art colour wheels

[eatyourveg]

can anyone tell me how these work?

I am trying to teach ds2 (ASD) to choose his own clothes when getting dressed but sometimes he has glaring fluorescent colour clashes and has no idea that walking down the high street wearing orange, yellow and purple might not be the coolest look for a 16 year old. Figured if he had something like a colour wheel that showed him what colours he could wear together it may help but not sure if thats what a colour wheel does.

Whilst he may not mind what he looks like I don't want him to be a sitting duck for ridicule from other teenagers

I've only ever used a colour wheel for art stuff back at school many years ago.
It shows you complimentary colours and opposites (complimentary tones are those next to each other - opposites are just that). Having said that, I used to walk around in flourscent colours, or orange/blue, yellow/purple combinations in my teens but then again it was the 80s

Some colours wheels work that way. They have cut outs to say which colours are harmonious/complementary etc. Hobbycraft do one like that. Some are just wheels with the colours painted on and no examples of what goes.

This looks quite complicated but might be useful or this one has windows in it so that you can match your fabric to the nearest colour around the edge of the wheel and then use that to find complementary colours.

But I don't actually think orange, yellow and purple sound that bad.

It might even be a recognised combo (2 harmonious and complementary has a name I think). I suppose it all depends on the amounts of each of the combination and if they are all very bright versions of those colours which a colourwheel might not help with. Also personal preference comes into it. I know some people would hate that combo even if it technically works. Plus those colours might work in the summer but not in the winter which might be another issue the wheel won't help with.

It is worth a try though because it can be very rule based. I just wish my DS with AS was even a little bit interested in clothes!

Brill! I will get the ebay wheel for him. Orange and yellow seem to be next to one another but his bright yellow polo shirt with orange river island jumper just looks hideous and the purple shorts just make it a complete no no.

His 2 db are quite good at telling him what is "wallyish" but this should give him more independence.

Thanks to both of you

you've got good advice re the colour wheel already, so nothing more I can add to that, but I hope you don't mind me also adding that your DS might actually have got it right, not wrong - those sort of clashing neon brights are actually bang on trend - my very fashionista DD also likes to dress that way too - she spends a long time working it all out too.

Yes, not my taste either, but as I've spent most of my working life as a fashion designer I know that my personal taste isn't always right - not to a young age group at least - I know where to go for inspiration to design for that age group though & it IS bang on trend ATM

Blimey! Who'd have thought ds would be right on trend!

Just back from the shops where he chose a turquoise polo, red and grey shoes (what I call gum boots) and a pair of canvas plimsolls which seemed quite bland in comparison. He's heading for 6th form in September so maybe he'll fit in a treat.

Thanks again for all the comments - I seem to have become a middle aged fuddy duddy - perhaps I will make use of the colour wheel myself