Colour - Week 4

Color schemes play a crucial role in conveying emotions because colors have a psychological and emotional impact on individuals. Different colors are associated with specific feelings and moods, and the combination of colors in a scheme can enhance or alter these emotional responses.

Task 1

During the first half of the lecture we were tasked with decoding messages within set images and exploring their meanings.

Concept Art from Pixar's UP

This illustration consists of mainly blue tones. Usually, blue is associated with peace and tranquillity, however, Pixars concept artists have twisted this message and used a rather dark and sinister colour scheme, consisting of deep blues and green tones. Additionally, the placement of the low light source connotes further themes of sinistry, as it is a direct pararell to childrens ghost stories which are typically told in darkness with a flashlight.

Concept Art from Pixar's UP

This image is also from Pixar's Up, however, the use of blue within this illustration is drastically different. The bright blue tunes on top of the rainbow scheme of the balloons create a much more friendly impression. The subtle blue makes the graphic very tranquil as it is warm and easy on the eyes, especially with the little bits of white clouds blending in from the bottom.

The Colour Theory

The colour theory is about how the colour wheel functions. It starts with the primary colours which are red, blue and yellow which can not be mixed by other colours to make it. Next we have secondary colours, these are the colours that are made by mixing two of the primary colours together. Then finally there are tertiary colours which occur when you mix together a primary and secondary colour.

There are two colour types, these are harmonious colours which are warmer with the feeling of unity and complimentary colours which are colder and create a more vibrant and dynamic result.

Colours on opposite sides of the wheel for example red and green are examples of complimentary colours because they help each other to stand out because they are more vibrant . These sorts of colours do not go together at all which explains why they are on opposite sides of the wheel.

Task 2

During the second half of the lecture we were tasked with creating colour palettes based on certain situations.

Someone experiencing anonymous online bullying. Consider how you can represent their feelings with colour

A walk along a beautiful beach at sunset in the summer

An anti-war poster campaign drawing attention to the horrors of war to engage and encourage university students to protest against it

A trip to Alton Towers theme park full of thrills and adrenaline

Task 3

My illustration

A walk along a beautiful beach at sunset in the summer

For my illustration, I have chosen a sunset beach scene. My aim was to tell the story of a child fondly remembering one of their favourite memories - finding a beautiful seashell during a summer walk on a lovely beach. Right as I started working on my composition, I already envisioned a perfect scene, an illustration with beautiful sea waves and a shining sea shell right in the middle.

For this illustration I have used procreate to draw - I find procreate a extremely useful tool for digital drawing with its high range of brushes to chose from.

While researching my colour palette, I included a range of warm tones to capture the summer aesthetic. I have enjoyed the contrast between deep oranges and blues which I believe create a warm inviting composition.

Initially, my colour palette seemed cold and uninviting, missing that summer aesthetic I was hoping to achieve. I'm glad I stepped back and rethought the colour pallet as it really helped my illustration convey the exact emotions I tried to achieve.