Datasheet

■ UNDERSTANDING COLOR AND COMPOSITION

Split complement One color plus the two colors that flank that color’s complementary

color (for example, green, blue-violet, and red-violet).

Analogous colors Colors that are side-by-side. For example, in Figure 1.31 the cloaks

of two women are red-orange and yellow-orange. In RGB, red-orange is a mixture of

primary red and tertiary orange; yellow-orange is the mixture of secondary yellow

and tertiary orange. (If compared to the RYB color wheel, the colors correspond to

secondary orange and tertiary yellow-orange, which are also analogous.)

Figure 1.31 Antonio da Correggio (1489–1534). The Mystic Marriage of Saint Catherine.

c. 1520. Oil on canvas. National Gallery, London. The women’s cloaks form analogous colors.

Diad Two colors that have a single color position between them (for example, second-

ary violet and primary red on the RGB color wheel).

Triad Three colors that are equally spaced on the wheel.

Note: A common mistake made by many 2D and 3D animators is the overuse of pure primary

and secondary colors in their designs. Colors located between the secondary and tertiary elements will

provide a more diverse palette. For instance, instead of choosing 1, 0, 1 in Maya RGB color space, try

selecting 0.5, 0.4, 0.8 for a more muted variation of violet.

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