Color
PowerPoint By:
Renee Dessommes
Color
• Most noticeable of the design elements
• Definitions:
• Perception created in the brain as a result of stimulation
of the retina by light waves of a certain length
• Intrinsic physical properties of specific objects that allow
those objects to reflect and absorb light waves of a
certain length
Hue
• The quality that differentiates one color from another
Saturation
• Aka chroma, refers to the amount, or percentage, of a
particular hue in a mixture.
Value
• Relative lightness or darkness of a color
Tint
• A color with a high value is also referred to as a tint
• How do we create a tint?
Shade
• Color with a low value is known as a shade
• How do we create a shade?
Tone
• A color of middle value is referred to as tone
• How do we create a tone?
Seeing Color
Landanano.com
Color Mixing
Primary Colors
• Hues that cannot be derived or blended from any other hue
Colorhealingtherapy.com Indezine.com
Secondary Colors
• Hues are the result of mixing 2 primary colors
Carlton.edu
Designcolors.blogspot.com
Tertiary Colors
• Hues are the result of mixing a primary and a secondary
Pigment Wikipedia.org
Light Wikipedia.org
Color Mixing in Light
Filtered Light
• When light passes through any material (including air)
a portion of the spectrum is absorbed
• 2 kinds of color mixing in light:
• Subtractive Color Mixing
• Additive Color Mixing
Subtractive Color Mixing in Light
• Colored filters allow only
their own hue to pass
through the filtering medium
• They absorb all other
wavelengths and convert
them to heat
Picture from: specialeventguru.blogspot.com
Additive Color Mixing in Light
• When several individual
hues are transmitted to
the eye, added together,
and interpreted by the
brain
Picture from: Wikipedia.com
Color Mixing in Paint
Color Mixing in Paint
• Primarily a subtractive
process
• Mix colors and hues to
reflect the color we
choose
Integrated Color Wheel
P.S. about Color Theory
• Colors of this strength and value are never used in
theatre for two main reasons:
• Incredibly expensive
• Fully saturated color isn't particularly appropriate in
theatre, the colors would visually dominate everything
onstage
Application of Color in
Theatre
Application of Color in Theatre
• Due to impurities and contaminants found in all stage
paints, dyes, lamps and color media color theory is just a
theory
Meaning of Color
• People react to color.
• Constantly changing
• Influenced by many factors
• What could factor into people’s reactions of color?
Meaning of Color
• Yellow: stimulating, cheerful, exciting, joyful, serene,
unpleasant, aggressive, hostile
• Orange: warm, happy, merry, exciting, stimulating, hot,
disturbed, distressed, unpleasant
• Red: happy, affectionate, loving, exciting, striking, active,
intense, defiant, powerful, masterful, strong, aggressive,
hostile
Meaning of Color
• Green: youthful, fresh, leisurely, secure, calm, peaceful,
emotionally controlled, ill
• Blue: pleasant, cool, secure, comfortable, tender, soothing,
social, dignified, sad, strong, full, great
• Violet: dignified, stately, vigorous, disagreeable, sad,
despondent, melancholy, unhappy, depressing
Meaning of Color
• Black: sad, melancholy, vague, unhappy, dignified, stately,
strong, powerful, hostile, distressed, fearful, old
• White: pure, tender, soothing, solemn, empty
• Brown: secure, comfortable, full, sad, disagreeable
Practical Color Use
• 2 sides of the coin:
• Designers in theatre follow some color guidelines
• Many designers will tell you to blow off convention if it fits the
production
Pigment
• Scenic designers will generally use hues of medium saturation and
value
• Costume designers work in a less constricted palette than scene
designers
• Color proximity: placement and relationship of specific hues
• Accent colors: small touches of contrasting colors
Light
• White light at full intensity tends to bleach out color on
actors faces, costumes, and set
• Primary reason for using colored lights in the theatre
• If colors are complimentary the color pallet of other
designers is maintained
• Colors chosen by other designers help the lighting designer
choose the colors they will work with
