COLOR THEORY BASICS: Use the Color Wheel & Color Harmonies to Choose Colors that Work Well Together

Learn color theory and how to choose colors that work well together: with the color wheel, color harmonies and color palettes.
See the written version on the blog: sarahrenaeclark.com/color-the...
Get the PDF Workbook: sarahrenaeclark.com/shop/colo...
Get The Color Catalog that was mentioned in this video: sarahrenaeclark.com/color-pal...
Have you ever wondered how some artists are able to find perfect color combinations that just seem to work, every time? In this video, I’m going to show you how to use the color wheel and color harmonies to choose color combinations that look GOOD.
Here’s what we’ll cover:
- Basic color theory: What is the color wheel?
- What are the primary colors?
- What are secondary and tertiary colors?
- What is the difference between hue, color saturation, color value, and color temperature?
- What is the difference between warm red and cool red?
- What are color harmonies?
- What are monochromatic colors?
- What are complementary colors?
- What is a split-complementary color scheme?
- What is a triadic color scheme?
- What are tetradic colors?
- What are analogous colors?
- How can I use color harmonies to choose colors?
- How can I use color palettes?
We’ll cover the 6 different types of color harmonies, including plenty of example color palettes:
1. Monochromatic colors
2. Complementary colors
3. Split-complementary colors
4. Triadic colors
5. Tetradic colors
6. Analogous colors
We’ll be using the traditional RYB color wheel throughout this video, with the primary colors Red, Yellow and Blue. There are other color wheels (RGB and CMY) that are often used for better color mixing, but the RYB color wheel is still the best for working with color harmonies.
If you want to take a deeper dive into the other color wheels and color theory, check out my next video here: • Controversial Color Th...
#sarahrenaeclark #colortheory #colorharmony
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
Become a channel member: / @sarahrenaeclark
Join my free Facebook group: sarahrenaeclark.com/freegroup
Get a free coloring book: sarahrenaeclark.com/join
/ sarahrenaeclark
/ sarahrenaeclark
/ sarahrenaeclark

[@BTS-4eva]

My art teacher is forcing me to watch this

[@rage8673]

Your teacher is great if he/she is making you watch interactive videos to teach Instead of being ignorant teaching like he has 0 motivation.

[@BTS-4eva]

@@rage8673 nah man we just watch this everday and she just lets us play on our phones we do nothing i wish we did actual projects

[@ammarabbasy1130]

Same 😂

[@lillyrose1422]

Awww...😢😂😂😂

[@EthanMckennaMusic]

This is prolly out of left field, but I'm a songwriter and this is giving me new ideas for using the circle of 5ths like a color wheel. Very cool

[@hannahrose5739]

I too am a musician, but don't quite get the comparison with the circle of fifths. (What is it you're planning to do, may I ask?). However, one thing I got from being a musician that I apply to lettering (and I realize we're into color theory here, but maybe it applies, too) is: you probably have to "see" something BEFORE you create it on paper, just like a musician "hears" a note before it's played/sung. How do you see that?

[@vocalchords3609]

To add a dollop of encouragement, absolutely right and in fact extend further into modes within a given key and the parallels extend also. You and I know that the choice of key is massively important to the look and feel of what a composer is seeking to 'say' or the emotional context. I am giving a lecture very soon with a Clinical Psychologist who includes in her clinical practice - Art Therapy. She and I will be co-operating between colours, colour harmonies, dissonance - using examples from the world of the French Impressionists (composers and artists). In other words Ethan - go and have more fun with the Circle of 5ths! Endless jot in the creative process. ATB

[@eileenjake5603]

Absolutely cool. It’s all connected…the values of color, the values of musical chords…can be scientifically assigned and measured and plotted , and what we see are the patterns of the universe. You’re an artist.

[@arlenethude]

What is prolly?

[@eileenjake5603]

@@arlenethude slang for “probably”

[@mortenlund1418]

Wow, just wow. How can you compress so much great information in such a comprehensive way. Thank you for this - thank you.

