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Apply Color Concepts

Unit: Clothing & Textiles

Problem Area: Establish Your Personal Look

Lesson: Apply Color Concepts

Student Learning Objectives.

Instruction in this lesson should result in students

achieving the following objectives:

Use the color wheel and color schemes.

Summarize color symbolism.

¢ Resources.

The following resources may be useful in teaching this lesson:

E-unit(s) corresponding to this lesson plan. CAERT, Inc. http://www.mycaert.com.

Aiezza, Michael. “Color and Fashion. Color Matching 101: Make Great Clothing

Matches by Understanding Color Theory,” MyClothingHelper. Accessed Mar. 11,

2019. http://www.myclothinghelper.com

Eiseman, Leatrice, E.P.Atler and Juliein Tomasello. “Pantone on Fashion: A Century

of Color Design,” 2nd ed. Chronicles Books, 2014.

Huskey, Jennifer and Hillary Johnsom. “Color Wheel Primer,” HGTV. Accessed Mar.

11, 2019. https://www.hgtv.com/design/decorating/design-101/color-wheel-

primer.

Patkar, Mihir. “Learn The Basics of Color Theory to Know What Looks Good,”

lifehacker. Accessed Mar. 11, 2019. https://lifehacker.com/learn-the-basics-of-

color-theory-to-know-what-looks-goo-1608972072.

Rendon, Roxxan. “How to Mix Paints and Make a Color Wheel,” YouTube. Accessed

Mar. 11, 2019. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=njTIYRkXdK4

“What Do Colors Mean and Represent?” SAE Alumni. Accessed Mar. 11, 2019.

http://www.alumnisae.edu

Lesson: Apply Color Concepts

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Equipment, Tools, Supplies, and Facilities

Overhead or PowerPoint projector

Visual(s) from accompanying master(s)

Copies of sample test, lab sheet(s), and/or other items designed for duplication

Materials listed on duplicated items

Computers with printers and Internet access

Classroom resource and reference materials

Fashion magazines

Key Terms. The following terms are presented in this lesson (shown in bold italics):

analogous

color

color harmonies

color schemes

color symbolism

color theory

color wheel

complementary

cool colors

hue

intensity

monochromatic

neutral

neutral colors

primary colors

secondary colors

shade

split complementary

tertiary colors

tetradic (or double complementary)

tint

tone

triadic

value

warm colors

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Interest Approach.

Use an interest approach that will prepare the students for the

lesson. Teachers often develop approaches for their unique class and student situations. A

possible approach is included here.

Write the question, “What Does Color Mean to You?” on the board. Take time to

discuss with your students what they know about color and what they need and

want to learn. Throw out some of the key terms and see how many students

have a grasp of their meaning. Divide in groups by favorite color. Are there any

colors no one likes? Then, project VM–A to have students determine which color

sneaker they would like and to explain what caused them to choose that color.

CONTENT SUMMARY AND

TEACHING STRATEGIES

Objective 1: Use the color wheel and color schemes.

Anticipated Problem: What is color? What are color schemes? How does color

communicate?

I. Color is all possible combinations of the hues on the color wheel. Hue is each color’s

name: red, orange, yellow, green, blue, violet, black, and white. Color is one of the

most important elements of design and is the result of reflected light. To work with

color one must first be familiar with the many color terms. Color terminology is

essential to making all design work easier and more productive.

A. The color wheel is a circle with 12 triangles that represents the color range and

shows the relationship between colors. It is a key tool for understanding and using

color. The color wheel places the primary colors–red, blue, and yellow–equal

distance apart.

1. Primary colors are red, blue, and yellow. They are placed equal distance

apart on the color wheel. Mixing other colors together cannot produce the pri

mary colors. Some designers think of the primary colors as the ‘parents’ or the

‘base’ colors.

2. Secondary colors are orange, green, and violet. They are placed equal dis

tance between two primary colors. Mixing equal amounts of two primary colors

produces a secondary color. For example, equal amounts of:

(1) Red and yellow produce orange.

(2) Yellow and blue produce green.

(3) Red and blue produce violet.

3. Tertiary colors are blue-green, red-violet, yellow-orange, yellow-green, red-

orange, and blue-violet. Mixing one primary and one secondary color creates

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tertiary colors. When naming the tertiary color, the name of the primary color is

always listed first.

