Color Theory Worksheets

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Color theory is comprised of guidelines for using color to create visually appealing art. Young artists need to understand and use color theory—including learning primary, secondary, and intermediate colors—and to appreciate art and create their own masterpieces. We collaborated with art teacher Jenna Reed Hill to create these amazing worksheets that you can use in your art classroom today.

color theory worksheet examples — We Are Teachers

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Color Theory Worksheets

Use the six color theory worksheets to build students’ understanding and use of color theory. just fill out the form on this page to get your printables.

How To Use the Color Theory Worksheets

These color theory worksheets help students move from a basic to advanced understanding of color theory. Start with these activities from Jenna Reed Hill, who uses these worksheets in her middle school art classroom:

Create a large color wheel. Use magazines to find colors and place them in the correct spot.
Collage color wheel: As a group, students collage one part of the color wheel using magazines. Students choose images and words that show their color. Then, talk about why they chose those words.
Color creations: Students create art using any of the color schemes from the color theory worksheet. Talk about how, even when students had the same color theory, their art looks much different.
Color scheme match: Place color schemes and corresponding artwork on index cards. Students can work together to match the schemes with the artwork. Or assign students a scheme or artwork and have them move around the room to find the partner that matches their card.

Why Teach Color Theory

Color theory is a foundational art skill. Students need to understand color theory to communicate visually and create their own well-composed art. For younger artists, color theory helps them sort and categorize colors. For older artists, color theory helps them understand how other artists use color and how they can use color in their own work.

What’s Included in the Color Theory Worksheet Bundle

Exploring the Color Wheel

Spend time creating a color wheel that students can refer to as they create their own projects.

color theory worksheet about primary colors — We Are Teachers

Meet the Primary Colors

As students start learning color theory, start with the primary colors: red, yellow, and blue.

Color Mixing

Once students have learned the basics, they can start mixing colors. Students can use paint on this worksheet to see the colors mix in real time.

Investigate Complementary Colors

After students have learned primary and secondary colors, they can start to understand how colors complement each other with this worksheet. Students color in the worksheet, then see if they can find these color pairs in famous works of art.

discover color schema worksheet — We Are Teachers

Discover Color Schemes

As students learn about colors, they establish their color schema. Use this worksheet to show how primary and secondary colors create intermediate colors.

Color Design Studio

Show students how colors come together to create mood. How does the image look different if students use warm versus cool colors? Primary versus secondary colors?

Why Teachers Love Color Theory Worksheets

Color theory is a foundational skill in art class and these worksheets build student skill from primary colors to putting it all together. They’re a great, teacher-created way to make sure students understand color theory before they work with it in class.

Why Students Love Color Theory Worksheets

These worksheets make color theory make sense, with the opportunity to create their own color wheel and practice with primary and complementary colors.