To really learning how to use color, you must first learn how to DESCRIBE it.
Imagine that you are talking to a friend on the phone, and you are trying to describe the color of a set of curtains that you purchased. How would you go about describing the color? Don’t be embarrassed if you find it impossible to do.
To help you be able to better describe color, I am going to start by teaching youthe basics. Lets start by discussing hue, value, and intensity.
1. Hue
Hue is a quality which sets a color apart from other colors, such as: red, orange, yellow, green, turquoise, blue, purple, magenta. You will see that it is easy to set the different colors in neat order, on the basis of hue.
2. Value
Value refers to the lightness or darkness of a color. When red is very light (mixed with white) we call it pink. The same red may be very dark (mixed with black) and the shade would be called maroon. Every hue therefore includes a variety of values ranging from light to dark. Light values are also called high values”to impress this fact on your memory, simply imagine the lightness of a balloon which carries it high in the air. Dark values are low values.
The intensity refers to the purity”or lack of grayness”in a color. An emerald green has great intensity”it has no grayness in it. An olive, on the other hand, is grayish-green. Some hues are most brilliant in light values”others in dark values. For example, a certain light yellow is the most brilliant (possesses the greatest intensity) of the yellows. Maximum intensity of blue or green is obtained in certain dark values of these hues.
Now, look at your carpet. Can you identify its hue fairly closely? Is it a light version”or dark? Is it pure”or grayed? When you can tell someone these things about a color, you can put a pretty clear picture in their mind.
Now you can talk about color, with some understanding of what it’s all about. You can apply these simple rules to help you use color successfully in your home. All you need is a good imagination, a feeling for a pleasing appearance in the combination of colors, design motifs, and layout. The fullest enjoyment of color depends upon your ability to see colors accurately and to combine them agreeably.
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You may also want to pick this book up – The Color Scheme Bible: Inspirational Palettes for Designing Home Interiors
