Chapter 11 Using Color Effectively
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normal values of others. For instance,
yellow has the lightest normal value
of any color in the middle ring of the
wheel. As you move away from yellow
on the color wheel, the normal values
of hues become darker. Violet has the
darkest normal value.
Adding white to a hue makes its
lighter. The addition of white to a hue
produces a tint. For instance, pink is a
tint of red. Adding white to red creates
pink. Adding white to blue creates baby
blue, a tint of blue. Peach is a tint of
orange. Lavender is a tint of violet. The
innermost ring of the color wheel shows
the tints. Lighter tints require the addi-
tion of more white.
You can make the value of a hue
darker by adding black. The addition
of black to a hue produces a shade. For
instance, burgundy is a shade of red.
Adding black to red creates this shade.
Navy blue is a shade of blue and is
created by adding black to blue. Darker
shades require the addition of more
black. The outer ring of the color wheel
shows the shades. Refer again to the
color wheel to identify the normal value
of hues, tints, and shades.
Adding gray softens the value of a
hue, which produces a tone. Rose is a
tone of red. Wedgwood blue is a tone
of blue, created by adding gray to blue.
Note that adding light gray to a hue
causes confusion with a tint. Likewise,
adding dark gray to a hue can cause
confusion with a shade. However, there
is a difference. Medium grays, of course,
are the easiest to recognize as tones
when mixed with hues.
Visible Light and the Electromagnetic Spectrum
Light is a form of energy called electromagnetic radiation. It travels through space
as oscillating waves. From crest to trough, these waves range in size from large as a
building to small as a microscopic particle. Wavelength is the distance between the
crests of two adjoining waves. Frequency is the rate at which a wave oscillates or y
fl uctuates and is measured in hertz. The chart shows the electromagnetic spectrum
arranged according to wavelength and frequency in hertz. As the length of a wave
increases, its frequency decreases.
Visible light makes up a small part of the electromagnetic spectrum and it’s the
only part you can see. Visible light consists of the colors you see in a rainbow—red,
orange, yellow, green, blue, and violet. These colors form the basis for the color wheel
interior designers use for creating color schemes.
The spectrum also includes other forms of energy you encounter every day:
infrared, radio waves, microwaves, X-rays, gamma rays, and ultraviolet rays. Many
consumer electronics products utilize the electromagnetic spectrum. Can you identify
a few of them?
LINK TO SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY
Radio waves Name of
wave
Wavelength
(meters) 102 10-1 10-2 10-3 10-4 10-5 10-8 10-9 10-10 10-11 10-12 10-6m 10-7m 11m 1m
Microwaves Infrared
Visible Light
Ultra-violet X-rays Gamma