Color 101 - Let's talk about colors!

Color 101

There are many terms regarding colors, however, since we are in color theory 101, lets just take a look at the basic terms that are key to understand how color is used.

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primary colours - red, blue and yellow
secondary colours - second set of colors mixing 2 primary colors - green, purple and orange
tertiary colours - third set of colors mixing 1 primary color and 1 secondary color

hue - a pure color without any white or black
shade - a pure color mixed with black to produce darker color
tint - a pure color mixed with white to produce lighter color
tone/saturation - intensity of color - higher saturated color will be much vivid and stronger.

Once you have understood different properties of color, let's take a look at how each color is often described as, in other words, color psychology.

Colors describe certain feelings or characteristics which become a tool that advise the viewers how to approach and understand the subject.



red - powerful and strong color, often associated with meanings such as wild, power, strength, passion, danger, and anger.


blue - one of the most common colors in our lives which describes calmness, trust, peace, sadness, and intelligence.


yellow - energizing color as it is often associated with sun and light. Also it describes warmth and joy


green - often refers to nature, new, optimisim and harmony. Also, it describes envy and jealousy.


orange - another energetic color that stands out and attract attention. The color signifies autumn and harvest as well.


purple - very prominent color that signifies royalty and wealth. Sometimes they represent other things such as death, imagination and romance.


white - often described as the color of purity, perfection, and peace. (One of the reasons why the color is used in Western weddings and hospitals.) In contrary, Eastern cultures represent mourning, death and used for funerals.


black - usually suggests elegance, formality and authority and also death.


You can experiment with colors to create different combinations that will generate certain tones such as warm or cool or neutral.

Here are some popular palettes that will help you to start.





Here are couple of websites that allow you to experiment and create your own palettes.

adobe colour cc
https://color.adobe.com/

paletton
http://paletton.com/

colour scheme designer
http://colorschemedesigner.com/csd-3.5/


Now remember! These are only guidelines to help you to decide what color of prints or frames will go better with your place and its surrounding. Sometimes, taking a bold step will create an unique setting that is just right for you.

Once you have decided what to print or what to hang on the wall, visit www.canadaoncanvas.com to see your work come alive.

Things to look out for before printing

When we think of printing, it sounds like the printer will do everything for you. But, there are couple of things to look out for or consider before printing to make sure the final results will meet your expectations.

1. Always check the resolution of an image before printing. 

DPI or Dots Per Inch is very critical to the quality of the prints. The term stands for how many dots are in one square inch, so higher dpi results clean and crisp image. If you try to print a low resolution image, it will look blurry or pixelated especially if you print it on a large scale.

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2. Check the color mode of the image.

There are two types of color mode used when displaying an image.

1. RGB - RGB is a spectrum of colored lights - involving Red, Green and Blue - that is used on screens to display colors. RGB has much larger gamut than CMYK(ink) which can portray millions of colors that CMYK cannot produce. RGB colors are known as additive because the palette starts from black and as the colors are added the result is lighter with the white being the very end of the palette. So, if your work is to be presented on a screen, you should be working in RGB.

2. CMYK - CMYK is a spectrum of colored inks - involving Cyan, Magenta, Yellow, and Black - that is used in printing. CMYK has limited gamut compared to RGB. CMYK colors are known as subtractive because the palette starts from white and as the colors are added, the palette is gradually gets darker until it reaches black. Unlike RGB that is based on colored lights, the colors we see with inks are coming from their absorbing and reflecting certain wavelength of lights.
So, if you are going to print an image, it is best to change the mode into CMYK to have the best accuracy between what you see on the screen and what you see on the print.

http://cdn01.pelfusion.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/05/RGB-VS-CMYK.jpg

But hold on! Because you are planning to print an image, it shouldn't lead you to work in CMYK mode from the start. The reason is because CMYK has such limited color gamut, you will have to work within such small area, however, RGB has much larger gamut which can produce vibrant and strong colors which will let you to work in much larger spectrum. When you print, the drivers will convert from RGB to CMYK accordingly to match the colors as closest as possible. You can color proof if you are using Adobe products to see the printed version on the screen which will help you to decide on colors and how the printer will process the image.

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3. Consider the type of paper.

There are many types of papers for printing. Some are matte, glossy, or even textured. Depending on the paper, the presentation will have different effects. Also if you are printing at home, you should know the types of papers your printer can handle. If you try to force printing with a paper that the printer doesn't accept, the result may not be good or even break your printer. Well known printing brands such as Epson and Canon provide their own line of quality papers which allows easier production for those who are looking to print at home.



Other ways you can print is by sending your work to professional print studios as they will have proper equipments and professionals who will do everything for you. Consider visiting different studios and ask for color samples to find the perfect palette you are looking for because each studio may have different printing profiles which will have slight variations of colors.

If you are planning to take your work to a print studio, come over to www.canadaoncanvas.com as the studio offers great products in great quality.