Complementary Colors

Art Concept: Complementary Colors. Complementary Colors are colors that are opposite on the color wheel. These colors vibrate against each other and cause the other to stand out. Artists sometimes use them together to get the viewers' attention or create action, balance or emphasis in a picture.

Teaching note: Have the students name the complementary colors on the color wheel. (red/green, blue/orange, purple/yellow). Using the flag visual experiment to show that the eye naturally vacillates between complementary colors.

Complementary Colors: Colors that appear opposite to one another on the color wheel. These colors compliment one another and are often used together in order to create a strong visual impact (one example is the UW Husky colors). Sometimes also called contrasting colors. If mixed, complementary colors tend to create "muddy" tones such as black, brown, or gray.

Red - Green

Blue -Orange

Purple - Yellow

Complimentary colors connected with lines

Flag Visual Experiment: Have the students stare at the dot in the middle of this flag for ten seconds. Switch to a white screen. They should be able to see the American Flag in Red, White, and Blue as an after-image. You may have to do this a few times. Go through the slides. Have the students name the complementary colors in each of the examples and discuss whether the use of complementary colors is effective.

Book: Hello, Red Fox by Eric Carle. This is a great book of several visual experiments with complementary colors.

Sample Projects:

On small pieces of paper, draw and then paint apples (or other simple objects) of different colors. Paint the background in the complementary color. Acrylics work best because they are naturally bright and thick.
Make a cardboard frame and then decorate it using small mosaic pieces (paper or other) in complementary colors.
Make a fish print using complementary colors.
Do a coloring page using complementary colors only.
Make a garden of complementary colored flowers using hand prints.