[@devanshsinhal3490]

you’re really invested in this video

[@Dopeassjournals]

Yes! I am a new art teacher and I could have never explained it this thoroughly in five minutes. Amazing!❤

[@jmminion9870]

THIS IS THE BEST, SIMPLE YET COMPREHENSIVE AND CREATIVE WAY OF DISCUSSING COLOR THEORY🥰🥰🥰 I UNDERSTAND EVERYTHING JUST IN 7 MINUTES 💕

[@trapez77]

. [Brightest] / _WARM_ Yellow / / Orange Chartreuse / Red [Mid-Grey] Green / Magenta Cyan / / Blue _COOL_ / [Darkest] .

[@drviagrin3798]

I'll second that!

[@stephierwjones]

I TOTALLY, TOTALLY AGREE!!!! I love it when I learn something and I just did with this one.

[@cinderblockstudios]

Even as an experienced painter, I found this really refreshing to go back to listen to!

[@PeacockPigment]

In scrapbooking, color matching is always the hardest thing for me! I'm going to try referencing these various color wheels. Thank you for the tips!

[@PichuElric]

This is going to be so helpful for not only drawing, but also determining what colours go well in an outfit! Thank you, you packed so much information into a clean cut video!

[@Portia620]

This is so true and something I never had the opportunity to learn but now I am!!!!

[@trapez77]

. [Brightest] / _WARM_ Yellow / / Orange Chartreuse / Red [Mid-Grey] Green / Magenta Cyan / / Blue _COOL_ / [Darkest] .

[@nathaliacalmon]

Totally the best explanation on the subject I've seen so far. I feel I'll never forget it anymore :o Thank you!!

[@theHoneyandAbsinthe]

This is so important for beginner creatives to learn and experienced ones to review! Awesome video!

[@SarahRenaeClark]

Thanks! It helped me to review it too as I was making it 😝

[@michiganlighthouse]

So true. I thought I knew color wheel just fine, but I didn't know as much as I thought I did. So helpful. Theory goes a long way when presented like this.

[@changchesserly7591]

What a well explained and easy to understand tutorial! Thanks for dymysifying color therapy in a simple way ... 💕

[@eamoroso56]

Thank you, I’ve always struggled with color with all crafts, knitting crocheting, quilting and now jewelry beading.

[@BNJewelryandArtwork]

As a hair colorist for the last 30 years I can totally relate to this. I use this for my jewelry and paintings as well.

[@bonniek356]

This was so helpful! I needed the reminder about color harmonies. I’m a painter so I use these principles daily in the back of my mind, but I love videos like this one that remind me to use colors intentionally.

[@realMartinHamilton]

The best video on the basics and foundational building blocks of actionable uses of color coordination. Thank you!

[@YuliaTarbath]

Thank you for explaining it so well with great visualization! Hope to start using it!

[@SarahRenaeClark]

Yulia Tarbath thank you!

[@juliearanha4373]

Love this video and how you've explained it in a simple manner although it's a complex topic. It will certainly help me in my art journey. Thank you so much ❤️

[@HairsbychristineFrank]

I’ve looked at a ton of videos, but this one is very clean and concise! Love it

[@lilmuffin4834]

omg this finally is what i needed, every color theory tutorial only tells you basics on color mixing and not the things that you actually should know that nobody shows, thanks sarah once again

[@yunelle]

Wow, even as a more advanced artist, I've learned a lot here... So much information in such a short, coherent and well-paced video, amazing!!

[@KG-zk3pv]

WOW!! Thank you for finally clearing up, definitively and succinctly, one of biggest mysteries in my ability to apply colour combinations for so many purposes. SO grateful.

