Friday 1 April 2011

Colour Theory for Costuming: Part Three

So we've talked about colour practically, what is pleasing to the eye. Let's go deeper now and see how colour can affect mood and convey emotion.

First off, there are warm and cool colours, and both give a different mood. Warm colours are in the red/orange/yellow family.  These colours give a feeling of openness, joy, and comfort, also life and energy. Cool colours include blue/green, and purple if it has more blue than red. These colours tend to recede and can convey coldness and distance, but also peace and tranquility.

Secondly, each colour has a certain feel to it. Here is a list to consider:

Red - passion, sexuality, energy, romance, love
Orange - vitality, action, excitement
Yellow - joy, happiness, freshness
Green - growth, nature, fertility, health, healing
Blue - sadness, peace, loyalty, faith, heaven, tranquility
Purple - royalty, power, luxury, magic
White - purity, innocence, perfection
Black - drama, death, evil, mystery, elegance

Third and last of all, there are general themes that come to mind when certain colours are seen. Bright hues of yellow, orange and green would bring feelings of joy, energy, and health. This might be perfect for a summer festival daytime performance. What about a night-time performance where you want to look elegant and mysterious? Black would be a must, along with purple and maybe some red. Some colour combinations actually create a picture in one's mind, suchs as blues, greens and teals looking like the ocean, or red, orange and yellow making you think of fire. So many options and ideas! Be creative!



http://www.fcbd.com/

Here are more resources if you are interested:

http://www.tigercolor.com/color-lab/color-theory/color-theory-intro.htm
http://www.julianarosalia.com/TD102/colorTheory.shtml
http://www.color-wheel-pro.com/color-meaning.html

No comments:

Post a Comment