Color Theory For Dummies

Color Theory For Dummies

by Eric Hibit
Released September 2022
Publisher(s): For Dummies
ISBN: 9781119892274

Read it now on the O’Reilly learning platform with a 10-day free trial.

O’Reilly members get unlimited access to books, live events, courses curated by job role, and more from O’Reilly and nearly 200 top publishers.

Start your free trial

Book description

Choose the right colors and color combinations for your projects

Color theory is the art and science of using color. Color Theory For Dummies explains, in simple terms, how colors relate to one another and how they can be combined to work together in an aesthetically pleasing way. An understanding of color theory can help you create art, decorate your home, design a beautiful wedding, and impress your friends at parties. With this book, you’ll learn how humans perceive color, how colors harmonize or clash with each other, and how you can apply these principles in your life and work to add a little, well, color to things.

  • Discover the history and science behind how we see colors
  • Understand how colors mix, match, and contrast so you can create better color combinations
  • Learn how certain colors have the ability to affect how we feel and think
  • Apply color theory to design, art, décor, photography, and beyond

Color Theory For Dummies simplifies and illuminates the world of color theory, outlining and defining color in a digestible and applicable way.

Table of contents

  1. Cover
  2. Title Page
  3. Copyright
  4. Introduction
    1. About This Book
    2. Foolish Assumptions
    3. Icons Used in This Book
    4. Beyond the Book
    5. Where to Go from Here
  5. Part 1: Opening Your Eyes to Color
    1. Chapter 1: Your Color Journey
      1. Color and the Power of Limits
      2. Slowing Down to See Color
      3. Where Color Begins
      4. Why Is Color So Slippery?
      5. A Colorist’s World
      6. Ways of Working with Color
      7. My Colorful Part of Tens
    2. Chapter 2: History of Color
      1. Early Humans and Color
      2. Ancient Pigments and Dyes
      3. Color in Sacred Art
      4. Colorlessness in the Protestant World
      5. Modern Color
      6. Contemporary Color
    3. Chapter 3: The Science of Color
      1. Color in the Physical World
      2. Biological Aspects of Color Perception
      3. The Subjectivity of Color Perception
    4. Chapter 4: The Language of Color
      1. Talking about Color with the Right Words
      2. Using Colorful Language
      3. Outliers and Oddballs
  6. Part 2: Examining Color Relationships
    1. Chapter 5: The Relativity of Color
      1. Seeing How Value Changes with Context
      2. Seeing How Color Changes with Context
    2. Chapter 6: Contrasts of Color
      1. Distinguishing Opposites with Color
      2. Contrast of Light and Dark
      3. Contrast of Cool and Warm
      4. Contrast of Complements
      5. Contrast of Extension
      6. Contrast of Saturation
      7. Contrast of Hue
    3. Chapter 7: Color Dynamics
      1. Feeling a Color's Weight
      2. Watching Color Advance or Recede
      3. Seeing Red and Blue: Chromostereopsis
      4. Experiencing the Fluting Effect
      5. Sensing Color’s Wetness or Dryness
      6. Opacity: Hitting the Color Wall
      7. Transparency: Seeing Through Color
      8. Translucency: Obscuring with Color
  7. Part 3: Coloring Your World
    1. Chapter 8: Color Palettes
      1. Building a Palette
      2. Working with Nature’s Colors
      3. Forgetting Everything You Just Learned: the Intuitive Approach
    2. Chapter 9: Using Color to Convey Meaning
      1. Color and Consumer Culture
      2. Influencing Your Taste Buds with Color
      3. Affecting Emotions and Mood with Color
      4. Getting Personal with Color
  8. Part 4: Color at Work
    1. Chapter 10: Systems of Color
      1. Understanding the Types of Color Systems
      2. Standardization Color Systems
      3. Application Color Systems
      4. Checking Out Digital Color Systems
    2. Chapter 11: Creating with Color
      1. Painting with Professional Artist’s Paints
      2. Painting with Other Kinds of Paints
      3. Interior Painting
      4. Drawing with Color
      5. Dyeing
      6. Collaging with Color
      7. Working with Color Digitally
  9. Part 5: The Part of Tens
    1. Chapter 12: Ten Colorful Careers
      1. Marcie Bronkar, Textile Designer
      2. Paul Bronkar, Film Colorist
      3. Richard A. Chance, Illustrator
      4. Jamie Drake, Interior Designer
      5. Leatrice Eiseman, Color Specialist
      6. Aura Friedman, Hair Colorist
      7. Jay Jones, Garden Designer
      8. Keisha Prioleau-Martin, Painter
      9. Fanny Singer, Food Aficionado
      10. Gabriele Wilson, Graphic Designer
    2. Chapter 13: Tens Ways to Kickstart Your Color Creativity
      1. Exercise #1: Building Your Color Vocabulary
      2. Exercise #2: Mixing Cellophane
      3. Exercise #3: Exploring Nature’s Colors
      4. Exercise #4: Planting a Colorful Garden
      5. Exercise #5: Expanding Monochromes
      6. Exercise #6: Concocting a Food Palette
      7. Exercise #7: Crafting a Color Blot
      8. Exercise# 8: Creating a Personal Palette
      9. Exercise #9: Adding Color to Your Home
      10. Exercise #10: Making a Mood Board
  10. Index
  11. About the Author
  12. Advertisement Page
  13. Connect with Dummies
  14. End User License Agreement

Product information

  • Title: Color Theory For Dummies
  • Author(s): Eric Hibit
  • Release date: September 2022
  • Publisher(s): For Dummies
  • ISBN: 9781119892274