Colours with Kalyani · Nov 16, 2021

Colours with Kalyani - part 11

Definitions of color spectrum
I had in the September issue talked about colour theory in brief. Now I feel its time to elaborate on it. Like we have different languages in the country / world colour too has its own language. We must know the vocabulary used in the study of colour to be able to understand different aspects in colour theory.

Hue - Family of color on the color wheel or location of wavelength in the light spectrum.
Value - The lightness or darkness of a h ue.
Intensity - Brightness or dullness of a hue .

Hue
Definitions of color spectrum. the distribution of colors produced when light is dispersed by a prism. synonyms: visible spectrum. type of: spectrum. an ordered array of the components of an emission or wave.

Primary colours
A hue is a color found in the spectrum definition and consists of three primary colours -red, yellow, and blue. These are hues that cannot be produced by mixing any other colors

Secondary colours
Secondary colours are hues also, and they are made by mixing equal portions of two primary colours.

Red and Yellow = Orange
Red and Blue = Purple
Yellow and Blue = Green

Tertiary colours:

Tertiaries, sometimes called intermediates, are hues made by mixing equal portions of one primary and one secondary

Red and Orange = Red/Orange

Yellow and Orange = Yellow/Orange

Yellow and Green = Yellow/Green

Blue and Green = Blue/Green

Blue and Purple = Blue/Purple

Red and Purple = Red/Purple

We have all practiced amateur chemistry with color. We experiment often with colors when we cook or bake with food colorings or when applying makeup, or when finger painting. The professional chemist who accurately combines color pigments is called a mixologist. Mixologists are found in many industries from paint and hardware store where paint color is mixed for the walls, to a colorist in the textile industry who combines pigments to create patterns and colors in Products.

Scientists are always busy mixing colors for particular types of products to be marketed. Color is an extremely important aspect of the product. People react more by color than by any other feature of the product. There is always a reason for the colors selected for each and every product. This is why a mixologist has an important part to play.

The common color wheel diagrams color at its fullest intensity and in its purest form. Discussing color wheels and primary, secondary and tertiary colors is merely the beginning of a study in color.

More on this in the next episode.

Earlier episodes of 'Colours with Kalyani':

Part 10: Colour theory introduction

Part 9: Colours of life

Part 8: Coral reefs and colours

Part 7: Colour changing animals

Part 6: How culture, symbolism and emotion plays an important part in colour psychology.

Part 5: Dyeing with Natural dyes: part 2

Part 4: Dyeing with Natural dyes: part 1

Part 3: Colours in Poetry & Literature

Part 2: Colours & birds

Part 1: Colours in nature