Colour theory and application
Domain 5 - Colour theory and application. This domain tests colour-wheel knowledge, deliberate harmony and contrast, and control of opaque and transparent media. Strong answers show a colour plan, not random bright fills.
Core rules
- Colour wheel: in the school pigment wheel the primaries are red, yellow and blue; secondaries are orange, green and violet; tertiaries mix a primary with a neighbouring secondary. Hue is the colour name, value is light–dark, saturation is intensity.
- Harmonies: complementary (opposite), analogous (neighbours), triadic (three evenly spaced), split-complementary, and monochromatic. Use a dominant colour, a subordinate one and a small accent.
- Contrast: simultaneous contrast makes a colour shift towards its complement when surrounded by another; warm colours advance, cool colours recede.
- Media: poster colour and gouache are opaque - light tints are made with white and layers can cover. Watercolour is transparent - white paper is reserved for highlights, and glazes are built from light to dark.
- Form colour: local colour changes with light, shadow and reflected colour; do not simply add black for shade or white for every light.
Worked example
A still life with oranges on a blue cloth. Choose a complementary plan: blue cloth as the dominant area, orange fruit as the focal accent, with a small green leaf for a triadic touch. Keep the fruit's lit side warm and high in value; its shadow side shifts cooler and darker but still reads orange. Paint the cloth in broad opaque strokes, then glaze a transparent blue shadow over part of it. Reasoning: harmony is controlled by proportion, and contrast is used at the focal point rather than everywhere.
Traps
Mixing many pigments until colour turns muddy; using black for all shadows; adding white to watercolour highlights instead of reserving paper; outlining every shape; equal amounts of complementary colours fighting; ignoring reflected colour; choosing colours by subject label ('leaves are green') rather than observation.