Color Theory: 7 Color Schemes Every Artist Must Know

on September 1, 2015

A Color Scheme in art is the choice of colors used in the design of an artwork. Color schemes are used to create
aesthetic harmony in art and design. Every color on the color wheel interacts differently with the other colors, and it
important to know which combinations work well together. Here are the 7 most commonly used color schemes in art
that every artist should know. Understanding how these color combinations work will help you use color effectively in
your art whether you are going to follow the rules or break them.

Color Schemes
1. Monochromatic
A monochromatic artwork uses shades of one color (i.e. red, yellow, blue, etc.).
Monochromatic artworks have a lot of harmony about them. This color scheme is also the simplest to use in art. The
interest in monochromatic art comes from contrasting light and dark shades of a single color or through adding
texture.

Monochromatic Color Scheme, artwork by S Khan.

2. Complementary
A complementary scheme uses two colors that are opposite each other on the color wheel. (i.e. blue and orange, red
and green, purple and yellow, etc). This creates a lot of vibrancy in a painting and makes the colors look more
saturated. The two opposite colors will create the highest contrast when placed next to each other. This combination

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works best when one of them is used as a dominant color (60-80%), and the other one as the accent (30-40%). This
ensures that the two colors are not fighting each other for attention.

Complementary Color Scheme, artwork by Iryna Kharina.

3. Split Complementary
A split complementary color scheme uses three colors. One base color and the two colors on either side of its
complementary color on the color wheel (i.e. blue, yellow-orange, and red-orange). This creates more harmony and
less contrast than the complementary colors. Split complementary artworks have a more natural aesthetic about
them.

Split Complementary Color Scheme, artwork by Perry Haddock.

4. Analogous or Dominance Harmony

An analogous color scheme uses 3-4 colors that are next to each other on the color wheel (i.e. orange, yellow, and
green). An analogous artwork will have a lot of color harmony, but not as much vibrancy as complementary colors. It
is similar to a monochrome scheme but offers more variation.

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Analogous Color Scheme, artwork by Graham McKenzie.

5. Triadic
This color combinations uses 3 colors that are evenly spaced on the color wheel (i.e. yellow, red and blue). Artworks
that use triadic color will have a lot of vibrancy and contrast, but still maintain color harmony. With this color scheme,
it is a good idea to use one of the colors as the dominant color, and the other two as accents or more neutral shades.
This will help prevent an overbearing contrast.

Triadic Color Scheme, artwork by Larry Tillyer.

6. Tetradic or Double Split Complementary

This color scheme uses 4 colors that are placed in a rectangle on the color wheel. These are essentially two pairs of
complementary colors that are close to each other (i.e. blue, orange, red and green). Tetradic artworks have a lot of
possibilities for variation. They also work best when one of the colors is dominant over the others.

Tetradic Color Scheme, artwork by Asiza.

7. Square
This scheme is very similar to the tetradic one, but it uses two pairs of complementaries that are evenly spaced on
the color wheel. All the colors in this case are equally strong, and it will work best if the colors are equally balanced.

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Square Color Scheme, artwork by Nick Savides.

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