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Color Theory Research

Presentation
Madison Todd
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Table of Contents
04. Laurie Rosenberg. Retro 21.
05. Rebecca Jadway. Green Garbo #1.
06. Natalie Riley. Arbre de la Vie.
08. Chris Hobel. Banskias.
09. John Pototschnik. The Tonight Show.
10. Sue Bannister. Patchwork Landscape 4.
12. Vincent Van Gogh. Café Terrace on the Place du Forum.
13. Vincent Van Gogh. The Night Café.
14. Damien Venditti. Complementary Pears.
16. Vermeer. The Milkmaid.
17. James Dickson. Arenig, North Wales.
18. Joan Hancock. Elder Range – Flinders Ranges.
20. April White. Keep Breathing.
21. Belinda Morris. The River’s Daughter (Goldberry).
22. Nina Smart. Cotton Candy Lips.
24. Lyn Cooke. Sunbird.
25. Glen Vause. Girl with Swan.
26. Marie Duque. Coyocan Landscape.
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Monochromatic Color Scheme

A monochromatic color scheme is achieved by taking a
color from the color wheel and repeating it in various
tones, shades and tints. There are so many different
variations of just one color on the color wheel, so a
monochromatic color scheme image could be very
detailed and interesting.
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Monochromatic
Laurie Rosenberg. Retro
21. 2016. Acrylic.

This piece is interesting

because it uses each
different shade and tint
that the color blue can
offer. It allows the view
to really understand
what the piece is
depicting because of
the immense amount of
contrast.
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Monochromatic
Rebecca Jadway. Green Garbo #1. 2000. Acrylic Painting.

This piece, like the one before, uses every different hue the color green
offers. This makes the contrast and depiction of the piece very easy.
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Monochromatic
Natalie Riley.
Arbre de la Vie.
2015. Acrylic on
Canvas.

This piece uses

the darker colors
to really create the
story of the
painting. However,
it overall uses
different shades of
green to create
this piece.
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Analogous Color Scheme

n  An analogous color scheme features three or more hues

which are positioned next to each other on the color wheel.
By choosing a main color, and picking a couple of colors that
are on either side of that color, the piece will be different
than the monochromatic color scheme piece by containing a
little bit of a wider range of colors. However, by selecting
colors next to each other, this will create similarities and
overall roots in the colors that make them easy to harmonize.
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Analogous
Chris Hobel.
Banskias. 2010.
Acrylic on box
canvas.

This piece really

incorporates the
analogous color
scheme by using
different shades
of blue, green,
and a small
amount of
yellow.
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Analogous
John Pototschnik The Tonight Show. 2015. Oil on canvas.

This painting uses a nice variety of the shades of purple, blue, and green, to create a
very dimensional piece.
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Analogous
Sue Bannister. Patchwork Landscape 4. 2004. Acrylics on canvas.

This piece perfectly describes the analogous color scheme by

incorporating different shades and tints of yellow, blue, and green.
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Complementary Color Scheme

n  Complementary colors are any two hues that are positioned

exactly opposite of each other on the color wheel. When
these two colors are placed next to each other, they create a
special relationship by making the other appear more
intense and brighter. Also, when used together, the 2 colors
are always a combination of all three primary colors, which
means that they truly do ‘complement’ each other.
Vincent Van 12
Gogh. Café

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Terrace on the

Complementary
Place du Forum.
1888. Acrylic
Painting.

This piece
perfectly shows
the idea of
complementary
colors. With the
inclusion and
overall perfect
balance of the
orange and blue,
this painting
perfectly depicts
complementary
colors.
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Complementary
Vincent Van Gogh. The Night Café. 1888. Acrylic Painting.

This piece uses different shades of green and red to really bring
together the idea of complementary colors laid out in a space.
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Complementary
Damien Venditti. Complementary Pears. 2015. Oil Paint.

This piece is a perfect representation of complementary colors

on an even and balanced scale, with the colors green and red
shown here.
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Split Complementary Color

Scheme
n  Split Complementary Color Scheme is the idea of using one
color and instead of using its direct complement, the color
wheel is split so that the next color can be used. For example,
when picking the color blue, the color wheel will be split
therefore yellow and orange can both be used in the piece.
Therefore the split complementary color scheme.
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Vermeer. The

Split Complementary
Milkmaid. 1658 –
60. Acrylic
Painting.

This pieces uses

split
complementary
perfectly by
really getting
the rich tone of
the violet but
then bringing
not only the
yellow, but also
some of the
yellow – green
into the piece.
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Split Complementary
James Dickson Innes. Arenig, North Wales. 1913. Oil on
wood.
This piece incorporates not only orange, but also
different hues and tones of blue and blue-green. Overall
it’s a great representation of split complementary.
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Split Complementary
Joan Hancock. Elder Range-Flinders Ranges. 2013. Oil
Paint on gessoed board.

The split complementary color scheme can also be

found in this painting. Through using the color purple
and different shades and interpretations of yellow, the
picture is really brought to life for the viewer.
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Triadic Color Scheme

n  A pure triadic color scheme combines every fourth color on

the basic color wheel. This type of color scheme creates a
very high contrast, therefore bringing out each of the colors,
but it is also much easier to balance than either of the
complementary color schemes.
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Triadic
April White. Keep
Breathing. 2012.
Acrylic Paint on
canvas.

This piece uses the

triadic color scheme
by combining
different shades and
tints of both pink,
blue, and yellow.
Overall it’s a great
representation of the
triadic color
scheme.
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Belinda Morris. The
River’s Daughter

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(Goldberry). 2012.

Triadic
Watercolor, gouache
and pencil on
watercolor paper.

This piece uses a

majority of green,
but it also
incorporates purple
and orange through
the flowers, hair,
skin, and eyes. It
really allows the idea
of a triadic color
scheme to come
through.
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Triadic
Nina Smart. Cotton Candy Lips. 2005. Acrylic Paint.

This piece uses the blue, pink, and orange color scheme again. This
piece is much lighter due to the amount of tinted colors it contains,
but overall it also represents the triadic color scheme very well.
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Tetrad Color Scheme

n  The tetrad color scheme incorporates two different sets of

complementary colors. This usually causes these pieces to
be every more bright and of higher contrast than most. This
offers the most variety than any of the other color schemes,
but it can be hard to distribute them evenly due to the wide
range of opposing colors.
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Tetrad
Lyn Cooke. Sunbird.
2001. Watercolor
and gouache on
conservation board.

This piece shows

the idea of a tetrad
color scheme very
well. By used the
two different
complementary
colors of yellow and
blue and red and
green, the piece has
just the perfect
amount of contrast.
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Tetrad
Glen Vause. Girl with Swan. 2008. Oil on Linen.

This piece uses the complementary combinations of green and

red and then blue and orange. Overall, the piece is able to use
this combination of colors so well to create this portrait.
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Ana-Marie Duque.

Tetrad
Coyocan
Landscape. 2009.
Acrylic on Canvas.

This tetrad color

scheme piece is a
little bit more
subtle, but tetrad
all the same. By
combining green
and red and then
orange and blue,
the contrast in the
piece is done very
nicely and creates
a well thought out
product.
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Works Cited

n  http://www.international-gallery.org

n  http://www.pototschnik.com/extended-analogous-palette-
color-color-wheel-oil-painting/

n  http://willkempartschool.com/complementary-colours/

n  https://bluethumb.com.au