Design - Colour Selection
With literally thousands of paint colours to
choose from where is the best place to start?
In 1666
a rather clever chap was considering a spot of redecorating and asked himself this very question. Finding his local
"Doeth It Yourseldf" establishment rather lacking in design ideas he
decided to create a logical colour structure that identified his options. Thus
was borne the colour wheel concept and Sir Isaac Newton would no doubt be very pleased to see his notion of
colour classification, albeit improved, the generally accepted mode of colour selection some 300+ years
later.
The Colour Wheel
The modern colour wheel is based on the three primary colours
-yellow, red and blue. As you go round the wheel, mixing together two primary
colours make the secondary colours of orange, green and purple. These in turn can be blended together to produce
all the shades around the wheel (as shown below).
Colours next to each other on the wheel are considered to be in harmony with each
other whereas colours directly opposite are a contrast.
Next Page - Using the Wheel, Start Colour, Colour Schemes and Moods.
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