Colour Theory
A basic introduction to concepts and terminology of colour theory
Colour is a powerful design element and the artist often use colour to attract attention, make a statement or express their emotions
It is important to select the right colours when creating art, and a working knowledge of concepts like primary, secondary and tertiary colours is key to creating your own colour schemes and using colour effectively when incorporating it into your own art .
The RYB colour model is most commonly used in painting for mixing pigments and the three RBY colours (Red–Yellow-Blue) make up the primary colour in a standard artist's colour wheel.
The artist colour wheel (illustration below) is a basic tool used by artist for understanding the relationships between colours which makes it easier for them to combine colours in their artwork.
RBY Colours
Red, Yellow and Blue are part of the Subtractive Colour System where light is subtracted to create new colours which means the colours become darker when mixed together. This differs from the RGB Model (used in Computers and TV’s), as RGB colours are generated by light and those colours become lighter when mixed together.
Colour Wheel
Sir Isaac Newton designed and published the first circular diagram of colours in 1666 to show the geometric relationship between them. Over the years, many variations of his basic design have been made, but the most common version used today by artists is a wheel of 12 colours based on the RYB colour model.
Complimentary Colours
The colours directly opposite each other in the artist colour wheel are considered Complimentary Colours. These colours are violet and yellow, blue and orange and red and green. Artist use complimentary colours to create maximum contrast and vibrancy in their artworks.
Analogous colours
Analogous colours are the hues that are located next to each other on the colour wheel. They are often found in nature and can be used for creating a harmonious setting and serene atmosphere. They work very well together because they are closely related. Blue Green, Blue and Blue Violet are examples of analogous colours.
Split Complements
Split-complementary colours are made up of three colours. It is a variation of the complementary colour scheme and it uses a base colour plus the two colour on either side of its complementary colour.
Other
Tint: Mixing a color with white (increases lightness)
Shade: Mixing a colour with black (reduces lightness)
Tone: Mixing a color with grey (or both tinting and shading)
RGB Colours
Red, Green and Blue (RGB) are part of the Additive Colour System which differ from the subtractive colour system as RGB colours are generated by light as opposed to ink and paint used by printers and artists.
Additive primary colours are red, green and blue (differs from Subtractive primary colours which are red, blue and Yellow - RBY)
RGB colours are used in both TV and computer monitors and if all three different RGB primary colours are showing at the same time, the screen will display white. This is because mixing light results in lighter colours. The absence of additive colour will display black (as there is no light).
Painting Gallery
Original abstract paintings for sale by the artist Elin Bjorsvik.
All artworks displayed on this website are original one-of-a-kind paintings or drawings.
See more in Elin's Painting Gallery
About the Artist
Elin Bjorsvik is a London based artist, painter and printmaker.
Creates unique works of original art for sale
Learn more about Elin Bjorsvik
Portraits
Commission your very own portrait, an unique piece of art. Choose from different sizes, created with either pencil, acrylics or pastels.
Visit Elin's Portraits page for more info.
Acrylic paintings
Paintings created with acrylics have a fantastic brightness which make colours appear more vivid,
resulting in a remarkable three-dimensional effect.
These original paintings do not require any additional framing and the canvas is about 38mm deep.
Elin's paintings are all painted on box canvas with acrylic paint.
These are original works of art (and therefore more expensive than posters, prints or commercially printed canvases).
As this is original paintings, there will only be one piece of each painting availble for sale
Keep in Touch
Keep in touch by signing up for my mailing list and be the first to hear about exhibitions and see new artworks. Your email address will not be shared with anyone
Grace your space with some beautiful paintings by Elin Bjorsvik and please enjoy looking around my site. Feel free to contact me if you have any queries or would like help choosing a piece of artwork.
Elin's paintings are also available for rent on a weekly or monthly basis.