The Magic of Color by SVS Learn

SVS The Magic of Color is an online colour theory class from the School of Visual Storytelling, taught by illustrator Will Terry. It covers the principles you would learn in a colour theory course: primary, secondary and tertiary colours, hue, value and chroma, harmony, warm and cool colours, and what colour communicates. The class has 21 lessons with about two hours of video, a workbook and painted swatch assignments, and it is included in the SVS Learn membership.

The class sits in Level 1 of the SVS Essentials curriculum, so it is meant as an early foundation. It treats colour as a storytelling tool, not just a technical subject, and includes practical advice on which paints to buy.

What You Will Learn

• Additive and subtractive colour and how mixing works
• Colour terms: hue, value, chroma, tints and shades
• Building a colour wheel and selecting colours
• Colour harmony and how to increase it
• Colour temperature and how to warm or cool a colour
• Colour psychology and painting emotions
• Mixing rich browns and avoiding muddy colour
• Which colours of paint to buy for traditional media

Who Is SVS The Magic of Color For?

The class suits beginners and illustrators who choose colours by trial and error and want a clear framework. It is useful for both digital and traditional painters, and for designers and photographers who want to understand colour relationships.

Experienced painters may find it introductory; Painting Color and Light, later in the curriculum, goes much further into lighting situations.

Course Structure

The lessons are organised by topic, with exercises along the way:

• Basics of Color: introduction, workbook, additive and subtractive mixing, colour terms, value
• Exercise 1: colour wheel
• Selecting Colors: colour harmony, with an exercise on increasing harmony
• Using Color Temperature: warming and cooling colours, with an exercise on changing value
• Meaning of Colors: colour psychology, with an exercise on painting emotions
• Concerns with Color: rich browns and optical illusions
• Traditional Media: which paints to buy and painting swatches
• Assignments: one-colour and two-colour swatches and a colour swatch grid

Price and Access

The Magic of Color is included in the SVS Learn membership. SVS lists its Studio membership at $29.95 a month, with a $300 annual option shown on class pages, and offers a 14-day free trial that needs a card and becomes a paid plan unless you cancel. Membership includes the class library, live events and a monthly art challenge.

About the Instructor

Will Terry has worked as a freelance illustrator for 26 years, beginning with magazines and newspapers in the Washington, D.C. area. He has illustrated about 30 children's books for publishers including Random House, Simon & Schuster, Scholastic and Penguin, and teaches from the SVS office in Provo, Utah.

How It Fits the SVS Curriculum

The Magic of Color is one of six Level 1 classes in SVS Essentials. It works best alongside Light and Shadow for Illustrators, which covers value and edges, because colour and value decisions depend on each other. Later in the curriculum, Painting Color and Light applies these principles to lighting situations, times of day and coloured light sources.

Things to Consider

• Time: two hours of video, plus time for swatches and exercises.
• Materials: a few tubes of paint and paper for the swatches, or a digital painting app.
• Do the swatches: mixing colours by hand is where the theory becomes intuitive.
• Pair it with: Light and Shadow for Illustrators, which covers value and edges.
• Next steps: Painting Color and Light in Level 4 builds on this class.

Start the Course

Interested in learning with SVS Learn?

Start The Magic of Color

For the full curriculum and membership options, visit the official SVS Learn website.

Looking for more ways to learn? Browse all courses and learning resources on Good Stuff Weekly.

Last verified: October 26, 2026