How to create color palettes

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AriaVon

Presentation

In this quick TIPS of the month I will show you everything you need to create color palettes for any type of illustration using the new "Color Mixing" function in Clip Studio Paint and other tools in the program. The first part covers color theory, but don't be scared, it won't be tedious, they are simple concepts; The second part will be an explanation of how to use some of the program's tools to make color palettes. Well, without more to say.

Let's get started!!

Mix Color Palette

I will start by explaining where to find this tool and its functions because I will use it to explain the combination of colors and you can also use it to practice color theory.

In order to see the mixing palette you must access the menu Window > Mix Colors.

The functions that this window has are the following:

1. Menu where you can reset default parameters and background color.

2. The currently selected color is displayed.

3. Delete.

4. Undo and Redo.

5. Brush size.

6. It is used to use the same sub tool as on the canvas.

7. Brush.

8. Color mixing.

9. Dropper.

10. Default color set.

1. Theory

► Modelo RYB

To begin with, we must know that there are three color models, RGB, RYB and CMYK. In our case we will talk about the RYB model because we plan to imitate the analog process using the "Mix Colors" tool, this function can help us make the color choosing process more intuitive. This model is based on the mixing of colors through light, the primary colors are red, blue and green; By mixing these three colors we can obtain the final color spectrum. We will use this model because it also works for cell phone screens and computers, which is why it is used to work on digital media.

If you look, you will notice that the model that Clip Studio uses is CMYK for its color wheel and this is due to how digital devices process colors, but that will not be a problem, that is why we are learning the color theory, with this knowledge we can have total control of color.

• PRIMARY COLORS

Primary colors are those that cannot be obtained through mixtures with other colors. By mixing them, secondary colors can be obtained and finally, by mixing primary colors with secondary colors, tertiary colors can be obtained. For the RYB model the primary colors are yellow, red and blue.

• SECONDARY COLOURS

As read in the previous paragraph, secondary colors are the result of the combination of primary colors with each other.

The combination of yellow and red results in the color orange.

The combination of red and blue results in the color violet.

The combination of yellow and blue results in the color green.

• TERTIARY COLORS

Tertiary colors are born from the combination of primary colors with secondary colors.

The color wheel seen below is the conventional representation of this model. I advise you to practice combining colors as I explained above, this will help you understand and memorize the process from which colors are born. It will help you to use the "Color Mixing" tool because it is practical for combining colors.

Tertiary colors are located between the colors that created it, in this case, the primary and secondary colors that originated it. The combinations are:

YellowOrange=Yellow-Orange
OrangeRed=Red-Orange
RedViolet=Red-Violet
VioletBlue=Blue-Violet

+BlueGreen=Blue-Green

+GreenYellow=Yellow-Green

To recapitulate, first we create a triangle where in each vertex we place a primary color, then we invert the triangle and on these new edges we place the secondary colors, finally between the spaces between the primary and secondary colors the tertiary colors are placed, like this Simple we have our color wheel.

► Color properties

• BRIGHTNESS

Lightness is the proportion or levels of white or black that degrade a color. The higher the percentage of white, the lighter or brighter its color will be, while the higher the percentage of black, the darker it will be.

• SATURATION

Saturation is the degree of purity of a color, it defines its intensity. It is determined by the amount of gray it contains, the more gray the lower its saturation and the less gray the more saturated it will be.

► Color classification

Colors can be classified as cold and warm, this classification is based on the psychology of color according to what they transmit to people. The reason they are known by that name is because they are visually associated with a low or high temperature. They are usually represented as a division in half of the color wheel.

• WARM COLORS

These colors transmit sensations of high temperatures. Warm colors are those that range from red to yellow. These colors transmit to the viewer the sensations of enthusiasm, passion, joy, love, energy, warmth, etc. Also, they can represent a time of year such as autumn.

• COLD COLORS

In contrast we have cold colors. These colors transmit sensations of low temperatures. Cold colors are those that range from blue to green along with purples. It is the color blue that is most related to cold tones, which, if present in other tones, helps make it appear colder. The bluer a color is, the colder it will be. Cold colors are the tones of winter, night, seas, lakes, tranquility, calm, solitude, serenity, sadness, night, and winter, etc.

► Color harmonies

We tend in both nature and illustrations to expect to find a series of combinations that we innately like more than others. In this way, when a multitude of similar colors appear in the scene, we will feel more pleasant than when there is a confusing mixture of several disparate colors. For this reason it is good to know color harmonies, using them correctly we can create palettes that give credibility to our illustrations.

• COMPLEMENTARY

Complementary colors are those that are opposite on the color wheel, this combination causes a contrast. This harmony can be used to contrast the figure in the background, also, to contrast opposing ideas.

