[ArtsyFartsy]

Is there a secret to picking the right color? I don't know if it's just me but it takes alot of random guessing to get the right skin color or the right anything color. any rules I should know?, tips? Anybody know any good color theory books/websites? thanks and while were here...

can you guys tell me how I can fix the nose and the mouth of this head I just drew. thanks again.

[ArtsyFartsy]

please...anybody?

[mr.wonton]

Well get the imageright so we can see it!

Reguarding color.....Close obsevation isthe key and alsocolortheoryis impotant.If you're having trouble try toanalize photos andreallife can't get more realthan that!

[mr.wonton]

oops...my bad...my browsers'son the fridze.....I can see ur pic fine!

[hennifer]

to put the first color down, just wing it. decide if you want an odd light source, like the moon, which turns everything into different shades of blue/silver, or maybe the lights from a police cruiser. they would make the face bright red or white. don't be afraid to try some crazy colors, they can work out really well in the long run.

anyways, if you just want regular coloring, pick a middle fleshtone, (look at your skin, or use imagination) and work from there. add lights and darks next.

try to work in a few subtle color changes as you go, and be bold with color. if you get stuck, check out how the experienced artists on this forum use color... experimentation is the key, and the more you do it, the better feel you'll get for it.

i'm in the middle of the process right now.

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jeffery_

[RobT]

There is no specific palette for the right skin color. Every one is a different skin tone and lighting plays a part on what colors you should use. I would say just throw down something that comes close to what you want and work from that color. Use darker and lighter shades of your base color and carefully choose different hues for certain areas.

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RobT

www.gameart.com/mindstorm
All work and no play makes Jack a dull boy.

[samdragon]

Learn as much as you can about color, very important.
There is a reason why color is put into groups, each color effects another color a certian way.
You have warm colors(sometimes called aggressive), cold colors and neutral colors, and the neutrals can also be warm or cold.
Warm colors are usually associated with reds or colors that appear to move forward, while cool colors appear to receed, like blues.

Here are some definiations from my trusty color wheel to get you started

Primary colors: red, yellow, and blue -cannot be mixed from any other color(meaning no combinations of any other colors being mixed together will give you 100%(or pure) R,Y,Blue)
Secondary colors: Two primary colors mixed together resulting in orange, green and violet.(meaning you take any of the primary colors and mix them together in equal parts(if the colors are pure) and you will get a secondary color) Get it, Primary to secondary In other words, yellow and blue make green, yellow and red make orange, red and blue make violet.

This one is fun:
Tertiary(pronounced tur-she-air-e) these are the intermediate colors. One Primary and one secondary mixed together. So you would mix a blue with a green and you get blue-green.

some other misc terms:
Mono-chromatic: This is the use of any, shade, tint, or tone of one color.
Analogous: using any shade, tint or tones of colors that are at 90 degree angles on the color wheel. (hard to show you with out a color wheel, I'm sure you've seen one)

this should hold you over for a while, there are more terms like, complementary, complementary harmony, split complementary, Diad, Tetrad, triat..etc.

So, what does all this mean?
well, if you are wanting to paint an object, say..a face. You could lay down a foundation of a warm color, because real skin is translucent(don't believe me, hold a flashlight up to your fingers)..anyway...
If your colors are semi-transparent, you could use this red base to layer your other colors on, keep them warm.

Also, knowing that red is an aggressive color (moves forward) we could add a red hue to the cheeks, lips and end of the nose to bringe these areas visually foward.
Look at the old masters works, and see what colors they used. Sargent is the best, as he didn't do alot of smoothing. He applied the paint straight from the pallete to the canvas in layered strokes. He is great to learn from because you can see exactly what colors he used.

Yes, you can show distance by use of color, If you put a 100% pure red square onto a 100% pure green background, which color jumps out at you? What happens if you take that red square and put it onto a 70% gray background, does the red visually vibrate, is it hard to focus on?
I see so many people neglect these very common rules and it shows in the work they do.

Don't be frightend away from all this terminology. I remember the first time I heard it I thought it was a load of crap. But basic color theory is very important, and it's important you get the basics of color down now, instead of later on. If not, you'll spend all you're life doing nothing but black and white images, because your color images lack color balance, or just a good use of color theory.

have fun

[ArtsyFartsy]

Hey samdragon that really helps, thanks.

[Ben Barker]

Remember that color is completely relative. The way you perceive color totally depends on what is around it. That is why it is so important to fill in your background in your images from the very start. Unless you want it white.
Also, consider white and black to be colors. And don't darker your image by using black whenever necessary. There is little black in real life, and using a lot of it puts your image in flat city. Instead, add the compliment of a color to darken it (opposite on the color wheel). Adding white lowers the temperature of a color. You can have cool reds and hot blues.

Here, see what I mean:



In this image, the figures (the little squares) have the same color. But because of the colors of the fields (the big squares) they appear to have different temperatures.


The same goes for this image. Believe it or not, the figures are the same color. But the fields make them appear to have different values (level of white).

Finally, here is a little color wheel I threw together for your reference. Be the wheel.



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"BUUUHHH!!!" -Black Mushroom, Diablo

[ArtsyFartsy]

more thanks. Hey Ben when you say don't add black to make a color darker, do you mean solid black or any shades of black? thanks again.

[Frost]

"be the wheel" - lol

[Seeg]

Remember that all color is relative to what is surrounding it. This is particularly true with skin colors. If you were to paint the same skin colors against red and then against blue. One of the paintings would look horribly wrong.

Decide and paint in your main background color first. Doesn't have to be detailed just indicated.

Remember that generally there are three bands of color across teh human head. From the hairlind to the brow has a yellowish cast, from the brow to the bottom of the nose has a reddish cast, and from the bottom of the nose to the chin is decidedly cooler. This is especially true in men.

Mens faces can have the colors exagerated yet womens faces have to be more subtle.

The general complexion of a figure is found in the center of the chest. As the skin goes out toward the extremities it gets darker and ruddier.

Keep your skin colors cooler than you think they need to be. Too many reds, oranges, and yellows will make your subject look sunburned and leathery.

Vary the colors of the skin on different areas.

Lots of things to remember but keep practicing and you will get it.

On your drawing of the head, make sure that your features are all on the correct planes of the face. The mouth is particularly out of wack.

[Ben Barker]

Don't use straight black for your "black" areas. Think of something really black, like a raven. If you painted it with lots of black it would look like ass. That's because, in real life, the raven isn't black, like your jar of paint or 0,0,0 in Photoshop.
I don't quite know what you mean by shades of black. When you add black to a color you get a shade, and you can't make black any darker.
It's fine to use gray tones, but avoid pure black.
Even though grays are OK, try to paint light as color. So don't use the burn tool exclusively to shade, since it just makes everything look like shit and dirty. Pick the darker colors manually and paint them. Again, make them darker by adding their compliment when you can.
Here is an example:



Now, I don't even consider myself a passable colorist, and this reflects my lack of skill, even for a quickie. But you will notice how I made the background a dark green color, rather than a black, and I put some color samples I used next to the same colors on a white background. Side by side, there's a big difference.
And I don't even have to be a less than shitty colorist for you to see this difference:



Here I picked the same base colors as before, and then just used the burn tool (essentially moved the colors closer to black, and saturating them). I left the background white, which while still being boring at least doesn't destroy the linework like black does. The arrows on the color samples just show you that the burn tool picked those colors, not me. And I must say, as usual, it did a crappy job. This even makes my first image look almost decent.

So, just a few things to keep in mind. And as always, if it looks right it is right.



[This message has been edited by Ben Barker (edited December 28, 2000).]