[@douba_plusa]

This was so clear and helpful! I’m making a booklet with images and information about my diet to share with family/family friends as my health now requires a pretty restrictive diet. They want to help and I wanted to present everything in a clear, but visually appealing way. I especially loved the explanation of color relationships as I hadn’t heard of a lot of them before

[@MichealSeaghdha]

If voices were colours, yours would be bright and vivid and undoubtedly part of a wonderful colour scheme. That was a brilliant explanation and the visuals were helpful, interesting and terrific. Thank you!

[@AvalynGirl]

Best explanation I have seen for this EVER. Thank you!

[@SarahRenaeClark]

Thank you!

[@silver10188]

can't thank you enough, I'm a mobile app developer who deals with colors a lot, I always resort to color sites for inspirations, but now I have new way to look at it.

[@jessbooth5495]

This is the clearest explanation I’ve seen. Thank you ☺️ I’ve been trying to upgrade my artist style and this is so helpful! 👏

[@lauzthorbzarella4655]

I am amazed by a lot of these comments. Colour theory is what I always go by for interior, fashion etc. The colour wheel book was one of my favourites to look at when visiting boring DIY stores with my parents as a kid. It's a pity that preschools and early years primary schools don't use this as part of education. So much can be achieved by this knowledge in various industries. I'm a home educator, this video is simple for my little ones to learn. I love wowing friends with colours they would never believe go together. This video is simply going to educate them. Thank you. I love it.

[@cocostub]

this is probably my favorite video i’ve discovered in ages. I’m a visual person and the graphics in this video are just amazing!!!!

[@craigdurso3005]

Sir Issac Newton is surely humbled by taking something seemingly so complex and rendering it in such simple terms ... take a deep bow and thank you 👍

[@castilloaragonesluis]

thank you Sarah! today, i start as beginner, and i feel more confident on how to use the colors and how to mixed them. now it's practice.

[@user-oo5zv5qf6v]

Thank you Sarah. So straightforward. You are great.

[@harshitaray9122]

This was great knowledge and especially knowing how much it is used around our daily basis is even so fascinating.... Analogous colors are mostly used to color our homes in designs these days and it's wonderful how it all comes together..... This was as useful as it was fun to learn.... Loved it ❤️

[@lauradarcy5684]

Well done! this explains color theory in an easy to understand manner! thank you for sharing, I'll take a look at your book, too. I'm hoping to find somewhere that the color names are also used besides just the hex codes and other type of identifiers for designers. I'm a watercolor artist and looking to make it relatable to my paints.

[@skylovecraft2491]

I watch A LOT of artist KZbinrs for tips and tutorials, reviews and unboxing and you are my absolute FAVORITE by far!! I really trust you and your art is just fantastic!💖

[@SarahRenaeClark]

Yay! Thank you!

[@YesToTech]

Loved learning more about the color wheel! This is super interesting! Thanks so much for sharing! Subscribed and can't wait to watch more! :)

[@SarahRenaeClark]

Thank you!

[@amazon_sloth7855]

Im good at drawing/sketching on paper and lately ive been trying to start digital drawing, ive seen other videos discussing colour theory but this might be the most simple while still informative video ive seen.

[@MZZ0797]

Your explanation of the color wheel was just the help I needed for new looks in my wardrobe! Thank you for putting such a great video together!

[@EricPham-gr8pg]

Thanks. This is one of tge most clear and comprehensive presentation in the subject... Worth million views...

[@arkm11]

Finally! So far the simplest breakdown of this information. I have been struggling so much understanding this. ❤️ Could you also make a video to help understand color mixing?

[@projectiledreamz]

Blown away by the simplicity in the explanation!

[@tijanacresenzi6035]

I'm so glad I ran into this video first! I just started learning about color theory and this video really made me understand the basics of color wheels and color harmonies. Thank you!

[@sheepnhaystacks]

Thank you for the refresh on this! Picking color is so important and I've gotten lazy. I feel like it's time to branch out! Have a great week!

[@libbyhime1702]

Wow. As an artist, I never knew any of this but I intuitively picked up on monochromatic, complementary and analogous colours. Now I learned of three more. Thank you.

