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Colour Theory Terminology 2022

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9 views

Colour Theory Terminology 2022

Uploaded by

nuevodia000
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
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Download as PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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Free PDF

Colour theory terminology

This pdf accompanies our video ’Essential guide to colour for embroidery’ and gives
definitions of the terminology used in the video. Use as a reminder or a reference when you
want to choose some colours for a new project!

Colour wheel
This is a tool used in art and design to show colours and their relationship to each other. It
contains lots of information about colour including what are warm and cool colours, colour
terminology and even some colour schemes; it’s worth having one to hand!
Hue –The
The description we give a colour; red, green, blue, orange for example
Primary colours – Red, yellow and blue. In paint, these can’t be made by mixing any other
colours together
Secondary colours – Green,
reen, violet and orange. These are the colours you get when you mix
2 primary colours together
Tertiary colours – The colour you get when you mix one primary colour and one secondary
colour together (this is how you start to get your neutral browns and gre
greys).

Some other words used in the language of colour:


Tint – A colour with white added to it
Tone –This
This is technically how much grey a colour has in it but think of it as how dark or light
a colour is. Black and white are the extremes of the tonal scale n nothing
othing else can be darker
or lighter.
Shade – A colour with black added to it
Complimentary colours – Those colours that lie directly
opposite each other on the colour wheel: red and green,
yellow and purple for example. If used together they will
balance and harmonise. The pie chart gives a good indication
of how much of a colour you need for a good balance. For
example, if you are using yellow and purple in your design,
about three times as much purple as yellow will balance nicely.

© Sarah Homfray 2022


Contrasting colours – Similar to complimentary, the range of colours that are opposite on
the colour wheel
Analogous colours – A set of colours next to each other on the colour wheel
Monochromatic colours – Tones/values of one hue. So the tonal scale of one colour
Warm colours – Reds, oranges, yellows. These will come forward visually
Cool colours – Blues and greens. This will recede visually.
Pantone colours – Pantone was originally a printing company in the US. They devised a
system that allows you to match colours precisely by giving each different colour a specific
number. This system is standardised and different manufacturers in different locations all
over the world can all refer to the Pantone system to make sure colours match.

Choosing a colour scheme


Use the colour wheel – Complimentary colours, split complimentary colours,
monochromatic scheme, analogous colour scheme etc.
Get inspiration from nature – What colours are in your garden, what colours can you see on
the seashore? What colours are in the sunset tonight?
Take inspiration from a painting you like, or a postcard or photograph. You don’t need every
colour from it; just pick the ones that immediately speak to you.
Look at the Pantone website for colour combination ideas
The seasons! Spring colours, Autumnal colours…

Start simply with a few colours while you build your colour confidence and sample your
thread colours on fabric to see what you like and what works for you. Remember, there is
no right or wrong, you can use what you like so have fun experimenting!

See the video on Sarah’s YouTube channel here:


https://www.youtube.com/c/SarahHomfrayEmbroidery

© Sarah Homfray 2022

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