As we were going through the comment sections, 
we noticed that you guys really want us to do..
videos on anime, video games and comics.
So we figure, let's combine them all in one video.
How? By focusing on something called Color Theory.
Let's dive into it.
Color theory is a kind of guideline for the visual arts.
We could probably fill an entire season on this subject..
but for the sake of time, we will narrow 
it down to some basic fundamentals.
Although 15th century renaissance artists were 
already describing some principles of color theory..
the science and artistry of it did not 
really kick of until the 18th century..
when one of the greatest scientific minds of all time 
started messing around with prisms..
and the nature of primary colors: Isaac Newton.
Scientists and artists have been building on his theory ever since.
Whether it's a painting, video game or comic book..
So how do designers and artists get the 
most out of the colors that they use?
We'll answer these questions by focusing on 
two important principles of the color theory:
Say you are making a video game, like Red Dead Redemption..
and you don't want to let your grand landscapes 
vista's to be unnoticed by the player.
You use our first principle: light colors draw your attention.
Like these snowy mountaintops. See what 
happens when we make them darker?
When looking at an image - whether it is still or moving..
our eyes are drawn immediately to lighter colors or hues.
That's just how our eyes work.
This is something that Dutch artist Hendrick Avercamp knew as well.
Notice how the people in this painting go from dark to light?
It's almost as if he used a different hue 
of the same color for each row of people.
Just as in this example from the DC comics Vertigo Fables..
the people all the way in the back don't even have color.
Some are even left completely white.
This creates a sense of depth..
and by doing so, the artist draws your 
attention not only to the main subject..
but allows you to appreciate the whole image, 
enhancing the feeling of immersion in the story.
Good visual artists throughout the ages all used this principle.
Some of the best examples can be found in 
Katsuhiro Otomo's 1988 anime Masterpiece: Akira..
Akira also brings us to our second principle: 
complementary colors.
You've probably seen this hanging on the walls of your old art class somewhere..
it's a color wheel.
In it we can distinguish the three primary colors..
red, blue and yellow..
surrounded by their secondary colors.
Well, if you draw an arrow straight across, 
you can find their complementary colors.
In other words: the color that reinforces them.
So, orange is the complementary color of blue..
purple for yellow and green for red.
Using these colors together makes each of them 
stand out more then they were presented separately.
With this in mind, let's look at this 
self portrait by Vincent van Gogh..
who in a way freed painting from its subjects by focusing on..
and experimenting with - the use of complementary colors.
And in doing so, paved the way for expressionism.
This self portrait is almost completely 
build up out of complementary colors.
The orange beard for example, 
is complementary to the blue background.
And you can also find a lot of green and red all over the painting.
Now let's go back to some scenes from Akira.
Complementary colors are everywhere, interacting with each other.
This is no coincidence, this is a color theory masterpiece.
However, putting complementary colors 
in their purest form next to each other..
can sometimes be a little overwhelming for the eye..
because they demand attention.
Instead of using the direct complementary color, 
they use the next color along the wheel.
Like in this example of Vermeer..
where the vest is more yellow-orange than bright orange.
Complementary colors are everywhere…
in our paintings.. in our video games.. in our movies..
our comics.. and our clothes.
But what do you think?
Is this art?
Keep letting us know your suggestions 
for future episodes of 'Is this Art'!
Because we read everything..
Okay, bye!
