COLOR BLOCKING 101

The color wheel is a good start in knowing your colors in fashion in general. Here are a few that can help you understand and remember.

The COLOR WHEEL has 12 segments that consist of primary, secondary and tertiary hues, or colors.

The three PRIMARY colors are RED, YELLOW, and BLUE. They form a triangle on the wheel. These colors cannot be mixed by combining any other colors. They are indicated on the color wheel with a P.

The three SECONDARY colors of ORANGE, VIOLET, and GREEN (marked on the chart by an S) are created by mixing equal parts of the primary colors they fall in between; ie, VIOLET is the secondary color produced by mixing equal parts of RED and BLUE.

The TERIARY colors are the colors that result from mixing the primary and secondary colors on either side of them: ie, mixing the secondary color ORANGE with the primary color RED results in red-orange. These colors are marked on the color wheel with a T.

Hue: Hue refers to the color...red, blue, etc.

The primary, secondary, and tertiary colors, or hues, are these colors at their full saturation or brightness; that is, there, there is no white, gray, or black added.

Value: the lightness or darkness of a color, or the relative amount (percentage) of white or black in a hue.

Luminosity, or Lightness: A measure of the amount of light reflected from a hue. Those hues with a high content of white have a higher luminance, or value.

Tints: white when added in increments to any color results in a lighter value of that color, called a tint. Blue and white make light blue, which is a tint of Blue.

Shades: black or gray when added in increments to any color results in a darker value of that color, called a shade. Blue and Black make dark blue, a shade of blue.

Saturation: The degree of purity of a hue.

Intensity: The brightness or dullness of a hue. Iintensity maybe lowered by adding white or black. 

Source:  http://www.northlite.net/ps/blend.htm

A color scheme is simply a group of colors that harmonize with each other.  The basic color schemes are:

• Complimentary:   This color scheme uses two colors that are on the opposite side of the color wheel such as red and green or yellow and violet.   Because there is a strong contrast between complimentary colors rooms using this color scheme are bold.   
  Complementary color shades can be broken down further into the following categories;
  
  
• Split Complementary – this scheme is used when one color is combined with the two colors on opposite sides of its complementary color.
  
  
• Triad – a triad is accomplished when three colors of equal distance to each other on the color wheel are used.  Red, yellow and blue combine to make a triad color scheme.
  
  
• Tetrad – by combining to pairs of complimentary colors a tetrad color scheme is created.
  
  
• Analogous: Using colors that are next to each other on the color wheel.
  
  
• Monochromatic:  Using the same color with different shades, tints or tones.  Textural interest should be added to monochromatic color schemes to keep them from getting boring.  In addition, a small bit of color added to accessories will enhance a monochromatic color scheme. 

Source: http://www.the-creative-home.com/decorating-with-color.html

For additional ideas on color blocking...

Before class ends, here are some easy tips & techniques to keep in mind when color blocking:

1. Analogous colors: any three colors lined up on the color wheel (e.g. violet, violet-red & red)

2. Complementary colors: any colors directly across from each other (e.g. blue & orange)

3. Pair colors that form 90 degree angles with each other (e.g. yellow & red -orange)

4. Pair colors that form an X (e.g. blue, orange, violet-red & yellow etc.)

5. Pair colors that form a T (e.g. yellow, blue-green & red-orange)

6. Color-families You can substitute pink (tint) with red and still be able to pull off the combos based on the color wheel.

Source: http://talknerdy2me.org/color-blocking-101

I think these are "nice to take note of" ideas, especially when it's you're a beginner at color blocking. Don't be afraid to try, it's just a matter of how confident you wear what you picked. Ever wonder why some people seem to look good on such clothing that you'd never have the guts to wear? Well, I guess that's probably the trick. :)

For more color blocking "lessons", continue to follow this blog and join me as I venture deeper into the color blocking world. I'm no expert in it, but why can't I let myself in on all the fun?! :D