Colour Knowledge – Light, eyes and brain are necessary for the perception of colours. All the colours in nature – the multicoloured flowers, leaves, birds, animals, butterflies as well as the alluring colours of the sunrise and sunset- exist for us only because of light. Without light we cannot see them. However, eyes and brain are equally important in this process. Some of the top interior design colleges in Nashik include colour theory in the curriculum to help students understand its applications in interior design.
Mind and psychological effects on the mind are important while considering colours from a psychological point of view. The colours are cheerful. When we look at colour, our mind is full of emotional waves like happiness, cheers, soul, control, silence, stability, instability, anger etc. Their mental and deep feelings change the human mind and because of this change the colours get symbolic and systematic meaning. Likewise, there is a deep interrelation between colour and emotional state of mind. Hence, the mind is also an important factor for colour knowledge.
Newton’s Theory of Light
Near about 1660, Sir Issac Newton, a Scientist, analysed that a beam of white light is composed of rays of different colours.
To demonstrate this, Newton allowed a narrow beam of sunlight to pass into a dark room through a narrow slit and passed it through a prism. When this white light is passed through the prism, it splits into different colours, forming a band of colours as in rainbow on the white screen placed on the other side of the prism. This band is known as colour spectrum.
When a ray of light enters a denser medium from a rarer medium, it changes its path. This is called refraction of light. When it enters into a rarer medium from denser one, it again changes its path and bends towards the base. As shown in the figure, Newton could split the white colour into only six colours as Red, Orange, Yellow, Green, Blue, Purple, Indigo, the seventh colour was included after. Later on, other scientists proved that these seven rays of different colours are mixed together then white light is formed.
Artists, Physicists and Psychologists put the different colour theories according to their angles in their areas. Different physicists and psychologists, in a different way, experimented about the colours. From those experiments 3 different main colour theories are introduced as follows
- Artist’s colour theory
- Physicist’s colour theory
- Psychologist’s colour theory
1. Artist’s Pigment or Subtractive Colour Theory
1) David Buster invented this, hence it is also known as “David Buster Method”.
2) It comprises 3 primary colours, red, yellow and blue.
3) These 3 primary colours when mixed together black colour are formed.
4) Red + Yellow + Blue = Black
5) If two of the primary colours are mixed, the resulting secondary colour is less intense. That’s why it is called “Subtractive Theory”. E.g. Yellow + Blue is mixed then green colour is obtained which is comparatively less intense than yellow and blue colours.
6) When Red + Green colours are mixed then grey colour is obtained. This means when one primary colour and its contrast colour factor is mixed then grey colour is obtained. This grey colour is very much dull as compared to primary colour and that’s why it is called as “Subtractive Theory” (Please refer following colour mixtures for more information)
7) Red + Yellow = Orange Yellow + Blue = Green Blue + Red = Purple (2 primary colours are mixed then above secondary colours are obtained.)
8) From these coloured pigments, artist’s colours are formed. As these are 3 primary colours it is called Artist’s colour theory or ‘Triad Colour-scheme’.
2. Physicist’s Colour Theory (Light colour theory, Additive Colour theory)
1) Dr. Wunch invented this colour theory.
2) It comprises 3 colour-rays of light. Red, Green and Blue-purple.
3) When these 3 primary colour rays are mixed then white light is obtained.
4) Red + Green + Blue-Purple = White.
5) In this when 2 primary colour rays of Light are mixed then the resulting colour is more intense or brighter that primary colour, hence it is called “Additive Theory”.
6) In this, when red + green light colours are projected together on a white screen, they blend to form “yellow” light. So, this yellow light ray is brighter than the primary colour and therefore it is called “Additive Theory”.
7) Red + Green = Yellow
Green + Blue-Purple = Cyanine Blue
Blue-Purple + Red = Crimson Magenta
(two primary light rays when mixed together above secondary light rays are obtained and these secondary light rays are brighter than primary light rays).
8) Physicist’s light colour rays are obtained from light. Three primary light rays are mixed together hence; it is known as ‘Light Colour Theory”.
3. Psychologist’s Colour Theory
Psychologists had very different experiences than artists and physicists about colours from a psychologist’s point of view. Psychologists first consider mind and physiological effects on mind. Hence, his theory is based on the visual and psychological effects of colours. He took the circular cardboard with half part painted in yellow and the remaining half in blue. He then put a hole at the centre such that the circular cardboard could rotate easily. When the wheel was rotated, he did not see green colour but his eyes could sense the gray colour.
Similarly, he did not see yellow colour when he rotated the colour wheel with red and green colours. He observed that depending upon the visual sensation of the rotating colour wheel, there are four primary colours Red, Yellow, Green and Blue. Each of these four colours create different sensations on the retina and this sensation cannot be experienced from any other colour mixture.
Evald Herring was first to say that red, yellow, green and blue if rotated together, neutral grey colour was observed. This is the main speciality of this theory. This method is known as “The Middle Method”. When primary colour rays from light are mixed, white colour is created. When an artist mixes three primary colours, he gets black colour and psychologists get only grey colour.
Conclusion
These are some of the important aspects of colour theory. It is important for design students to understand and implement colour theory into their work when they work as professionals in the field. Pursuing a design program like B.Sc (Bachelor of Science) in Interior Design & Decoration can help you further develop your understanding of colour theory in the long run. Good luck!