[@haydee84]

Omg! This video is amazing. Thank you for explaining the content very easily and accurately. 🙌🏻💕

[@d4rkuniverse_224]

She is the art teacher we all needed but never had

[@SICresinwrks]

You nailed this vid, ive seen so many people in school, here on yt and irl talk about the color wheel and over complicate it, you made a nice clear and very helpful video for beginners and anyone that just wants to refresh their memory.

[@maryzwolak7960]

Thank so much Sarah. I am a color theory newbie even though 69 years old I’ve never had any instruction. I feel that with your videos and questions that you I have answered for me that I just might be learning something thank you so much again.

[@xracingleague]

Honestly, I just found your KZbin, I didn't know before.......Sub!

[@SarahRenaeClark]

Ganesh Wirama awesome you found me here too! I’ve only recently started posting regular videos, so you’ve come at the perfect time 😊

[@captainayaaya28]

Bfdi mouth asset!

[@suebungay58]

This video was so easy to follow and very informative. I have absolutely no idea how to color coordinate and this has really helped solve that problem. Thank you so much.

[@victoriabarclay3556]

I never learned the wheel. It was always mysterious to me. This is so helpful! I’m. Be rewatching this a lot

[@judithfernandes9279]

Thank you for creating such a simple to understand comprehensive video on color theory.

[@slfanta]

Wow this is such a life saver video on colors, super concise and helpful

[@saraemmil5378]

Thank you Sarah this will be helpful!!!

[@KeziaCarter]

You explained this so concisely! Exactly. Everything you just said. :)

[@SarahRenaeClark]

Thank you!

[@Rime_in_Retrograde]

So useful, and the visuals were lovely! It really helped clear things up. I had taken a class years ago that included a section on color harmonies, and it didn't explain it as clearly.

[@eevagirl]

Such a fantastic video. Have never been interested in colour-in books until this. Makes it all so much more interesting! Thank you

[@elenaborowski2520]

Thank you. That sounds great. Your presentation elaborates upon the usual and simplifiesd color wheel. Very helpful.

[@akshaymagar4368]

Learned so much from this video. Simple and clear ❤️

[@MlovesYT]

Hi Sarah, came along this vid of yours on YT and very glad with it! It's very useful and not so difficult and long :) One of the most difficult things I find when lettering is the colours (and embellishments) to choose!

[@SarahRenaeClark]

If you do lettering and need help with colors, you might also enjoy my Color Catalog 😉

[@ikechukwukingsley2534]

This is a very power key for colour use in graphics design. Splendid. Kudos @Sarah Renae Clark.

[@youtubewithlouis50]

My teacher use this video to explain us about the color theory and I was trying to find it now its 1 day before art exam glad i found it the video is very simple but very useful keep up the amazing work.

[@caatandco7848]

Thank you so much Sarah.. that was exactly what I needed explained. x

[@SarahRenaeClark]

Thanks! I’m glad it helped

[@indigokids88]

Love its like different hues you know like the green hue on a computer 🖥 😊

[@wolfamri]

Thank you. KZbin suggested this and I didn’t even think I wanted to know the exact theory behind picking colors, but you explained it exceptionally well 👌,

[@SmilingBinaryCode-ug5zz]

Informative, enlightening. Thanks

[@lindamckendree2991]

This is really well done! Thank you sooo much!! Be well.❤️

[@MsBetsy2011]

You have explained this subject in an understandable way. Thank you. I learned a lot, not enough, but a lot. I'll check out your other videos.

[@markprecious]

All this time I spent wondering why my stuff wasn’t quite right despite my hard work on getting accurate form and good composition. Thank you for the concise and precise explanation!

