life’s not a paragraph

before university this year, i never fully understood what color theory was. the theory of color. it’s just such an odd idea.

now that the semester is over, i cannot say that i am a color expert, but i definitely have a better understanding of the world of color.

there is obviously the basics of the color wheel. complementary colors, triads, secondary colors. and then there are all the various tube names of the paints and where they are placed on the color wheel. also, we addressed the different emotions associated with different colors. i expected all of this.

what i didn’t expect was the science. don’t worry. there are no labs or experiments in the traditional sense. we covered how the eye works, the different light waves, and why we see an after image. the professor gave examples of student projects and famous works to demonstrate how all this science affects us! i must say, i did learn a lot about the human eye this semester.

and i did learn how to mix colors. if you’ve never done it before, learning how to mix paint and get the color you want is hard. a lot harder than it sounds. i was never a big painter in high school, so i didn’t know all the ratios of color to color and the techniques. it was a little tough at first, but once i got the hang of it, i was able to paint a paper full of swatches before you could say “picasso!” ok well maybe not that fast…

i have definitely learned a lot in the class though. i know that the information will be really useful to me throughout the next few years, especially once i get up into my design classes. i guess that’s why you’re required to take it at the beginning!