Why, When and How to use The Colour Wheel
The influence of colour inspires and evokes feeling. The colours you choose depend on the effect you want to achieve. Artists are either consciously or unconsciously aware of these colour effects and their ability to evoke emotion. Colours are intuitive and subjective. The virtue of a colour to one person is a vice to another. Colour is personal. Fascination with a particular colour may be based on memories. The red apples your mother used to give you or the yellow beach sand you played with as a child. Red, Blue and Yellow are the three primary colours. From these all other colours are formed. Aristotle (4th century BC) considered blue and yellow as true primary colours, relating to the world's polarities: sun/moon, male/female, day/night. Every colour has a balance of these positive and negative aspects. Attentive use of variety of shapes and sizes is wise. Bead placement and colour proportions are important for balance. Shape meaning varies. However the circle square and triangle are perceived differently. Circles are safe and everlasting, squares are stable organised and uniform and triangles have direction and purpose. To give your jewellery personality create a proportionate piece that portrays a certain theme. That may be a playful theme, a seasonal theme or a romantic theme. Colours groups can be divided into themes. Consider the seasons. There are summer colours that bring out the feelings of warmth and celebration. Spring colours pertaining to new life and growth. Autumn colours that indicate changes. Winter colours that are icy cold. Another colour grouping may be elemental; Fire, Earth, Wind, Water. Green, Purple and Orange are the secondary colours. Mixing two primary colours gives rise to a secondary colour. Painters can mix yellow and blue to form green. However beads are not paints. They have distinct boundaries. There is depth and dimension. Unlike paint, beads cannot be blended. Therefore jewellery designers must make strategic colour choices when designing handmade beaded jewellery.
A well designed jewellery piece commands the use of cause and effect. Colours are the cause. Emotions are the effect. To create calming emotions, natures soothing tones should be emphasized. Use the cool colours that symbolise nature. Green evokes harmony whereas brown provides a solid foundation for warmth and support.Colours have temperature. Warm colours such as red, orange and yellow have the ability to project outwards. Cool colours withdraw inwards. Blue, green and purple are cooler colours. Adding white cools a colour down whereas black heats it up. Complimentary colours are those opposite each other on the colour wheel. Green is the complimentary colour of Red. Complimentary colours are absolute contrasts and look vibrant. Our eyes play optical illusions with complimentary colours. If we stare at a vibrant orange colour for 20 seconds then look at a white surface, the blue complimentary colour appears. Create a sence of abstraction for your jewellery by choosing complimentary colours. One colour is abundant and is clearly the dominance master. It's compliment colour is there to enhance it in a powerfully subtle way. The Tertiary Colours come about by combining a primary colour with its secondary colour next to it on the colour wheel.
The middle of the wheel represents neutral colours (or tones) such as creams, grays and browns. White is made up of all colours and is labeled absolute brightness. Black is the absence of colour thus known as absolute darkness. Tints are created by adding white to a colour whereas shades are created by adding black to a colour. Eg. Pastel purple is created by diluting purple by adding white. Shades are the addition of black or gray. Maroon is a shade of red with a slight influence of black. Don't be a slave to current fashion trends. Create resonance and rhythm. Experiment with colour. Let it take you places. Use colours inspiration to design with an intentional effect. Go back to Colour Meanings |