[@rbalvedi282]

Amazing video, really well written, edited and very clear, straight to the point. Thank you! :D

[@Ar.Ankit_Verma]

Thank you 1000x, I have watched a lot of videos, book, architectural faculty, designer’s guide but nothing worked for me, this video solved everything, really thank you so much again🙏

[@nopenah2957]

BEST KNOWLEDGE ABOUT ALL COLORS ONE COULD GATHER . THANKS A LOT .

[@vaishalikaushish]

Thanks for reminding me of my first designing class as a fashion student it's helped me a lot then and even now too a fine refresher.

[@keithaguilar1354]

Excellent Video. One of the best out there. Will be using in my classroom. Just the right amount of information without the video being too long for all the short attention spans I have to deal with.

[@SarahRenaeClark]

Glad it was helpful!

[@TheVirakahScale]

This was wonderfully put together, Sarah! Nice work!

[@_saliviocynthia7]

I love to blend colors, still want to learn more..thank you.

[@Aangel452]

This was a great help for me choosing co,ours for my resin art pieces. Thank you, would love to see more on using colour.

[@englishzonerocks5503]

Excellent information. I'm sharing it with my ESL students of ART . loving it!!!!!

[@PCGEEK2024]

This was a clear explanation of colour. Thanks for your video.

[@Desireshoping]

Excellent and useful explanation

[@StephaneArcher]

How do you make these animations? great video

[@craftykat]

Thank you for this; you explain everything so well.

[@MaxxRemKing1]

Thanks to this video, this is the first time I’ve ever felt like I can understand color theory!

[@kristymabe8477]

Thanks so much for this video! I was just getting started picking colors for a new project and this is very helpful!

[@OriginalLuffe]

I got my colour wheel yesterday and with that and your advice I'll be more confident to do my colouring 🤗

[@shivaasrari8854]

Thank you so much. It was well explained in a short time. Now i am excited to start experimenting with colors.😊🙏❤️

[@jesguerra6914]

I love colors but I don’t know how to combine or what is best for that colour until I watched your video. In a short time I learned a lot.

[@viviwilhelmsson307]

Finally a video with all the concepts! Now my confusion can probably be cleared up! Many thanks!

[@topdigitalsolutions8688]

Thanks for making the time. Great presentation.

[@sarahbrowett1371]

Wow, I've been waiting years to understand colours in this amazing clear educational video... #grateful thank you!!!

[@downloadiam4874]

Oh my god. You helped me a lot. Im always confused abt what colors I should use when I did my scrapbook and it took me a lot of time. Now I can choose more quickly and the colors will be well organized. Thank you 🌼🌼🌼

[@fabled-pilgrim]

Best explanation of colour theory I've ever found, excellent presentation!

[@yeshuaprincess]

I never get a clear explanation of the color wheel like this in any video! Thank you so much Sarah, this would help me a lot as a beginner. I'm your new subscriber and I love your videos! Greetings from Indonesia :)

[@s0phie12]

This the video I did not realise I needed. I am creating a website and was founding my colour scheme a bit too classic and boring and I was afraid of creating colour clashes. I will look a bit closer to the nuance in one of the photos you showed to find one or two colours to make my pages pop! Thank you

[@yialn]

I've watched all the color theory videos on youtube , and i can tell this one is the best. Great job 👌🏻

[@SarahRenaeClark]

Thanks Aylin!

[@lillyrose1422]

Your video was so easy and educational! I was entertained and educated at the same time! Thank you!❤❤❤

[@michelledvorsky9121]

This was an excellent explanation for color theory basics. Thank you:)

[@theafricanesther5795]

As a graphic designer, I found this extremely helpful. Kudos! It's an educative video.

[@eloisabarretodesigns]

This is THE BEST explanation video of Color Theory I’ve ever seen!!!!! Thank you!!!

[@lorayapp375]

This is the best color theory explanation that I have ever seen. Thank you.

[@manumurthy6420]

This is great. To the point, clear and concise. Well done !

[@geolgirl]

I love this video! It really gives a simple way to see colour groups and is one I'm going to show my budding 9 year old artist!!!