Hue, Value, and Vibes: Colour Theory for Beginners
- Making To Make Happy
- 7 hours ago
- 5 min read
When you’re just starting out on your art path, you might hear terms like "complementary," "analogous," or "saturation" thrown around… but you might not fully grasp what they mean without some context. If colour theory has so far been on the periphery of your vision, but you’re ready to pull it into focus, stick around - we can explore it together…
Colour theory isn’t a rulebook (phew!), but it can hold your hand towards having more confidence in your art-making. When an artist uses colour theory in an artwork, it can feel more intentional, balanced, and so it’s worth gradually soaking it up into your practise.
You don’t need to know it all at once, or use it in everything you make - it’s there to play with, to support you and to offer you inspirations. So let’s take a closer look!
The Basics of Colour Theory: Hue, Value, and Chroma
Before we get into mixing magic, let's agree on what we’re actually talking about. Every colour has these properties:
Hue
This is simply the name of the colour. Red, blue, yellow, obsidian winter. It can be as simple or fancy as you like - it’s just the descriptor!
Value
This is how light or dark the colour is. If you add white to red, you get pink (higher value). If you add black, you get maroon (lower value). Values are so important when drawing!
Chroma (or Saturation)
This is how intense or "pure" the colour is. A bright fire-engine red has high chroma. A dusty, muddy brick red has low chroma.
🎨 Artist Tip
When people say their colours look "muddy," it’s usually because they mixed too many hues together without thinking about value or chroma. This is handy to keep in mind!
The Colour Wheel: Your Starting Spark!
The colour wheel is a map, and it’s one worth navigating!
Primary & Secondary Colours
Red, Yellow and Blue are Primary Colours.
If you mix two primaries together, you get Secondary Colours. These are Orange, Green and Purple.
Tertiary Colours
If you mix a primary colour with a secondary colour - have you guessed it? - yup, you get tertiaries: Red-Orange, Yellow-Green, etc. These are super useful for creating natural-looking gradients. Nature rarely jumps straight from green to yellow; it goes through a lovely yellow-green transition.
Note: The above Secondaries & Tertiaries are spoken about here as if mixed with an even half-and-half of each colour. But remember, the amounts don’t have to be even and the colour result changes in relation to how much of each colour is included. For example, a yellow and blue mixture, with more yellow than blue, will create a lighter green than if blue is the predominant ingredient.
Harmony: Colour Neighbours, Besties and Acquaintances
This is where the "theory" part gets practical. Harmonies are pre-tested combinations that generally work well. If you’ve ever played a chord on a musical instrument, you’ll know that that’s a harmony, and colour harmonies are just the same.
Complementary Colours
Opposites attract, so they say! In colour theory, it’s definitely true. Complementary colours are opposites on the wheel: Red/Green, Blue/Orange, Yellow/Purple.
Why use them? They create maximum contrast and vibration. Put pure red next to pure green, and they’ll both look more intense.
Keep in mind... Using them at full strength everywhere might give your viewers a headache. Try using one as the dominant colour and the other as an accent. Think of a sunset: it could be mostly orange/purple, with hints of complementary teal in the shadows.
Analogous Colours
These are neighbours on the wheel: Blue, Blue-Green, Green.
Why use them? They create calm, harmonious, and cohesive scenes. Great for landscapes or serene moods.
Keep in mind...They can be a little dull if there’s no contrast. Add a small pop of a complementary colour to wake things up when needed.
Split-Complementary
Pick a base colour, then use the two colours adjacent to its complement. So, instead of Red/Green, you might use Red with Blue-Green and Yellow-Green.
Why use them? You get the visual interest of contrast without the tension of direct opposites. It’s sophisticated and easy on the eyes.
Warm vs. Cool: Getting in the mood!
Every hue has a warm side and a cool side.
Warm: Reds, oranges, yellows. They advance toward the viewer.
Cool: Blues, greens, purples. They recede into the background.
Light has temperature. If your light source is warm (like sunlight), your shadows will be cool. If your light is cool (like moonlight or fluorescent office lighting), your shadows will be warm.
Adding cool blues to the shadows of a sunny apple tree can instantly create depth and realism.
Practical Applications
Okay, theory is great, but you’re probably itching to apply all this in your real-art-world! Here’s how to start playing with these concepts:
Limited Palettes
Having fewer paint tubes can make an artwork come together quicker. Why? Because it enables easy cohesion. If you only have Cadmium Red, Ultramarine Blue, and Yellow Ochre, every mix you create shares a common parent. The result is a painting that feels unified, even if it’s complex. Give it a try!
Focal Points with Contrast
Want the viewer to look at the eyes of a portrait? Try making them the most saturated area. Want the background to recede? Try desaturating it and shift the values. You can use colour to guide the eye, not just to decorate or make everything uniformly beautiful.
Emotional Storytelling
Colour evokes feeling, which you can use to your advantage!
Blue/Cool tones: Calm, sadness, distance, mystery.
Red/Warm tones: Energy, passion, danger, intimacy.
Muted/Dusty tones: Nostalgia, memory, melancholy.
Ask yourself: What emotion am I trying to convey? Let that dictate your palette before you even pick up a brush.
Want to get inspired by other artists? Check out my 15-min class on Neo-Impressionism, because the Neo-Impressionists were especially locked in on utilising colour theory to the max! You can find it here.
Break the Rules (Eventually)
Once you understand why complementary colours vibrate or why analogous colours soothe, you can start breaking the rules intentionally. Maybe you want a jarring, chaotic feeling? Then try throwing clashing colours together! It might seem haphazard to the viewer, but you will know exactly what effect you’re creating.
Colour theory is about giving you more tools to express to your creativity with. So go forth, mix those paints, and don’t be afraid to make a mess. That’s how we learn! 🎨✨
If you fancy going a little further, exploring tones, tints and relationships, I have a free downloadable help sheet about Colour Theory - you can print it off and have it handy as you make art. Go grab it here!
Thanks for reading,
Keep making happy!
Gem 💛
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