Color Theory and Terminology Quiz

A color that has no discernible hue or color. It falls on a scale from black to white, without any color in between.

The process of mixing light colors together, where adding more colors results in a lighter color, ultimately reaching white.

Colors created by mixing different wavelengths of light. Examples include red, green, and blue light, which can be combined to create white light.

An image that appears briefly after staring at a color for a while. The image is the complement of the original color.

Colors that are close to each other on the color spectrum, typically located near a primary and secondary color.

A color arrangement where the lightest value is at the top and the darkest values are at the bottom. It creates a sense of stability and grounding.

A family of materials that absorb and reflect light, creating color. Examples include paints, inks, and crayons.

The full range of visible colors, often organized in a circle or wheel. This includes red, orange, yellow, green, blue, and violet, with all the colors in between.

A family of petroleum-based dyes developed in the latter nineteenth century, with greater color fastness than the aniline dyes that preceded them.

A line defined by a set of anchor and control points.

The changing of an appearance in a pattern accomplished by swapping out (only) one color for another.

The combined qualities of high light-reflectance and strong hue, typically found in saturated colors and strong tints.

Colors in an image or design that are laid on the background.

The use of light and shadow effects in a painting.

A synonym of hue and color; the name of a color. Also, a term used to describe the relative presence of hue in a sample.

The use of color to differentiate between objects or ideas.

A plan for selecting, organizing, and using colors in a specific application.

The measurable temperature in degrees Kelvin of any given light source.

Colors directly opposite each other on the artist's spectrum or color wheel.

An effect of intensified hue difference that takes place when colors used together contain even a partial complementary relationship.

Cells in the retina that are sensitive to bright light and color as well as fine detail.

The result of mixing white with a commercially produced black.

A series of intersection sets of parallel lines used to indicate shading or volume in a drawing.

Dots Per Inch that refers to the number of ink droplets the printer will produce per inch when printing a digital image.

The most common type of color blindness, which confuses red and orange with yellow and green. This is characterized by defective perception of red and confusion of red with green or bluish green.

The mixture of a primary hue and a tertiary hue in visually equal proportions.

The mixture of a secondary hue and a tertiary hue in visually equal proportions.

The most intense manifestation of a color imaginable; the "reddest" red or "bluest" blue. Saturated colors are undiluted by black, white, or gray. Synonyms are pure color, full color, or hues at maximum chroma.

The degree of purity of a color; its hue intensity or vivid quality, as opposed to muted or dull quality. A fully saturated color can contain one or two of the primary colors but never the third. Saturated color does not contain any black, white, or gray.

To apply a layer of opaque or semi-opaque pigment irregularly, so that some of the color underneath remains visible.

The quality of a color that describes how much light it reflects. Luminous colors reflect a lot of light, while non-luminous colors absorb more light.

The softness or diffused reflection of light on a surface. It's how shiny something appears - like a dull gold versus a highly polished gold.

The strongest possible version of a hue. It's the purest form of a color before any white or black is added.

The way something is transmitted or conveyed. It can be the material used (like paint) or the way light travels.

When two objects that appear to match in one type of light look different in another. It's like how a shirt might match a pair of pants in store lighting but look different under sunlight.

An art style that focuses on using the least amount of elements possible to create the biggest impact. It's about simplicity and clarity.

A pattern created when similar, slightly offset patterns are layered on top of each other. It's often seen in fabric designs.

Containing only one hue. It means using only one color in all its different shades and tints.

A type of printing that expands the CMYK system by adding orange and green colors, increasing the range of attainable colors.

A color coding system that uses hue, lightness, and saturation (HLS) to represent colors. Hue refers to the basic color (e.g., red), lightness represents the amount of white added, and saturation signifies the amount of gray present.

This law states that the time it takes to make a decision increases as the number of choices available increases.

This system uses Hue, Saturation, and Brightness (HSB) to express how light and color are mixed on a monitor in digital design. Hue represents the basic color, Saturation refers to its purity or intensity, and Brightness determines the amount of light.

The line in perspective drawing where the sky meets the ground. This line also contains the vanishing points, which are the points to which parallel lines appear to converge as they recede into the distance.

The intensity or purity of a color. It determines how vivid or dull the color appears. A highly saturated color is bright and pure, while a desaturated color is dull and muted.

Paint applied thickly to a surface, typically with a palette knife, to create visible texture and a three-dimensional effect.