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COLOR THEORY

The reason colors are so important is because any color that you wear accentuates the same pigment colors in your eyes, hair and skintones. The powerful Law of Attraction is in play here. A good example of this law is the way blue-green eyes appear to be bluer when wearing blue, and greener when wearing green. Click on the following Matisse picture with the teal frame for a demonstration of the phenomena of "The Law of Attraction."   

  THE LAW OF ATTRACTION says that "like attracts like."
This phenomena of color interaction makes colors that
are alike, draw towards and accentuate each other.

   LADY IN RED FRAME

The principle of the Law of Attraction is apparent when framing pictures. If you want to accentuate one of the colors in the picture, you choose a mat or frame in that color. Click on the Men's Photo below and notice how the picture changes with different colored mats accentuating different colors in the picture.

                                                                                    See THE LAW OF ATTRACTION ESSAY

The same Law of Attraction affects how you appear. Because of this law, some colors make you look better than others. The colors in your skin, hair and eyes are affected by the colors you wear. Everyone knows that blue eyes change color depending on the color being worn; the same thing happens to the skin and hair.

SKIN COLORS 
Any color worn around the face  will accentuate similar pigment colors in your skin — wearing yellow will make your skin appear more yellow; wearing red will make your skin appear more red.

SHOWS SKIN REDDER WHEN WEARING RED

HAIR COLOR  
Colors change the appearance of your hair —
wearing dark colors will accentuate the dark tones in your hair; wearing light colors will accent the lighter tones in your hair.
SHOWS HAIR LOOKS DARKER IN DARK COLOR


EYE COLORS   Eye colors appear to change and match the color being worn blue-green eyes look bluer when wearing blue and greener when wearing green.

 

SHOWS BLUE EYES TURN GREENISH WHEN WEARING GREEN

Understanding The Law of Attraction gives you control over how you appear, and will help you keep from looking blurred and out of focus by not overdosing or understating yourself with color.

See Advanced Study On How Colors Attract And Alter Each Other
Then click BACK to return here


You are a picture, your hair and clothing act as your mat and frame. For fine dress, it is vital to accentuate colors and lines that will keep you strikingly balanced and in focus.  

  
PICTURE OF LADY  WITH WARM SKINTONES AND  WARM BACKGROUND WHICH LOOKS OUT OF BALANCE
       IMBALANCE
Warm colors in the brown
  background and frame accentuate
  the models  dominant warm 
  skintones and tend to  make her
  look blurred and out of focus. 

LADY  WITH WARM SKIN AND  A BALANCED COOL BACKGROUND
       BALANCE
  
Cool colors accentuate the less 
   dominant cool tones in the model's
   skin, while  accentuating light and
   dark contrast, bringing her back
   into focus.



Understanding how colors are created helps you use the Law Of Attraction to advantage. All colors are derived from 3 Primary Colors:  blue , which is cool and dark;  yellow , which is warm and bright; and true-blood  red which is warm but more balanced than the other two extremes. Secondary colors, and all other colors, are mixtures of these 3 Primary Colors.


PRIMARY

SECONDARY

 

All colors have varying proportions of red, yellow and blue. These 3 primary colors also have a 3-dimenionsal quality because each has a different luminosity or brightness. Yellow is the brightest, then red, then least bright is blue in a corresponding proportional ratio of 3: 6: 8.

These two factors along with light and dark values, combine in many ways to create all the world's color: red warms color, yellow brightens color, and blue darkens color.

    RED       is the most basic color it makes colors warm. It is important to point out that red is used more than the other two primary colors. It is the most common basic color in many areas: Color mixtures more commonly include red than they do yellow or blue. Skintones all have red (blood) in common. Generally speaking red is more flattering to skintones than yellow or blue. Red is the basic color for lip and cheek colors. The incandescent light bulb gives off predominantly red light, warming our world. 

 YELLOW   is the most luminous color
it makes colors bright. For example, this is how  they make "hot pink".  Yellow also adds warmth.

   BLUE      is the darkest color
added to other colors, it makes them darker and cooler. 



On the color wheel, we think of red, orange and yellow as warm colors, and green, blue and violet  as cool colors. However, any of these colors can be made relatively more cool, warm or balanced by adding blue, red or yellow:

Adding   blue  
cools  and darkens
Adding   red   
warms and balances
Adding   yellow 
warms and brightens

 

The colors on this pyramid show another example of how colors are relatively warmer or cooler compared to each other. To explain:  Yellow is a warm color, but a butter yellow is comparatively cool compared with a warm gold yellow, and corn yellow is a balanced color. Greens are considered cool compared to red, orange and yellow, but because skintones are actually warm based, green tests out to be balanced and warm hunter green, emerald, mint green and all blue-greens are balanced, however, olive or lime green test warm. There are no really cool greens; adding blue to cool them only makes them balanced. Blue is the coldest color on the color wheel it is impossible to have a warm blue because adding yellow to warm it merely turns the blue into a greenish blue which is balanced.  There are no warm blues ...period!  Purples test very well on most people because purple is a mixture of red, yellow and blue, making it balanced. 


