MyLeoNes™

Warm and cool colours — Art, 4–6 years

Some colours remind us of heat, while others remind us of cool places. Art, 4–6 years.

Colours can feel warm or cool

Red, orange and yellow can remind us of fire, sunlight or a warm blanket. Blue, green and violet can remind us of water, leaves or a cool evening. This is about the feeling a colour gives, not its real temperature.

Why artists choose them

Artists choose colours to help a picture feel sunny, cosy, chilly or peaceful. A red blanket may make a room seem warm, while a blue sky may make it seem calm. The colours do not change the weather; they guide what we notice and imagine.

A warm and cool picture

First, draw a small sun and a campfire. Colour them yellow, orange and red, because these colours can feel warm. Next, draw a pond beside them and colour it blue and green. The picture now lets warm and cool feelings sit together.

A colour is not really hot

It is easy to think that a red crayon must feel hot, because red reminds us of flames. But a red crayon can be cold to touch, just like a blue one. “Warm” and “cool” describe an artistic feeling, not what your fingers measure.

In rooms and pictures

You may see warm colours in a cosy room, a food picture or a sunny poster. Cool colours often appear in pictures of water, night or quiet places. Designers use these choices to help people notice a mood, but different people can feel colours differently.

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