Colour theory looks at how colours work together, enabling you to choose pairings that work harmoniously together. This makes picking a palette for your project that much easier.
The basic colours
The primary colours are red, blue and yellow. In between these colours are the secondary colours purple, green and orange. These are achieved by mixing primary colours together. If you mix secondary colours together, you get tertiary colours such as turquoise, violet and lime green.
Arranging these colours into a colour wheel enables us to see two different colour dynamics in action. Complementary colours sit opposite each other on the colour wheel and provide high contrast colour with a high impact. At a basic level, this means pairing blue with orange, yellow with purple and red with green.
Analogous colours sit next to each other on the colour wheel and create a harmonious palette of colours that work beautifully together. Monochrome can work similarly, using just a single colour in different shades and tones.
Achromatic colours, more commonly known as neutrals, are colours that have very little colour. This covers greys, beiges, browns and pastels. Use these in combination with higher saturation colours to create stunning monochromatic looks.
Warm vs cool colours
Colours are often said to be either warm or cool. Warm colours include reds and yellows, whilst cool colours include blues and greys. If a mixed colour leans towards red, it will present a warm colour, whereas if the colour has more blue, it will come out cool. Thinking about whether your colours provide warm or cool tones can help produce the desired outcome.
If you’re still not feeling confident or just want to see how colour palettes work together, crochet blanket kits from suppliers such as www.woolcouturecompany.com/collections/blanket-and-cushions-crochet-kits show a variety of colour palettes working together in practice. This colour wheel and picker can also help pair colours and develop your understanding of colour theory.
Colour theory is worth investigating in depth but even with basic knowledge, you’ll be able to choose colours that work together every time.
