The Color Wheel

We can divide Color Theory into three main parts: The Color Wheel, Color Temperature, and Color Value.

The color wheel is a circle that organizes colors to help us understand how they relate to each other.

Getty Images

Explorar

Primary Colors (Colores Primarios):These are the «parents» of all other colors. You cannot create them by mixing other colors.
- 🔴 Red
- 🟡 Yellow
- 🔵 Blue
Secondary Colors (Colores Secundarios):These are created by mixing two primary colors.
- Orange (Red + Yellow)
- Green (Blue + Yellow)
- Violet / Purple (Blue + Red)
Tertiary Colors (Colores Terciarios):These are created by mixing a primary color with a secondary color next to it.
- Examples: Red-Orange, Blue-Green, Yellow-Green.

Colors can make us feel different temperatures or emotions. We divide the wheel in half.

Shutterstock

🔥 Warm Colors (Colores Cálidos):
- Colors: Red, Orange, Yellow.
- Feeling: They represent fire, sun, and energy. They appear to come closer to the viewer (advance).
- Emotions: Passion, happiness, anger, energy.
❄️ Cool Colors (Colores Fríos):
- Colors: Blue, Green, Violet.
- Feeling: They represent water, ice, and grass. They appear to be further away (recede).
- Emotions: Calm, sadness, peace, cold.

This is crucial for drawing realistic 3D shapes. Value refers to the lightness or darkness of a color.

Hue: The name of the color (e.g., «Red»).
Tint (Luminosidad): You add White to a color to make it lighter.
- Example: Red + White = Pink.
Shade (Oscuridad/Sombra): You add Black to a color to make it darker.
- Example: Red + Black = Maroon/Dark Red.

How do we choose colors that look good together? We use specific schemes:

Complementary Colors (Colores Complementarios):Colors that are opposite each other on the color wheel. They create high contrast.
- Examples: Blue & Orange / Red & Green / Yellow & Purple.
- Use: To make something stand out (pop).
Analogous Colors (Colores Análogos):Colors that are neighbors (next to each other) on the color wheel.
- Example: Blue, Blue-Green, and Green.
- Use: To create a calm and harmonious design.
Monochromatic (Monocromático):Using only one color but with different tints and shades (lights and darks).

Para facilitar el estudio, aquí tienes una tabla con los términos más importantes para 2º de la ESO:

English Term	Spanish Translation	Definition (Short)
Color Wheel	Rueda cromática	The circle layout of colors.
Mix / Mixing	Mezclar	Combining two colors together.
Hue	Tono/Matiz	The pure color (the name of the color).
Value	Valor	How light or dark a color is.
Contrast	Contraste	The difference between two colors.
Scheme	Esquema	A plan for organizing colors.
Mood	Estado de ánimo	The feeling a color creates (sad, happy).
Background	Fondo	The part of the image in the back.

Choose an emotion: (Happiness, Anger, Sadness, Calm).
Choose a color that represents that emotion (e.g., Blue for Sadness).
Paint a landscape using ONLY that color, plus White and Black (Monochromatic Scheme).
Write a short sentence in English explaining it:
- «I chose the color blue because it feels calm and cool. I used white to make tints for the sky and black to make shades for the mountains.»