Attached Link: http://www.colormatters.com/colortheory.html

Anyway I went looking for some info on it and found this site, it explains it really well.

Hope you find it interesting :)

John

That is a good tutorial. Color theory matters. I have just begun to work in color theory to my web design work. I finally realized that just making something flashy wasn't enough. I have never taken an actual art theory class, so I have always gone with my own theories. Having this reference is going to be a boon for sure! Thanks!

Attached Link: http://www.color-wheel-pro.com/

brilliant spelder, thanks for that :)

Thank you so much for this. I love playing with the colors of things but had not thought to find this information any where. Kristta

Thanks for the links! Interesting stuff.

You are better to not slavishly follow colour theories of any kind especially for making realistic scenes.

"You are better to not slavishly follow colour theories of any kind especially for making realistic scenes." Amen. Real life does not follow colour schemes.

Another one that annoys me is the shadows being the complementary colour of the lights. The only time that I have seen that is with snow, but even with snow it doesn`t always happen.

I agree that you shouldn't follow any color theories. If you do, your work will have an "art school" look... and not be spontaneous or realistic looking. I always go with colors that "feel right"... not "look right".

Am I getting this right? Because color theory doesn't apply everywhere, one would be better off not even knowing about them? What a concept! What about the, admittedly quite revolutionary, idea of learning a theory and using it as a tool only where appropriate, rather than either follow it blindly or ignoring it completely?

Good point odf !

Actually, some color theory is helpful (especially in regards to postworking in warm or cold lighting, for example), along with color balance and how it can lead the eye through a composition.

"Am I getting this right? Because color theory doesn't apply everywhere, one would be better off not even knowing about them? What a concept! What about the, admittedly quite revolutionary, idea of learning a theory and using it as a tool only where appropriate, rather than either follow it blindly or ignoring it completely?" Nope, not at all. Nobody said "don't learn about colour theory". I just checked xantor's and my posts to make absolutely sure. :) I have a background in art and graphic design but what xantor and I are saying is - don't follow it slavishly. Learn it and learn when to use it.

It is ok to learn colour theory, my point was that you dont have to stick to it like it is the only way to make pictures. With composition colour theory is not so essential either, if you know enough about composition the colours wont matter so much. Photographs dont generally follow the rules of colour theory for example (and that includes composition).

I am not a professional artist but I have learned art for years before using poser and know about composition and colour theory.

You should definately not adhere to almost anything slavishly, that road has a tendancy to lead down a seriously non creative route. For me it's a very handy tool on the PC because while with real watercolours, colour is instinctive for me, with computers it's much harder. Not sure why, I just don't think it behaves the same, but then thats the same of watercolours and oils, everything has it's own rules. As far as colour theory goes, there have been times when, after much care and work an image just looks rotten and it's usually one of two things, colour or composition. Colour theory has helped me out of a hole or two there. Composition is a whole other subject, that verges on frying my brain so I won;t get into that :) Anyway take care everyone, I don't intend for this to be offensive to anyone, so please don't take offense :) John "remember we are all 60% banana"

Okay, so I'm glad I got it wrong. We all agree then.

Photographs don`t generally follow the rules of colour theory for example (and that includes composition). That's true, but through the eyes of a skilled and artistic photographer, you have a photograph that makes a statement, or that conveys an emotion that is intentional. That is the difference between an everyday photograph and a photographic work of art. You're right .. you don't see color theory and composition in nature. But here we are talking about art, which can convey anything from fantasy to photorealistic images. With or without the rules, smart use of color and composition can project a feeling or a mood, or make the eye travel through an image in exactly the way the artist intended. Some come by this skill naturally, while others learn it. Where color theory study MAY be useful is in clothing and makeup texturing, where it also occurs in the "real world" as well. Texture artists may find color theory very interesting and beneficial.

I believe that a creative person is someone who first understands the theories in his area. Then with his imagination, he exploits, expands and perhaps even push ideas to their limits or even breaks rules. Any other discoveries based on ignorance of theories is purely accidental or the work of a genius. My 2 cents.

I believe that a creative person is someone who first understands the theories in his area. Then with his imagination, he exploits, expands and perhaps even push ideas to their limits or even breaks rules. Any other discoveries based on ignorance of theories is purely accidental or the work of a genius. I wouldn't go that far. One can come a long way with intuition and some people might learn more from looking at examples than from abstract theories. But theories of perception, composition and colors will provide us with a language to express and think about what we see in a picture. They may even function as a life line to get us back onto solid ground when occasionally our intuition fails us. I imagine there are very few people for which they will not be of any help at all in the creative process.

It's vital to learn scales if you want to become proficient, because they are your signposts. Once you have learned them, however, you can cheerfully ignore them and dive into the murky underworld of Imperfect Cadence, Modulation and Key Change, not to mention the Accidentals. Know what you're doing before you decide to do something else.

Deecey I wasn`t saying colour theory is wrong or no use, it is very good for things like making textures and interior design etc, but using it for pictures is not such a great idea. It is a good thing to learn.