Triadic and True
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Triadic combinations exhibit bold, energetic, and striking contrasts because the members of the triadic tribe are neither analogous nor complementary. They come from all over the wheel. Such diversity provides wide latitude for aesthetic and emotional effects.
Basic triads contrast strongly in both temperature (warm and cool colors) and value (light and dark colors). They are composed of three colors equidistant form each other on the color wheel, and can be primary, secondary, or tertiary colors, as long as they form an equilateral triangle. To construct a triad, choose every fourth color on the wheel.
We’re going to play with a tertiary triad. That is one made up of three tertiary colors. Tertiary triads can look contemporary and stylish, especially in the red-violet/blue-green/yellow-orange group.
Right under the color wheel on the left hand diagram is the triadic palette in its straight, fully saturated version. I thought it would be fun to show you one of my approaches to experimenting with palettes.
On the bottom of the left-hand diagram I’ve extended the fully saturated palette by laying out several versions, some lighter and darker, and several more muted tones of each of the 3 tertiary colors that make up the triad.
In the center illustration I’ve placed all 21 colors from which to choose my final palette. The easiest way to sort from all these choices is to start with a dominant color (which you can change anytime you want). I’ve choosen the blue-green simply because that reflects my mood at the moment. If I were to do this tommorow, I’d choose a different color. I want the darker, more muted blue-greens to provide the dominant force in the palette, so I've picked 2 of them for this triadic scheme.
Yellow-orange is a strong color because of its brightness, and I don’t want to overwhelm the blue-green. So I’ll use it with a light touch, perhaps even mute it down a bit. Yellow-orange will be my accent color.
That leaves red-violet playing the supporting role here. And there are several to chose from. You’ll see the strip of blue-green over which I’ve placed 6 shades of red-violet. While watching the audition I’m looking to see how they work with the choosen blue-greens: their contrast, weight, movement, whether they shy away or hold their own. See for yourself. Its a strong color and every version works well with the dominant color. They each impart a different feel, but they all hold their integrity and combine beautifully.
Its going to be a tough choice - one I will make based completely on personal preference.
I choose the shade slightly darker than the fully saturated version. (Its darkness indicates that its slightly more muted as well.) I like the rich, elegant, and unusual harmony this red-violet makes with the blue-green.
Now I lay my yellow-oranges out so they touch both the secondary and dominant colors and watch what they do to the mix. Its like pouring a vial of one chemical into another and waiting for the reaction.
I prefer the yellow-orange second from the left that is one shade darker and more muted than the original yellow-orange. A vibrant and lively, not quite screaming yellow-orange sets the whole palette a shakin'.
The right-hand illustrations are two abstract designs created by Dale Taylor. To show how colors interact, I stay away from realistic designs with representational content, because I want to isolate the colors as much as possible.
In the top illustration I’ve put the chosen tertiary colors to work. See how strong the yellow-orange is? Even though its the smallest amount of any of the colors, it overpowers that secondary color. But that’s ok - the palette is a strong and desireable one - a force to be reckoned with.
On the lower illustration I’ve gone back to the array of 21 colors and used quite a few of them, being mindful of keeping the proportions such that the blue-green is dominant, and the others stay in their assigned roles. All of these work beautifully together, too, creating a delicious triadic combination.
Had I the time and space, I would continue to work with this palette in many versions using the same Dale Taylor designs to see what other secrets this triadic scheme has up its sleeves. I invite you to give it a try and email me your results!
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