Colour Theory Questions

The session;

Applied colour theory;

• There are two different processes of colour, optical and physical;
• Optical - is made up of dots of colours to make that colour you perceive.
• Physical - it is a flat colour and is mixed so there is no dots.
• When looking at pantone books, formula is physical and CMYK is optical.
• One colour plate is cheaper.
• Greyscale mode has only one plate.
• CMYK mode has three plates.
• You can usually go up to 7 plates
• Work in constant lighting, this is so that the way you perceive the colour doesn't change.
• The tints pantone book - the colour gets more saturated as the dots get closer together. It is not physically getting more saturated, it is just changing the tint. Optically giving you different tints, this is done by adjusting the dot pitch. (which is not the same as DPI, Dots Per Inch)

During the session we all presented our colour theory presentations to a small group. Whilst other people were presenting their theories on colour and how it works, we all thought about some questions that we could ask, thing that we don't understand about colour theory or things which we just want to know more about. We then individually needed to think of 10 questions that we want to know the answer to about colour, and the colour theory we have been learning about.

My 10 questions;

1. Looking at contrast of extension, is it a high or low contrast when colours are balanced?
2. How do you find the right amount of colour to balance the other out?
3. Is there any situations where you should put complementary colours together?
4. Does it have to be complementary colours together for contrast of extension, or can they be just different colours?
5. How does light effect colour?
6. Are colours perceived differently under different coloured light, i.e. white light/orange light/blue light?
7. Can type ever be readable when using complementary colours?
8. Do tertiary colours have a complimentary colour?
9. Does colour show character?
10. How do you make silver using pantone?

We then had to, as a group, find 5 to 10 of the most popular and recurring questions.

Groups questions;

1. When contrast of extension is balanced, is it a high or low contrast?
2. Does contrast of extension apply to colours that aren't complementary?
3. Do tertiary colours have a complementary colour?
4. How does artificial/natural light effect the perception of colour?
5. How does the chromatic value of white stock effect the colour of the print?
6. Does tone affect the temperature of a colour?
7. Is it possible for a colour to be warm if its desaturated?
8. Can complimentary colours be balanced (contrast of extension)?
9. How would simultaneous contrast be used?
10. How do you make gold and silver?

After doing this, we then had to present all of our questions, then swap with another table, and answer their questions as a group. The most efficient way of doing this, as there were 8 people in my group, and there were 8 questions, was that we all got one each, so we could get a more detailed answer. We also had to answer our own questions in detail, so that we thoroughly understand colour theory.

My question;
Each person in our group had one question each, my question was 'Is black a colour?' This has been debated, and when researching into this question I found a very helpful website, http://www.colormatters.com/color-and-design/are-black-and-white-colors. I found a lot of information which helped me to answer my question, this is the useful information which I pulled out.

Information from the website;
Is black a colour?
The answer to the question - "Are black and white colors?"  - is one of the most debated issues about color. Ask a scientist and you'll get a reply based on physics: “Black is not a color, white is a color.” Ask an artist or a child with crayons and you'll get another: “Black is a color, white is not a color.”

Are black and white colors when generated as light?

• Black is the absence of color (and is therefore not a color) When there is no light, everything is black. Test this out by going into a photographic dark room. There are no photons of light. In other words, there are no photons of colors. 
• White is the blending of all colors and is a color. Light appears colorless or white. Sunlight is white light that is composed of all the colors of the spectrum.  A rainbow is proof. You can't see the colors of sunlight except when atmospheric conditions bend the light rays and create a rainbow. You can also use a prism to demonstrate this.

Are black and white colors when they exist as pigments or as molecular coloring agents?
Here's a simple way to show how black is made: Combine all three primary colors (red yellow and blue) using a liquid paint or you even food coloring. You won't get a jet black, but the point will be clear. The history of black pigments includes charcoal, iron metals, and other chemicals as the source of black paints.

Are black and white colors?
Black is not a color; a black object absorbs all the colors of the visible spectrum and reflects none of them to the eyes.

• A black object may look black, but, technically, it may still be reflecting some light. For example, a black pigment results from a combination of several pigments that collectively absorb most colors. If appropriate proportions of three primary pigments are mixed, the result reflects so little light as to be called "black." In reality, what appears to be black may be reflecting some light.
• In physics, a black body is a perfect absorber of light.

Colour Theory;
The colors we see are simply a degree of how much of this color present in light is reflected. To be completely accurate, a color reflects the wavelengths in the NM range that our retinal cones respond to.
The medium is the process of reflection of the wavelength of the color.
The receiver is our eyes which receive the wavelength of the color.

My answer;
What I took from this information is that the question 'Is black a colour?' is debatable, some people believe that it is and some people believe that it isn't, depending on how you are looking at the 'colour' in physical form or just in theory. Black is technically not a colour because it doesn't reflect light therefore we can't see it and it is an absence of light, although using red, blue and green pigments, and putting them together, it gives you the perception of seeing black, therefore it is a colour. This is a question with a yes and no answer to it, therefore depending on who you ask the answer will change.

Group questions;

When contrast of extension is balanced, is it a high or low contrast?

Does contrast of extension apply to colours that aren't complementary?

Do tertiary colours have a complementary colour?

How does artificial/natural light effect the perception of colour?

How does the chromatic value of white stock effect the colour of the print?

Does tone affect the temperature of a colour?

Is it possible for a colour to be warm if its desaturated?


Can complimentary colours be balanced (contrast of extension)?


How would simultaneous contrast be used?

How do you make gold and silver?