achromatic

lacking color; black, gray or white; neutral

additive color

color derived from light mixtures

analagous colors

adjacent colors on the color wheel (such as blue, blue-green and green)

balance

distribution of elements producing a state of equilibrium in a composition

color scheme

orderly selection of colors, according to logical relationships on the color wheel

color wheel

a circular arrangement of the colors of the spectrum

complementary colors

opposites on the color wheel

composition

arrangement of the elements and principles of design to create a unified, artistic whole

contrast

opposition; a dynamic element of design; juxtaposition of dissimilar elements in an artwork

dominance

having one design element of greater importance than another

glaze

a transparent or translucent veil of color modifying an underlying color

gradation

gradual, successive change

harmony

pleasing result of relationships between design elements or principles

hue

the spectral name of a color, such as red, orange, yellow, green, blue or violet

intensity

the degree of purity or brightness of a hue

key

the dominant value relationship in a picture: high key includes medium-to-light values; low key includes medium-to-dark values; full contrast includes light, medium and dark values

limited palette

selection of a small number of colors used in an artwork

local color

the actual color of an object

monochromatic

having a single color (can be various values of that color)

opacity

having covering power; not transparent

optical mixture

occurs when small areas of color are juxtaposed perceived by the eye as a mixture

palette

the set of colors selected by an artist for use in an artwork; also the physical surface on which colors are mixed

primary color

a color that cannot be mixed from other colors. red, yellow, blue

saturation

the intensity of the chroma

secondary color

a color resulting from the mixing of two primary colors

shade

medium-to-dark value of color

subtractive color

color derived from paint mixtures that absorb all colors but the local color of the object which is reflected

temperature

the relative warmth or coolness of colors

tertiary color

mixtures of primary and its adjacent secondary: i.e, red-orange

tetrad

a color scheme having four colors with a logical relationship on the color wheel

triad

a color scheme having three colors with a logical relationship on the color wheel

value

the degree of lightness or darkness of a color