Color harmony in painting is a pleasing visual arrangement of colors. The viewer is engaged and has a sense of order and synchronization in the viewing experience. When something is out of harmony, it is either dull or chaotic. At the bland end of the spectrum, the viewer may experience boredom; at the chaotic end, the viewer may experience a sense of disorganization and the experience may be unpleasant. A color wheel, which is a depiction of color harmonies and their opposites, is a tool used to create color harmony in painting.
Instructions
1. Choose a color scheme and intensity. Employ the basic color wheel, which depicts harmonious colors and colors that are discordant or harsh. The color wheel serves as a guide and will assist in determining which colors work best with each other and at the other end of the spectrum, those colors that are opposites.
2. Decide if a monochromatic color scheme is best. A monochromatic scheme uses just one color to achieve maximum effect. The intensity of the single color can be varied by adding some black or white. The hue can also be adjusted, by adding either black or white. Add interest to a monochromatic scheme by varying the color intensity.
3. Choose analogous colors. These are colors that are adjacent on the color wheel. Turn the wheel and the closest harmonious colors are shown. There are a minimum of two analogous colors and no more than five. By choosing analogous colors, your color palette offers a greater variety and range of colors to work with. Analogous colors are soothing and gentle.
4. Choose complementary colors. These are colors that are directly opposite each other on the wheel and can be used to create visual excitement and energy. As an example, orange is the opposite of blue.
5. Choose colors that are part of a triad. This combination of colors is most frequently used. On the color wheel, choose three colors that are equally spaced apart. Look at the wheel and see that the color choices form a triangle. A triad can be any three colors on the color wheel, as long as the choice forms a triangle. Many landscape paintings use colors that form a triad. Green, violet and orange--a triangular choice--is most often used in landscape painting.
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