B. Color harmony is the act of combining any two colors opposite each other on the

color wheel, any three colors equally spaced around the color wheel forming a

triangle, or any four colors forming a rectangle. Harmonious color combinations

are called color schemes.

C. Color schemes are combinations of colors pleasing to the eye based on their

position on the color wheel. For example:

1. Complementary is a color scheme of any two hues directly opposite each

other on the color wheel. For example, red and green, blue and orange, and

yellow and violet create high contrast. As such, complementary color schemes

are used when the designer wants something to stand out. [NOTE: Comple

mentary colors are often used for sports teams’ colors.]

2. Split complementary is a color scheme made up of three colors: one color

and the two adjacent colors on each side of its complementary color on the

color wheel. For example, choosing green as the color automatically chooses

red-orange and red-violet as the split complementary colors because they lie

on each side of red (green’s complementary color) on the color wheel.

3. Analogous is a color scheme of any three colors next to each other on the

color wheel. For example, blue, blue-green, and blue-violet are an analogous

color scheme. [TIP: However, several color theorists indicate that a more har-

monious analogous scheme would be to use the tints of those analogous col-

ors. Tints are not as harsh as are hues.]

4. Triadic is a color scheme composed of any three colors that are equal dis-

tance apart on the color wheel. For example, red, yellow, and blue are a triadic

scheme as are orange, green, and violet. [TIP: Because triadic is a high-con-

trast color scheme, designers often use one color as the primary color in the

design and accent with the other two. Because primary color schemes are

bright and cheery, they are often used in children’s clothing.]

5. Tetradic (or double complementary) is a color scheme that uses four colors

together in the form of two sets of complementary colors. For example, blue

and orange is paired with yellow and violet. [TIP: This is a difficult scheme to

balance when these highly contrasting colors are used in equal amounts in the

design. Again, selecting one color to be dominant in the design avoids an

unbalanced image.]

6. Monochromatic is a color scheme that uses a single color along with the

tints, tones, and shades of that color. It may also use different saturation lev

els of each tint, tone, and shade. [TIP: To avoid a design that appears monoto

nous, the designer can pair the monochrome scheme with black or white

accents.]

7. Neutral is a type of monochromatic color scheme on a range of only neutral

colors from black to white. Neutral colors include blacks, whites, greys, and

browns. Neutral colors are not found on the color wheel. [TIP: These colors are

good background colors and tend to unify the other colors in a design. This

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scheme can be a bit boring and often needs a pop of color to ‘pull the design’

together.]

8. Cool colors are blues, greens, and violets that tend to make one feel calm

and cool. Warm colors are yellows, oranges, and reds that remind people of

fire and sunshine and make one feel cozy.

9. Intensity is the level of brightness or dullness of a color. The lightness or dark

ness of a color is known as its value.

10. All colors have tints, shades, and tones.

a. A shade is a variation of a color produced when mixed with black.

b. A tint is a variation of a color produced when mixed with white.

c. Tone is a variation of a color produced when mixed with gray.

D. Color Characteristics: Information about the characteristics of color allows a

person to present a ‘look’ and evoke an emotion or send a message. Individuals

who study the color wheel and color schemes can use this information to make

their wardrobe work harder for them.

1. WARM VS COOL COLORS: Colors do not change the temperature but they can

give a textile or a wall or a room a feeling of warmth or coolness.

a. The warm color range is red, yellow, and orange. These colors give the

illusion of ‘advancing’ so fabrics, objects, walls, etc. tend to look larger

than their actual size. Warm colors make one feel cozy.

b. The cool color range is blue, green, and violet. Cool colors give the illusion

of ‘receding’ so these colors make that part of a design appear smaller

than actual size. With this knowledge, one can make a larger part of the

body appear smaller by using a cool color. Understanding cool colors allows

a person to help hide any perceived flaws.

2. TINT, SHADE, AND TONE: Tinting, shading, or toning can be accomplished for

all colors on the color wheel. For example, when the designer wants to:

a. Lighten a hue they tint it by adding white. A tint softens the color. Tinting is

known to add a feminine touch.

b. Darken a hue they shade it by adding black. Shading deepens the color

and is often used as an accent on a garment. Shading is thought to add a

masculine touch to a textile or garment.

c. Subdue or mute a hue they tone it by adding grey. Tones are very pleasing

to most eyes and are often thought of as ‘sophisticated.’ One must be

careful when using tone to avoid a drab look.

