermediate colors, they result from the combination of a primary color with an adjacent secondary color.
triadic hues
color relationships based on any three equidistant hues on the color wheel.
value
the relative quality of lightness or darkness in a color.
Sources: Color – A Workshop Approach by David Hornung and Understanding Color by Linda Holtzschue
Color Glossary I