NOTE:  All skintones are basically warm in color derived from the orange color family. Keep in mind that in color analysis we are not testing a white wall, we are testing warm skintones. Therefore, on skintones,  greens  all test out to be either warm or balanced, even though green is considered to be a basically cool color. Grass green is relatively balanced and is easier for most people to wear than olive or lime. On skintones,  blue  is a cool color and all the other greenish blues like teal and turquoise test out balanced.  Therefore, all blue-greens and green-blues are balanced and can be worn by the most people. Only a very warm skintone can wear a cool blue, and only a very cool skintone can wear olive or lime greens.

                                                                        See Skintone Color Test
Then click BACK to return here

On the color wheel, warm colors are opposite cool colors. Each warm/cool pair ( red/green, blue/orangeyellow/violet )  is complementary, otherwise "complete", because each pair contains all 3 Primary Colors:

       yellow  blue  green  therefore,  green   +   red      = all 3              Primary colors.

       yellow  red  orange  — therefore,  orange  +   blue   = all 3              Primary colors.

        red     +   blue   = violet  — therefore,   violet   yellow   = all 3             Primary colors.


The reason complementary colors are important is because they have the same components that the combined 3 primary colors do — they bring equilibrium to the eye. When all three primary colors are present, the eye is at ease and sees harmony.  When one is missing, the eye becomes stimulated or disquieted ...excited, but not at ease.


See Advanced Study On The Significance Of Gray



Nature uses both warm and cool colors to balance and "complete” Her pictures. Notice how Nature alternates between the warm and cool colors to establish harmony and balance in our seasons, in landscapes and in people:

      IN SEASONS . . . . . . . . . . . . 

First the warm-bright colors of Spring;  SPRING  COLORS
Then cool sun-struck colors of Summer; SUMMER  COLORS
Next, the warm-muted
colors of Autumn; 
AUTUMN  COLORS
Then balanced with
the cool-dark colors of Winter.
WINTER  COLORS

      IN LANDSCAPE . . . . . . . . . . .

Warm red-brown earth tones are "complimented" and cooled by complementary green trees, grass, blue skies, water and clouds. TREE
Warm yellow pansies are balanced with complementary cool purple centers.             YELLOW PANSY
IN PEOPLE .  . . . . . . . . . . .. 

People with classic red have complementary green eyes. People with ruddy "orangey" skintones have complementary cool, blue eyes.        RED HAIR AND BLUE EYES
Good examples of how complementary colors balance each other: If a person's hair begins to look greenish from chlorine, sun-bleaching or dyes, its complementary color  red  restores the hair to its normal color. GREEN HAIR

You may think your skin looks cool, but if you put color testers up to your face, you will easily see if it is comparatively warmer or cooler. The Law of Attraction will accentuate the dominant undertone in your skin. A shortcut way to test your colors will be through your hair color which will be presented next, but it is good to know the scientific, orderly principle behind your coloring. So, let us continue.............here is how it works:   

             If you have a warm
             undertone in your
             skin, you will have
             a cool undertone in
             your hair. Ash-blonde
             hair is also cool.
      If you have a balanced
      undertone in your skin,
      you will have a warm/
      cool balanced under-
      tone in your skin.
        If you have a cool
        undertone in your
        skin, you will have
        a warm undertone
        in your hair.    

 



WARM SKIN

Nature has given this model cool dark hair to balance her warm skintones. She wears cool colors in her wardrobe to repeat that balance. Your hair color sets the color tones for your wardrobe.

     WARM SKIN  WITH COOL COLORS


COOL SKIN

Nature has given this model rich warm hair to balance her cool skintones. She wears warm colors in her wardrobe to repeat that balance. Your hair color sets the color tones for your wardrobe.


   COOL SKIN WITH WARM COLORS

BALANCED SKIN

Nature has given this model balanced hair (in-between warm and cool colors) to balance with her skintones. It follows that her eye color would also be balanced, in this case dusty teal blue that is in between a cool blue or warm green eye color. Her wardrobe colors would also be in-between balanced colors or combinations or warm/cool colors.


BALANCED SKIN WITH BALANCED COLORS
LADY IN TEAL FRAME

 

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Copyright © 1985 By Irenee Riter All Rights Reserved