3rd grade - Color Theory, part 2

Color Harmonies

Now that we have reviewed our color wheels and tint and shade, it is time for some new information on color!

When an artist chooses the colors to put in an artwork, there are some rules for choosing well. They are called COLOR HARMONIES.

A harmony is a collection of things that go well together. For instance, in music, a harmony is two or more notes that sound really nice when played at the same time. In art, a harmony happens when two or more colors are used next to each other that look really good together. There are many different color harmonies. We are learning four of them this year. They are ANALOGOUS, COMPLEMENTARY, TRIADIC, and MONOCHROMATIC.

ANALOGOUS

An analogous color harmony is made up of colors that sit next to each other on the color wheel. These colors naturally blend together nicely and create a very calm and peaceful feeling picture. A perfect example is a sunset.

COMPLEMENTARY

A complementary color harmony is made of two colors that are opposites on the color wheel. Color opposites are very striking together and make a picture POP! They are very exciting together.

TRIADIC

A triadic color harmony forms a perfect triangle on the color wheel. The colors are exactly the same distance apart on all three point of the triangle. This creates a very balanced feeling picture.

MONOCHROMATIC

Mono means ONE. Chromatic means COLOR. So, monochromatic means ONE COLOR. A monochromatic picture uses tints, shades, and the original hue of one color. Monochromatic is not technically a harmony, since it is really only using one color, but we include it in this lesson anyway.