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Test Your Knowledge of COLOR Theory

tube of oil paintTest your knowledge of color theory as it applies to fine art. Take this simple test by writing your answers on paper, then check your answers at the end of the quiz. Don’t peek!

1. Color is  _______.

A.    a design principle
B.    an element of art
C.    a value
D.    none of the above

2. What color can not be made by mixing any other color?

A.    Yellow
B.    Green
C.    Purple
D.    Gray

3. What are the primary colors?

A.    Red-orange, red-purple, yellow-orange, yellow-green, blue-green, and blue-purple
B.    Green, orange, and purple
C.    White, black, gray, and brown
D.    Red, blue, and yellow

4. The choice of colors used in a design plan is called a _______.

A.    color spectrum
B.    color wheel
C.    color scheme
D.    color mix

5. A circular chart used to show color relationships is called a _______.

A.    color ray
B.    color wheel
C.    color circle
D.    color scheme

6. Secondary colors are created by mixing two _______.

A.    neutral colors
B.    complementary colors
C.    primary colors
D.    intermediate or Tertiary colors

7. Colors that are different in lightness and darkness are said to be _______.

A.    contrasting
B.    light in value
C.    dark in value
D.    bright and intense

8. What are the secondary colors?

A.    Red-orange, red-purple, yellow-orange, yellow-green, blue-green, and blue-purple
B.    Green, orange, and purple
C.    White, black, gray, and brown
D.    Red, blue, and yellow

9. Which of the following are examples of cool colors?

A.    Orange, green and purple (or violet)
B.    Blue, green and violet (or purple)
C.    Yellow, blue and red
D.    White, black and brown

10.  Which of the following are examples of warm colors?

A.    Yellow, red, and orange
B.    Yellow, red and blue
C.    Yellow, green and blue
D.    Orange, purple and green

11. Yellow-orange, red-orange, and yellow-green are examples of _______ colors.

A.    intermediate or tertiary
B.    secondary
C.    primary
D.    triadic

12. _______ is another word for brightness of a color.

A.    Value
B.    Intensity
C.    Hue
D.    Complementary

13. What are the tertiary colors?

A.    Red-orange, red-purple, yellow-orange, yellow-green, blue-green, and blue-purple
B.    Green, orange, and purple
C.    White, black, gray, and brown
D.    Red, blue, and yellow

14. Monochromatic colors are all the colors (tints, tones, and shades) of a single hue.

True | False

15. Complimentary colors are side by side on the color wheel.

True | False

16. To make a shade you would add _______ to a color.

A.    black
B.    white
C.    brown
D.    yellow

17. What words are used to describe color temperature?

A.    Light and Dark
B.    Hot and Cold
C.    Black and White
D.    Warm and Cool

18. Which colors will give you the greatest contrast?

A.    Red and blue
B.    Blue and green
C.    Red and green
D.    Green and yellow

19. How many colors are on the basic color wheel?

A.    Three primary and three secondary colors
B.    Three cool and three warm colors
C.    Three pairs of complementary colors
D.    All of the above

