What is Color Theory?

"The purest and most thoughtful minds are those which love

color the most."

~Johns Ruskin


Color theory is one of my all time favorite subjects. The way colors respond to other colors and light is endless fascinating to me. In this video you will explore the foundation of color theory - the color wheel- and make your own color wheel reference charts.

Making color wheels is a fundamental practice in color theory and the wheels can be as complex as the subject itself. The 3 wheels we make here are the basic Primary, Secondary, and Tertiary wheels, or the building blocks of understanding color.

The greater an understanding of color you have, including what colors comprise a color, the easier mixing paint and more realistically expressing the objects that spark your sense wonder out in nature will be. (Assuming realism is what you want to go for, it's not always the end goal for sure, nor should it be!)

Whether you're going for realism or an abstract expression of what you see, when you understand color theory you can create a literal endless rainbow of tints, shades, colors, and color schemes in your nature journal that connect you with your natural world more deeply.


Extension: Make a 4th color wheel with 24 gradations of the primary and secondary colors.


Complete and Continue