Color Theory Resources: Excellent site on Color Theory: Color Theory Interactive - from the Poynter Institute. Good for middle school and up. See WebExhibits.org Causes of Color (science too) - Science of Color Vision and Art - Pigments through the Ages (lots of science). Additional Links for Color Theory. Color Symbolism: Use caution when teaching about color symbolism. Symbolism of colors vary Color is considered one of the most useful and powerful design tools you have. People respond to different colors in different ways, and these responses take place on a subconscious, emotional level. In our American culture, black has long been associated with death, while white is believed to signify life and purity. In the Orient, however, white is the traditional color of mourning. In the United States, black has also come to suggest sophistication and formality. Americans generally associate trust an stability with the color blue, while Koreans have this reaction to pink and other pastel colors.
In the Western Culture:
Purple and gold are often associated with Royalty, wealth and opulence Red, White and Blue reminiscent of the American flag, immediately convey notions of patriotism and, to some extent, conservatism.
Green has taken on a very strong connotation as the color representing ecology and concern for the environment, however, it also conveys meanings associated with money and the suggestion "to go ahead" which is obviously derived from traffic lights.
Colors represent holidays and seasons of the year.
The Fall foliage colors of Red, orange, yellow, and brown are clearly expressive of Thanksgiving. Halloween: Orange and Black. Red and Green represent Christmas. Purple and Yellow and other pastels colors represent Easter.
Blue, Red, White and Grey = Stability, Power, Trustworthiness, Conservatism
Yellow, Brown, Orange, Green = Nature, earthiness, warmth
Red, Orange, yellow = more warmth
Blues and Aquas = water and coolness
Primary colors (Red, Blue, Yellow) = Convey fun
Color symbolism in Zulu beading. Native American Color Symbolism Colors in Native American culture often symbolize different things from The Four Directions Navajo Meanings of Colors This information was posted to Getty Teacher Art Exchange by Christine Merriam The Four Sacred Mountains and directions are associated with colors. The Navajos belief is that their Creator placed them on the land between the following 4 mountains representing the 4 cardinal directions: White: Mount Blanca (Tsisnaasjini‘ - Dawn or White Shell Mountain) Sacred Mountain of the East near Alamosa in San Luis Valley, Colorado The principal colors, white, blue, yellow and black are linked to the four sacred mountains as well as the directions- Red is often considered a sacred color and represents sunlight. (source for this is off line now) White Mountain Apaches Medicine Wheel color symbolism: Asian Color Symbolism (SIGN--COLOR) Color Therapy - Color and the Brain Specific colors have different effects (list copied from Biopulse.org) Additional Links for Color Symbolism Color in Motion Fun interactive site on symbolism of colors. Meet the characters (colors) - watch the movies and test your knowledge. Masters research project by Claudia Cortés. Color Symbolism in Stained Glass The symbolism of color as established by Dante Color Order Systems in Art and Science Color systems and colors for various cultures. Color Symbolism Matching Exercise - Try it just for fun. Now you know that colors mean different things to different cultures - See if you feel the same as the author of this quiz. Orange Color Symbolism Blue Color Symbolism Brown Color Symbolism Color Meanings - from About .com Desktop Publishing Color Symbolism Chart Has some different cultures listed. From Wired 4 Success Web Design. Color Symbolism Color symbolism given with comparisons to Japanese culture. Page is written by Michael Thomas for is site on Anime. Dictionary of Symbolism - Look up your color word. University of Michigan Fantasy and Science Fiction. Originally Constructed by Allison Protas. More on the Psychology of color from About.com (has pop-up ads) Color Symbolism - Ancient Egypt from Ancient Egypt: The Mythology - site by April McDevitt. Heraldry on the Internet This site is designed to help you conduct heraldry research on the Internet -- many links as to the various sources of heraldic material available. Symbolism of Heraldry Teacher recommended site. Web Exhibits.org See Causes of Color, Color Vision and Art and Pigments Color Symbolism in the Bible Teachers, you will have to decide if this can be shown to your students. Use your judgment. Also see the additional links suggested. On Teaching the Color Wheel: From Marvin Bartel: For any age that does not already "know" the color wheel - try a more scientific approach.
If anyone tries this - or has tried this approach - let me know and I will forward your results to Professor Bartel. Edible Color Wheel Try this FUN activity to teach the color wheel. Edible Color Wheel Lesson by Sandra Hildreth (Sandra was the Getty ArtsEdNet Charter Member who started this great idea - now Getty Teacher Art Exchange) Color Schemer This is a site for web designing software. This link is not provided as an advertisement for the software - but rather for the article/tutorial on color theory. Got some time to kill with your students? Try these online Color Tests Color Schemes: 603010.com Justin Kramer (Australia) has had great success using this site with his students to help them understand more pleasing color combinations are obtained by mixing colors. Let the student explore their own color profile. (I had to do it twice before the profiler got it right for me -- smile. It was interesting and fun. I have decided I am a blend two color schemes). Color Test - See if your right brain and left brain are working together. Select the COLOR of the word not the word. This one is quick - only takes a few seconds to do. Personality Color Quiz (based on Research) ColorQuiz is a free five minute personality test based on decades of research by color psychologists around the world. There are no complicated questions to answer, you simply choose colors with a click of the mouse - then check your results (no email address to enter - results are not saved). Hmmm....Use at your own risk. I just read through all of my answers which I had neglected to do at first. Some answers may not be suitable for children. NOTE TO STUDENTS: This page is not "authoritative" - I am not an expert on this topic. This page was created first for my students to give them an awareness of symbolism of colors in different cultures. Some of the listings come from Pagan sites which would not be acceptable for my students to view from school - so I copied the lists (without permission). If you are doing research - look for sources that have been researched and can be verified. My students came up with their own meaning for colors they used. ~Judy Decker |
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