Colour theory basics

What is colour theory? Simply put - it is the logical understanding and application of colour. Colour theory encompasses many different aspects of colour including colour wheels, colour anatomy, colour schemes and more. Understanding colour theory can improve the quality and appeal of things like character designs and backgrounds. This is an introduction to a few of the most basic principles found in colour theory.

For more information on digital colour, see About digital colour profiles and spaces.

Colour Anatomy

‘Colour anatomy’ refers to the different characteristics that create a colour. In this case, hue, value, saturation/chroma and temperature.

Hue In colour theory, hue refers to the pure colour, when it is not affected by black or white. In this example, the hue is red.
Value The value is the amount of black or white that is added to the hue. This will make the hue either lighter or darker, and so will result in something like a maroon or pink depending on which value you add.
Chroma or Saturation Colour chroma refers to the brightness of the colour, or rather, how saturated or desaturated it is. Neon colours tend to be very saturated, and pastel colours tend to be less saturated. In basic terms, it’s how much of the pure colour is actually present. A colour with no saturation will become grey, white, or black depending on the value.

Temperature

The temperature is how warm or how cool a colour is. Compared to all colours on a spectrum, a hue will be considered warm or cool. For instance, red, orange, yellow and some greens are considered warm colours whereas blue, purple and some greens are considered cool. 

Warm colours	Cool colours

However, a colour on its own can still lean to a warmer or cooler version of that hue. In this case, a warm red or a cool red. This can be achieved by picking a red either closer to orange or closer to purple.

Warm red	Cool red

Colour Wheels

A colour wheel is a chart representing the relationships between colours. Different types of colour wheels represent different colour relationships. We’ll look at some of the most commonly used ones.

Standard colour wheel

This is possibly the colour wheel that is most commonly known. At a very young age, we are taught that this wheel starts with primary colours: yellow, blue and red. When mixing primaries, you get secondary colours; Yellow and red will give you orange, yellow and blue will give you green and finally, blue and red will give you purple. The following illustration shows the standard colour wheel on the left, and its primary and secondary colours. 

Standard colour wheel	Primary colours	Secondary colours

But in the digital age, there is a downside to using this wheel, simply because it is based on traditional mixing of paint and also on how our eyes see colour. If you analyze it carefully, notice how there are more warm colours than there are cool colours. 

Different principles come into play when working with colours on a computer screen or printing your work as these colours are being seen through pixels and not in traditional paint mixing mediums.

Yurmby colour wheel

The Yurmby colour wheel is more practical than the standard colour wheel. It is based on a set of six primary colours: yellow, red, magenta, blue, cyan and green. These six colours cover a very wide range and also allows for even representation of all colours on the spectrum.

Yurmby colour wheel	Primary colours

Below you can see the difference between the Standard and Yurmby colour wheels. Note how the Yurmby wheel has a more subtle range in temperatures and hues.

Yurmby	Standard

Colour Schemes

A colour scheme consists of a specific set of colours that are chosen to create a certain mood, feeling or atmosphere in creative work. Here we will look at a few of the most commonly used colour schemes.

Monochromatic colour scheme

A scheme is monochromatic when you use a single hue for everything in your project. You can create contrast by simply taking that colour through variations of values or chroma. This kind of scheme is often used when trying to illustrate old vintage photos (often in sepia or grey). It's also a great tool when you exclusively want to study lighting: you basically do not need to worry about colour at all, just light and shadow.

In the following image, red was chosen for the scheme. A monochromatic scheme would include all levels of chroma and values. No other colour would be included in the palette. 

Complementary colour scheme

Colours are complementary to each other when they are at opposite sides on the colour wheel.  For instance, red and green are complementary. Due to their opposition on the spectrum, using complementary colours in a project creates a strong, shocking contrast. It's a good scheme to go with when trying something experimental.

Analogous colour scheme

Colours are analogous when three colours are one next to the other on the colour wheel.  The analogous colour scheme is possibly one of the most accessible schemes since it will always yield an harmonious colour palette. However, it is a bit harder to create dramatic scenes with it because of the small range of varied colours.

Other colour schemes

The above colour schemes are just examples of some colour combinations that can be used. There are many more examples to look at, such as the Triadic, the Split Complementary, Tetradic and warm and cool colour schemes. These are all good starting points to build a palette for your scene that will create the mood and atmosphere you desire.