Teaching Strategy:

Many techniques can be used to help students master this

objective. Use VM–A to introduce the idea of color and why we choose specific colors.

Use VM–B to illustrate the color wheel. Use VM–C to show examples of color schemes.

Use VM–D to illustrate monochromatic color schemes. Use VM–E to review warm and

cool colors. Use VM–F to review neutral colors and color palettes. Use VM–G to

illustrate grey tones and to review tints and shades.

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There are a couple of easy ways for your students to review the terms and become

more familiar with them. They can make their own flash cards (by hand or with an

online flash card tool) to practice. They can also use a white board and markers to play

PICTIONARY in small groups using the color terms and the colors from the lesson. This

is a perfect time to use the YouTube video at https://www.youtube.com/

watch?v=njTIYRkXdK4. It demonstrates how to make a color wheel and explains how

the color wheel is set up. Then, assign LS–A to have students create a color wheel

using only the primary colors.

Have your students select a color scheme and then find a “good” example of an outfit

for that color scheme. Then, students should continue to find a different picture of an

outfit for each of the other color schemes. If there is not time for this it can also be a

class project where you divide the class into small groups and they each take one of

the color schemes and put together an outfit for their color scheme. Each group would

display their outfit and explain to the class why they chose this as a ‘good’ example. A

class discussion will help cement the color scheme models.

Objective 2: Summarize color symbolism.

Anticipated Problem: What messages do colors send?

II. Color theory is the way in which color principles are applied to design and how colors

relate to each other. Possible combinations of colors are grouped to create powerful

visual effects. Color is considered one of the most important elements of design

because of its ability to appear a bit differently on everyone and in every lighting

setting. For example, the exact design for a trench coat only in a different color can

produce an entirely different look or effect.

A. Color symbolism is the practice of using hues to represent a relationship, an

attribute, a characteristic, or a quality. Knowing each color ‘s symbolism is a

powerful tool when choosing garments for oneself and when creating textiles or

room designs. People and organizations are influenced by color. For example,

choosing a blue suit or choosing a red suit sends two different messages. Colors

carry and send messages and it is important to select colors that send the desired

message. Color choice can impress or disappoint. Each color has associated

symbolism: relationships, attributes, characteristics, and qualities.

B. Red is:

1. A primary color.

2. A warm color.

3. Known to evoke feelings of fire, blood, energy, danger, power, strength, pas

sion, love, and courage. Knowing this information provides the user or a

designer the information to know that it is a good choice for a dress for a spe

cial dating event or evening.

4. Known to enhance metabolism and raise blood pressure.

5. Known to give the illusion of advance or of “coming at you.”

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C. Blue is:

1. A primary color.

2. A cool color.

3. Known to evoke feelings of trust, loyalty, wisdom, intelligence, confidence,

calm, and masculinity. Blue, and the tint or shade that is used can give off a

totally different look. A dark blue suit can be very masculine or give a feeling of

strength for say a woman heading into a board room full of men while a pale

blue suit of the same design can prove to be very feminine. Once again, a per

son trying to look smaller would maybe choose blue over red as it is receding

and gives the illusion of smaller or farther away. Most men’s suits are made of

a darker blue giving suggesting intelligence.

4. Known to slow metabolism and breathing.

5. Known to give the illusion of receding (diminishing).

D. Yellow is:

1. A primary color.

2. A warm color.

3. A suggestion of sunshine, joy, happiness, and wisdom.

4. Known to stimulate mental activity and increase muscular energy. Yellow is

known to draw attention. [TIP: It is a great color used as an accent to draw

attention to a good body attribute. Yellow is bright and cheery and is great

color to wear for a happy occasion.]

5. Bright and cheery and, when shading, it is important to not make yellow

appear dingy.

E. Green is:

1. A secondary color: a mix of blue and yellow.

2. A cool color.

3. Known to make one think of nature, freshness, growth, financial wealth, heal-

ing, stability, and endurance. Green can appear relaxing and peaceful and is

often used for outdoor clothing.

