Viewing Colours & Common Terms

Did you know that natural daylight is the best light for viewing colours? Artificial lighting affects shades - incandescent lights have more yellow tones whereas fluorescent tubes have more blue tones. That's why I prefer to have workshops during the day; it makes identifying a client's most flattering colours much easier. Seeing colours properly is why it's harder to shop at malls - lots of artificial lights.

I looked back through my newsletters and found the following; taken from a paint shop's colour chart.

Useful terms when planning your home decor:
MONOCHROMATIC: uses one colour, with variations of texture and value (light, medium, dark) to stop it looking monotonous

ANALOGOUS: uses a primary colour and neighbouring colours eg yellow with yellow-green (lime) and yellow-orange (melon).

COMPLEMENTARY: uses colours that are directly opposite each other on the colour wheel eg red & green, purple & yellow. Complementary colours intensify each other and tend to be lively. Best if one colour dominates and the other accessorises.

SPLIT COMPLEMENTARY: uses a colour in combination with two colours directly opposite on the colour wheel eg red with yellow-green (lime) and blue-green (turquoise)

TRIADIC: uses three colours that are equi-distant on the colour wheel eg orange, green, purple. One colour tends to be used as dominant and the other two as accents.

ACHROMATIC: white, greys and black.