Color Theory using Op Art Hearts

COLOR THEORY FOR OP ART LOVERS!

Recently, somebody asked how many different colors students should use when making the Op Art Hearts.  This made me think of all the different color lessons that could be incorporated into this easy Op Art lesson.  So here are a few samples of what I mean.  Keep in mind, you can also use the Op Art Heart Coloring Pages for this lesson.

a color wheel

What is Color Theory?

Color theory is using the element of art color, and the color wheel to teach about what happens when colors mix and the relationships colors have to each other. For example, color complements, such as red and green are across from each other on the color wheel. Color complements contrast with each other and when used in the same color scheme, they make each other look bright. Take a look at the next example to see what I mean.

 

Color Complements

op art heart with red and green stripes

After learning about contrasting colors or color complements, students could pick color complements for their Op Art Heart.  I like to encourage students to make one of the colors light and the other dark to create even more contrast.

Monochromatic Colors

An op art heart with monochromatic colors

In this example, both the background and the heart have a pattern of monochromatic colors.  This would be a great way to practice a monochromatic color scheme.  A monochromatic color scheme uses tints and shades of one color.  The heart in this example has tints and shades of red.  Tints and shades of blue are used in the background.

 

Warm and Cool Colors

An op art heart with warm and cool colors

After learning about warm and cool colors, ask students to use a pattern of warm colors on the heart and cool colors in the background.  You can also use this opportunity to point out that warm color makes things appear to be closer, and cool colors make areas appear to recede.  The warm colors are red, yellow, and orange along with their tints and shades.  Blue, green, and purple are cool colors.

Colors of the Rainbow

See how you can use this fun lesson to teach about color theory while making op art hearts!

Of course, you can always just let students pick what kind of colors they want to use.  When I did this, one popular approach is using the colors of the rainbow or a color spectrum.  If you are teaching students about the color spectrum, then this could be part of the criteria for the lesson.

Art Techniques

You can see some ideas for different art techniques that you can use with this lesson in this blog post about Op Art Heart Art Techniques.

Conclusion

So, as you can see, this simple Op Art Heart (or hand) lesson can be used to teach many different color theory lessons.  I hope you have fun incorporating some of these color schemes into your lessons.

Questions

Can you think of any other color schemes you’d like to include in this lesson?

How will you color your Op Art Heart?

Social & Emotional Learning in Art

Click on this image to get a free copy of this infographic.

Remind yourself and others of the social and emotional benefits of art. This is a great graphic to include in parent newsletters or display in your room.

You can read more about Social Emotional Learning in Art in this blog post.


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A color wheel made with 6 circles. Four op-art heart designs, each with a different color scheme. The text says, "Color Theory: Op Art Hearts".
Stacey Peters

Stacey Peters

I create engaging drawing resources that help students build confidence and express themselves through art. I'm a former elementary art teacher of 25 years turned business owner. Giving you the tools you need to bring more drawing into your classroom brings me joy.

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