F. Orange is:

1. A secondary color: a mix of red and yellow.

2. A warm color.

3. Suggests energy, joy, sunshine, and enthusiasm.

4. Suggests images of fall and harvest

G. Violet is:

1. A secondary color: a mix of red and blue.

2. A cool color.

3. Suggests stability from blue and energy from red. It also evokes the emotions

of power, luxury, dignity, wisdom, mystery, and magic.

4. Associated with royalty throughout history.

5. Recognized as feminine in its lighter tints.

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H. Black is:

1. A neutral.

2. Associated with luxury, elegance, and power.

3. Versatile: it can be conservative or edgy or modern.

4. Associated with grief and mourning (in Western cultures).

I. White is:

1. A neutral.

2. Associated with purity (e.g., the wedding dress).

3. Versatile: it can be used with any other color but when used alone produces a

feeling of cleanliness.

4. Associated with healthcare, positivity, and simplicity.

J. Gray is:

1. A neutral.

2. Both warm and cool. Its unique attributes work well with all colors.

3. Associated with professionalism and sophistication.

K. Brown is:

1. A neutral.

2. Versatile: its hue and tints and shades work with many colors.

3. Associated with earth, wood, stone, and strength (especially brown tones).

4. Harmony and balance.

Teaching Strategy:

Many techniques can be used to help students master this

objective. Use VM–H to illustrate color symbolism. Provide t-shirts in a variety of colors

for the class to use to decide which colors look best on them. How does each shirt

provide a different ‘look’? Then, have your students divide the t-shirts into warm and

cool categories. Use the t-shirts to review the different color harmonies, schemes, and

the color wheel. If T-shirts are not available another option is to have your students

design a Neutral Color Scheme outfit and share with the class.

Review/Summary.

Use the student learning objectives to summarize the lesson.

Have students explain the content associated with each objective. Student responses can

be used in determining which objectives need to be reviewed or taught from a different

angle. If a textbook is being used, questions at the ends of chapters may also be included

in the Review/Summary.

Application.

Use the included visual master(s) and lab sheet(s) to apply the

information presented in the lesson.

Evaluation.

Evaluation should focus on student achievement of the objectives for the

lesson. Various techniques can be used, such as student performance on the application

activities. A sample written test is provided.

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Answers to Sample Test:

Part One: True/False

1. T

2. T

3. F

4. T

5. F

6. F

Part Two: Completion

1. a

2. c

3. b

4. d

5. c

6. d

7. a

8. c

9. b

10. a

Part Three: Short Answer

1. Answers will vary and would similar to the following. Color symbolism is the practice

of using hues to represent a relationship, an attribute, a characteristic, or a quality.

Knowing each color ‘s symbolism is a powerful tool when choosing garments for

oneself and when creating textiles or room designs. People and organizations are

influenced by color. For example, choosing a blue suit or choosing a red suit sends

two different messages. Colors carry and send messages and it is important to

select colors that send the desired message. Color choice can impress or

disappoint. Each color has associated symbolism: relationships, attributes,

characteristics, and qualities.

2. Answers will vary.

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Sample Test

Name ________________________________________

Apply Color Concepts

Part One: True/False

Instructions: Write T for true or F for false.

_____1. A hue is the name of a color.

_____2. The color wheel is centered on the primary colors.

_____3. Tertiary color names begin with the secondary color first.

_____4. Grey is a neutral color.

_____5. Neutral colors are on the color wheel.

_____6. Green is a primary color.

u Part Two: Multiple Choice

Instructions: Circle the letter of the correct answer.

1. There are _____ primary colors.

a. 2

b. 3

c. 4

d. 5

2. Another name for a color is a_____.

a. tint

b. shade

c. hue

d. tone

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3. To shade a hue you add _____.

a. white

b. black

c. gray

d. brown

4. Complementary colors are _____.

a. blue and violet

b. green and orange

c. orange and red

d. violet and yellow

5. An example of a warm color is _____.

a. blue

b. purple

c. red

d. black

6. Black is an example of a _____ color.

a. warm

b. cool

c. primary

d. neutral

7. The primary colors are _____.

a. red, blue, and yellow

b. green, violet, and orange

c. red, violet, and blue

d. yellow, orange, and red

8. To create a ‘tone’ of any color, you add _____.

a. black

b. brown

c. grey

d. white

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9. An example of a monochromatic color scheme is _____.

a. reds and greens

b. blues

c. reds and blues

d. greens, reds, and whites

10. Mixing a primary and a secondary color results in a/an _____ color.

a. tertiary

b. analogous

c. neutral

d. shade

Part Three: Short Answer

Instructions: Answer the following.