• ANALOGS

Analogous harmony is formed by the implementation of colors that are close on the color wheel. Due to their proximity, they combine well with each other. Like blue, purple and pink that are sequentially close to each other in the circle.

• ADJACENT COMPLEMENTARY

For this harmony, we take a color which we will call main and later we take two shades adjacent to its complement. With this harmony a result similar to that of complementary harmony is achieved, but with more diversity.

• MONOCHROMATIC

To create palettes with this harmony, all colors are derived from a single color from which the various variations of lightness and saturation are used. You can also add different neutral grays.

2. Tools to create color palettes

Clip Studio has some functions that will help us visualize the colors with which we will create our color palettes. In essence, the functions are similar and are designed to make it easy to choose colors without having to combine the colors manually. The last function is the only one that is designed to be able to mix colors manually. Now we will see each function.

First, we have to know where those tools are located. To access them we will go to: Window > The options will be from Color Circle to Mix Colors.

► Color circle

You already know the color wheel, and at the beginning of this TIP I explained how these colors arise and how to master them. Clip Studio's circle uses the CMYK model to guide colors, but knowing the basics, the model doesn't matter. Furthermore, we can put the circle in two different ways: in HSV or HLS color space. For this you only need to click on the lower right circle.

By clicking on the color icons we can access the functions of different color displays, the color sets that we have created and the color history. The disadvantage is that you cannot work with this pop-up window while painting, you just choose the color you want, then it closes, but don't worry, this no longer happens in the following tools.

► Color slider

We will start with this function. This tool allows us to change the color model between RGB, HLS and CMYK. From this tool you can extract the luminosity, saturation or tones of a color that has been selected from the color wheel. The first color icon corresponds to the primary color, the second to the secondary color and the third is transparency (if the brush is used it acts as an eraser).

RGB, HLS and CMYK are models used in digital media because that is the way devices process colors. The primary colors for each model are:

1. RGB: Red, green and Blue.

2. HLS: Hue, Saturation, luminosity.

3. CMYK: Cyan, magenta and black.

From the color difference of these three models, varied color palettes can be obtained, such as the following ones that were born from one color (in this case orange) and based on this, different palettes can be created depending on the interpretation of the different models.

The three palettes have orange as their sole origin and regardless of the model, harmonious results were obtained in all three cases. Now you know that you can use this tool to easily create palettes from one or more colors.

► Color set

This tool is super important because it allows us to save the color palettes we want. In the lower right part there are three functions that are used to: Replace color, add color, delete color that allows us to fill and organize the color palette that we want to create. I use this function to store color palettes that I have created and want to keep for later reuse.

To create a new set of colors, you must click on the wrench at the top right. When you click, the following window will appear where various options will appear to create, modify, duplicate or delete a set.

► Neutral and approximate color

• NEUTRAL COLOR

From this function you can also obtain the luminosity and saturation of a color or colors selected from the color wheel, it all depends on the colors you place in the reference boxes. The larger boxes at each vertex (reference boxes) can have their color changed to make combinations without having to mix the colors manually, as explained in the luminosity and saturation section.

By clicking on the three stripes at the top left, you can access functions that will allow you to change the grid size, remove the grid, and hide the neutral color.

• APPROXIMATE COLOR

This specifically has the utility to obtain an approximate color of your selected color. With the bars found in the left and upper left sections you can modify the level of gray and white to measure the level of the functions we choose. This window has seven functions that we can access by clicking on the letter that appears next to each bar.

The elements that we can use as parameters to change the values of the two variables (bars) are:

0. Tone (H)

1. Saturation (S)

2. Luminosity (V)

3. Luminance (L)

4. Red (R)

4. Green (G)

5. Blue (B)

We already analyzed each of these elements in the theory section, so we know what effect they have on the color when applied to them. We can make combinations between the bars such as: Tone (H) and Green (G). This is another way to obtain colors for our color palettes.

► Color history

This tool shows the colors that have been used in the application. This is good for when one wants to repeat a color that was not saved in some color set.

► Mix colors

This tool is the one I showed at the beginning and with it you can mix colors to generate new ones completely manually, just as it would be done in traditional analog media.

You can also use different brushes to make blends, change brush size, make, undo and erase.

Farewell

I hope that what you see in this tutorial is to your liking. I hope it helps. Well, without anything to say, thank you for coming this far! ପ(๑•̀ुᴗ•̀ु) ॣ৳৸ᵃᵑᵏ Ꮍ৹੫ᵎ ॣ

Vibrate high!!! We won't see you another time ( •⌄• ू ) ✧

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