Welcome to Understanding Color Theory

In the two lessons that follow, you'll gain a comprehensive understanding of how Albert Munsell's color model can help you excel as an artist. You'll see that I use color and hue interchangeably. Chroma, intensity, and saturation are also interchangeable.

In lesson 1, we'll look at various visual representations of his color model, to better see how color (hue) can be broken down into its characteristics:

Hue: the actual color itself, considered with regard to its temperature in addition to its general identity as "red, yellow, blue, green, etc..."

Is the hue warm, cool, or neutral (meaning neither overtly warm nor cool, but somewhere in between)?

Chroma: the hue's saturation or intensity level (is it dull, bright, or somewhere in between?)

Value: the lightness or darkness of the hue on a value scale. Is it closer to 0 (black) or 10 (white)?

Lesson 2 of this module is a swatch exercise that will help you solidify identifying a hue by its color and temperature, chroma level, and value. Please remember, the goal here is to decode these concepts, not discourage you. If after watching this, you fell more confused than enlightened, LET ME KNOW with an email to [email protected]. I'm right here.