Warm And Cool Colors
Understand warm and cool colors and create stunning color schemes. (There's more to cool and warm colors than most people think!)
In the most general terms, 'warm' colors are related to the yellow/red side of the color wheel chart. They attract attention and are generally perceived as energetic or exciting.
'Cool' colors sit on the blue/green side of the color wheel; they are generally perceived as soothing and calm.
(N.B. One could argue that this chart (the 'artist' color mixing wheel) contains more 'warm' color swatches than 'cool' ones, because it is based on two warm primary colors (yellow & red) and only one cool primary (blue). But if the red swatches on the left look out of place to you, don't worry because ...
... this is really just the coarsest, most general way of looking at cool and warm colors. So what about ...
Cool Yellows! Warm Blues!
When you look at the graphic to the left, you may find that one panel of colors is 'warmer' than the other.
Which one is it? (I do hope the colors come out well on your screen - it's always a bit of a gamble!)
If you can see a difference between cool and warm colors here, then the logical next question is ...
... how can there be 'warm' blues,
if blue in itself is a cool color?
The four-primary color wheel shows how:
A Color Wheel Chart That Explains
Warm And Cool Colors
The outer ring of this 4-primary color wheel chart shows how neighboring colors "infiltrate" each other around the color wheel so that every color family (yellow, red, blue, green) ends up with a 'cool' and a 'warm' side:
- Cool yellow has a bit of green in it, warm yellow tends toward red.
- Cool red looks a bit bluish, warm red has a yellowish cast.
- Cool green has a blue bias, warm green a hint of yellow.
- Cool blue looks a bit green around the gills, and warm blue has a blush.
(You can find more info about this color wheel here.)
Now, does this mean there aren't cooler or warmer color groups? Of course not. Blue is still much cooler than orange, even if it's a 'warm' blue. But it's the subtleties that make all the difference in a warm-and-cool color scheme.
Colors That 'Change' Their Temperature
Talk about subtleties ... it's been proven that we humans are completely unable to see and remember how colors look in isolation, independently of their surrounding colors. This is because the 'background' colors can strongly interfere with how a color appears to us.
(This, by the way, is one of the reasons why modern art galleries & museums generally exhibit art on a white background.)
Let's put this to the test! Have a close look, if you will, at the central blue squares in these two color blocks:
Which of them is cooler than the other?
So there you have it - things may not be what they first seem in the world of warm and cool colors. By the way, even neutral colors range from warm and inviting to very, very icy indeed (and yes, their 'coolness' varies depending on the surrounding colors as well :-)
For further color theory information & color inspiration,
... Click A Pic !
 Online Color Mixing Wheel |
 FREE Printable Color Wheel |
 Online Color Wheel (Hering) |
 Illustrated Color Terminology |
Or, check out the chapters on:
If you're working on a home decorating project, you may also be interested in some of these color scheme books or portable color wheels:
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