20. Analogous colors is another term for complementary colors.

True | False

21. Red and green are examples of complementary colors.

True | False

22. The color plan of red, yellow and blue is an example of a triad color scheme.

True | False

23. A related color scheme would be colors that are next to each other on the color wheel.

True | False

24. Tints of colors may be created by adding white. Pink is a tint of red.

True | False

25. Intensity refers to the purity of a hue.

True | False

26. Blue and orange are _______ colors.

A.    primary
B.    related or analogous
C.    secondary
D.    complementary

27. Red, yellow, and blue are _______ colors.

A.    primary
B.    related or analogous
C.    secondary
D.    complementary

28. Yellow, yellow-orange, orange are _______ colors.

A.    primary
B.    related or analogous
C.    secondary
D.    complementary

29. Red and green are _______ colors.

A.    primary
B.    related or analogous
C.    secondary
D.   complementary

30. Orange, green and violet (or purple) are _______ colors.

A.    primary
B.    related or analogous
C.    secondary
D.    complementary

31. Purple, blue, and red-violet are _______ colors.

A.    primary
B.    related or analogous
C.    secondary
D.    complementary

32. Colors that are across from each other on the color wheel are called ________ .

A.    intermediate or tertiary colors
B.    analogous colors
C.    color triad
D.   complementary colors

33. Three colors that are equal distance apart on the color wheel are called ________ .

A.    intermediate or tertiary colors
B.    analogous colors
C.    color triad
D.    complementary colors

34. Colors that are next to each other on the color wheel are called  ________ .

A.    intermediate or tertiary colors
B.    analogous colors
C.    color triad
D.    complementary colors

35. ________ are obtained by mixing secondary colors and primary colors.

A.    Intermediate or Tertiary colors
B.    Analogous colors
C.    Color triad
D.    Complementary colors

36. ________  are obtained by adding white to a hue.

A.    Neutrals
B.    Tints
C.    Secondary colors
D.    Shades

37. ________ are obtained by mixing two primary colors.

A.    Neutrals
B.    Tints
C.    Secondary colors
D.    Shades

38. ________ are obtained by adding black to a hue.

A.    Neutrals
B.    Tints
C.    Secondary colors
D.    Shades

39. Colors that go with all color plans — white, black, gray and brown — are called _______ .

A.    Neutrals
B.    Tints
C.    Secondary colors
D.    Shades

40. Blue, green and purple are cool colors.

True | False

41. All colors are made from red, blue, and yellow.

True | False

42. Yellow, red, and orange are cool colors.

True | False

43. Purple is an example of a primary color.

True | False

44. The lightness or darkness of a color is referred to as the _______ .

A.    shape
B.    value
C.    intensity
D.   texture

45. The brightness or dullness of a color is referred to as the _______ .

A.    shape
B.    value
C.    intensity
D.   texture

46. The pure hue is at its brightest _______ right from the bottle.

A.    shape
B.    value
C.    intensity
D.   texture

47. What color is the result of mixing red + yellow?

A.    Violet (Purple)
B.    Orange
C.    Brown
D.    Green

48. What color is the result of mixing red + blue?

A.    Violet (Purple)
B.    Orange
C.    Brown
D.    Green

49. What color is the result of mixing yellow + blue?

A.    Violet (Purple)
B.    Orange
C.    Brown
D.    Green

50. What color is the result of mixing red + yellow + blue?

A.    Violet (Purple)
B.    Orange
C.    Brown
D.    Green

For more on color see blog article titled “Basic Art Element — Color” .

Answers: 1B 2A 3D 4C 5B 6C 7A 8B 9B 10A 11A 12B 13A 14T 15F 16A 17D 18C 19D 20F 21T 22T 23T 24T 25T 26D 27A 28B 29D 30C 31B 32D 33C 34B 35A 36B 37C 38D 39A 40T 41T 42F 43F 44B 45C 46C 47B 48A 49D 50C

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Basic Art Element — Color, Part 1

tube of oil paint

Color is the element of art that involves light. It is produced when light waves strike an object and are reflected into our eyes. It consists of three properties: hue, intensity, and value.

  • Hue — This is simply the name that is given to a color, such as red, yellow, blue, purple, green, orange, etc.
  • Intensity (or saturation) — This refers to the purity or dullness of a color. Purity is determined by whether or not a color has been mixed with another color and if so, to what degree. Colors straight from the tube are considered the most intense. Those mixed with other colors are considered less intense.  There are two methods that can be used to dull the intensity of a color:
    1) Mix the color with gray
    2) Mix the color with its complement
  • Value — This is the lightness or darkness of a color. A color’s value changes when white or black is added. Adding white creates a “tint” of that color and adding black creates a “shade”.