1. Describe color symbolism.

2. What does color mean to you?

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VM–A

WHICH COLOR WOULD YOU

CHOOSE?

Color is all possible combinations of the hues on the color

wheel. Hue is each color’s name: red, orange, yellow,

green, blue, violet, black, and white. Color is one of the

most important elements of design. Which color sneaker

would you choose? Why?

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VM–B

COLOR WHEEL

The color wheel is a circle with 12 triangles that represents

the color range and shows the relationship between colors.

It is a key tool for understanding and applying color. The

color wheel places the primary colors—red, blue, and

yellow—equal distance apart.

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VM–C

COLOR SCHEMES

Color schemes are combinations of colors pleasing to the

eye based on their position on the color wheel. Which

color schemes do you use most?

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VM–D

MONOCHROMATIC

COLOR SCHEMES

Based on this illustration, describe a monochromatic color

scheme.

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VM–E

NEUTRALS

Neutral colors include

blacks, whites, greys, and

browns. Neutral colors are

not found on the color

wheel. Wedding gowns are

typically created in various

neutral colors. TIP:

Neutrals are good

background colors and

tend to unify the other

colors in a design.

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VM–F

SHOULD YOU WEAR WARM OR

COOL COLORS?

Cool colors are blues, greens, and violets that tend to

make one feel calm and cool. Warm colors are yellows,

oranges, and reds that remind people of fire and sunshine

and make one feel cozy. Think about your wardrobe. Does

it contain both warm and cool colors or do you have more

of one type than the other?

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VM–G

TINTS, SHADES, AND TONES

All colors have tints, shades, and tones. A shade is a

variation of a color produced when mixed with black. A tint

is a variation of a color produced when mixed with white.

Tone is a variation of a color produced when mixed with

gray.

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VM–H

COLOR SYMBOLISM

Based on what you know about the

symbolism of the color: What

message is TARGET sending with its

logo? What message is Thomas

Gainsborough sending in his famous

painting entitled “The Blue Boy?”

[Images courtesy Wikipedia] What

message do these white wedding

gowns send?

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VM–I

CHOOSING COLORS

Which Shirt Would Look Best on You?

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VM–J

USING COLOR FOR ACCENTS

Do You Like Yellow As An Accent?

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LS–A

Name ________________________________________

The Color Wheel

Purpose

The purpose of this activity is to create a color wheel.

Objectives

1. Use the primary colors only to create a color wheel with primary, secondary, and tertiary

colors.

2. Place each color in its correct location.

Materials

lab sheet

blank color wheels sheet (provided by instructor)

paint in the primary colors

paint brushes, mixing pans, or paper plates

cups for water

VM–B or other color wheel to compare your color wheel product

Procedure

1. Collect all your supplies. Optional: Watch the YouTube video demonstration of creating a

color wheel at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=njTIYRkXdK4

2. Study the color wheel chart provided.

3. Produce a color wheel.

a. First, paint in the primary color triangles where they belong and label. [NOTE: Most

color wheels show yellow at the top of the diagram.]

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b. Next, mix the secondary colors using use the primary paints. Then, paint and label

each secondary color.

c. Now, use the primary paints to mix the tertiary colors. Then, and paint and label each

tertiary color.

4. Compare your colors to the completed chart. (e.g., VM–B or a color wheel provided by

your instructor) Write a brief description of the task to create a color wheel using only the

primary colors.

5. Write your name on the color wheel assignment and allow to dry. When dry turn your

color wheel in to your instructor.

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LS–A: Teacher Information Sheet

The Color Wheel

1. Sample blank color wheel templates are available at:

a. Dream Home Decorating at http://www.dreamhomedecorating.com/printable-color-

wheel.html

b. Colorings at http://colorings.net/2016/07/31/free-printable-color-wheel-template-10-

image/

c. Several available on Pinterest.

2. The lab sheet directs the student to create primary, secondary, and tertiary colors. This

requires the color wheel template to have 12 triangular locations.

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