Color Use

Tutorials for color use are one of many art tutorials available. When opting to use color in a piece the artist is presented with different challenges than they would face when dealing solely with the grey scale.

Stone says that “[o]ne ideal goal would be that the reproduction is indistinguishable from the original.” (2003, p.88) The artist has to realize that the ways colors appear in person aren’t always the way they should be transferred to paper. I have learned from teachers and from personal experience that one should not use pure green to color in the leaves, grass, or what have you. By blending “small patches” of color (particularly colors that would normally go unnoticed) can create a more realistic rendition of the subject matter. (Kuehni, 2005, p. 155)For example, skin tones are composed of more than browns, tans, and peaches—blues, reds, and greens may also be present, but because the colors are so subtle they go unnoticed.

The artist has to be aware of and consider complementary colors. Complementary colors are “colors directly opposite each other in the color spectrum”. (Oxford University Press, 2011) By blending a colors complement (red for green, yellow for purple, and blue for orange) the artist can create darker hues of the various colors. Doing this is a good alternative to using straight black.



Color can also assist when the artist is trying to convey emotion or send a message. Colors have meaning, and each color represents something. The meaning behind a color can vary from culture to culture, i.e. red can stand for rage or love, yellow could stand for happiness or caution, and so on. (Morton, 2011) (The International Business Edge, 2011) The artist has to be conscientious when deciding to use color in this manner.


Cited Works

The International Business Edge. (2011). Color Meanings by Culture. Retrieved November 28, 2011 from http://www.globalization-group.com/edge/resources/color-meanings-by-culture/

Sakurambo.(2007). Blue Yellow Red Color Wheel.[PNG Image]. Retrieved November 29, 2011 from >http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:BYR_color_wheel.svg

Kuehni, Rolf G. (2005). Color an Introduction to Practice and Principles.

Morton, J.L. (2011). Color Matters. Retrieved November 29, 2011 from >http://www.colormatters.com/color-symbolism/the-meanings-of-colors

Oxford University Press. (2011). Definition of Complementary Colors from Oxford Dictionary Online. Oxford Dictionaries. Retrieved November 29, 2011, from >http://oxforddictionaries.com/definition/complementary+colors?region=us

Stone, Maureen C. (2003). A Field Guide to Digital Color.