Using color effectively in the creation of art involves understanding three basic areas: the color wheel, color value, and color schemes or as it is also referred to, color harmony.

The Color Wheel

basic color wheelThe color wheel (sometimes called a color circle) is a handy tool often used by artists and interior decorators as a visual aid in understanding the relationship between colors. It was developed in 1666 by Sir Isaac Newton when he took the color spectrum and bent it into a circle. The color wheel is a circular chart divided into 12 sections with each sector showing a different color. It is made up of three different types of colors – primary, secondary, and tertiary. The term “tertiary” means third, by the way.

  • primary colors on the color wheelPrimary colors are red, yellow, and blue. These colors are equally distanced apart on the color wheel. There only three primary colors and they are the most basic colors on the wheel. They cannot be created by mixing any other colors together and can only be derived through natural pigments. All other colors found on the color wheel can be mixed from these three basic colors.
  • secondary colors on the color wheelSecondary colors are orange, green and purple (or violet). These colors are created from mixing equal parts of any two primary colors together.
    • Red + yellow = orange
    • Yellow + blue = green
    • Blue + red = violet (purple)
  • Tertiary colors are red-purple, red-orange, blue-green, blue-purple, yellow-green, and yellow-orange. There are six tertiary colors and they are the result from mixing equal parts of a primary color with a secondary color. The proper way to refer to tertiary colors is by listing the primary color first and then the secondary color. That’s why tertiary colors are referred to by a two word name.
    • tertiary colors on the color wheelRed + violet (purple) = red-violet (red-purple)
    • Red + orange = red-orange
    • Blue + green = blue-green
    • Blue + violet (purple) = blue-violet (blue-purple)
    • Yellow + orange = yellow-orange
    • Yellow + green = yellow-green

Color Values

Color also has a value. Value is a measurement to describe the lightness or darkness of a color. It is determined based on how close the color is to white. For instance, lighter colors such as yellow will have lighter values than darker colors like navy blue.

A good way to see the difference in the values of colors is to look at the greyscale. White is the lightest value, while black is the darkest. Middle gray is the value halfway between these two extremes.

basic art element value

The value of a color value can be affected simply by adding white or black to it. By adding white to a hue, a lighter value is the result. Lighter values are called “tints”. When is black added to a hue, the value becomes darker, creating a “shade” of that color. See example below.

colorscale_value_art_element

Color Temperature

The temperature of color is how we perceive a particular color, either warm or cool. Warm colors range from red to yellow on the color wheel, whereas cool colors range from blue to green and to violet. Each temperature takes-up one-half of the color wheel (see images below). Somewhere in the green and violet spectrums the temperature changes between warm and cool.

The characteristics of warm and cool colors include:

Warm Colors

Warm colors• are made with red, orange, or yellow and combinations of them
• tend to feel warm reminding us of heat and sunshine
• tend to advance into the foreground, i.e. come toward the viewer
• may feel more energetic, attention-grabbing and aggressive

Cool colors

Cool colors• are made with blue, green, or violet and combinations of them
• tend to feel cool reminding us of water and sky
• tend to recede into the background, i.e. move away from the viewer
• are more calming and soothing

Neutral Colors

Neutral colors do not appear on the color chart and are neither warm nor cool. They are called neutral because they lack color and are derived by mixing equal parts of color opposites together (i.e. red + green, blue + orange, or yellow + purple) resulting in drab looking grays.

Black and white are also consider neutral because they are neither warm or cool and do not change color.

This lesson on color continues in part 2 where color harmony is discussed.

Test your knowledge of color by taking this simple online test.

Your Next Art Lesson

If you enjoyed this lesson, be sure to check out another one in this series.

The Basic Elements of Art (Introduction)

Basic Art Element — Color, Part 1

Basic Art Element — Color, Part 2

Basic Art Element — Form

Basic Art Element — Line

Basic Art Element — Shape

Basic Art Element — Space

Basic Art Element — Texture

Basic Art Element — Value