Hey guys! Today I want to share how I'm going to paint this illustration using bright and saturated colors. I've noticed that many artists, including myself, tend to stay in the comfort zone of neutral colors. However, today I want to break out of that rut and show you how I choose colors for my illustrations in a more vibrant and eye-catching way. So, without further ado, let's get started.

VIDEO TUTORIAL

SKETCH

Before you start painting, it's essential to have a clear idea of what you want to create. My original idea was a magical puppy and then it turned into a clown puppy. Start with a black and white sketch to define the basic shapes and composition. This is the skeleton of your illustration. I like that he has a serious face and it will make a nice contrast with the bright colors I have in mind.

COLOR PALETTE SELECTION

The next step is to choose your color palette. You can use tools like the color wheel to choose harmonious or contrasting colors. When choosing colors, I take into account the following:

Choose colors that convey the emotion you want to reflect in your work.

The 60/30/10 rule: is a valuable tool for creating visual harmony in any illustration. The rule is flexible and can be adapted to your personal preferences. You should choose a dominant color and use it in 60% of the space, a secondary color to be in 30% and a final color for the remaining 10%.

Complementary Colors: Color schemes use two opposite colors from the color wheel.

Analog colors: use three adjacent colors on the color wheel.

Analogous colors are similar in hue and create a smooth transition from one color to the next while complementary colors are opposite on the color wheel, so they create a strong contrast.

COLOR TEST

I always like to do a color test or a chart. First I like to choose at least 3 different color palettes and I will be applying the colors to each of the sketches.

First, we will duplicate the sketch/outline layer. Each layer must be in Multiply mode so that we can paint the sketch on a new layer without affecting the sketch.

Now it's time to apply the color. You don't need to get it perfect because this is a color test to see which palette works best. You can use the lasso tool to paint faster.

I like to explore different palettes and see how the illustration changes the message or feeling just by using colors. Option #3 is the color palette we will be using. You can see that I used the 60/30/10 rule with the colors yellow, blue, and pink, as well as some analogous colors (blue and pink).

COLORING STEP BY STEP

Base colors

Once you have your palette, start blocking out base colors in the main areas of your illustration. Don't worry about the details yet; focus on distributing the colors evenly.

I like to use the lasso tool and the paint bucket to color quickly and efficiently. Each element will be on a new layer that is attached to the dog's layer.

The next step is to add shadows and highlights to give your work depth. Use a separate layer and select a darker shade of the base color for the shadows, and a lighter one for the highlights. Once the colors and shadows are in place, it's time to focus on the details.

With the Halftone brush I used it in different parts of the illustration. This is where your work will really come to life. Add textures, reflections, etc.

Effects

I felt like the illustration was missing something so we're going to add some details. I want the illustration to look busy and I'll be reusing colors that are in the illustration to create a visual harmony.

I didn't have a clear idea of what I wanted so I worked slowly seeing how it turned out.

I used a Halftone brush on some parts of the illustration and also used it to give some depth to the shadows.

Now I'm going to decorate the frame and again I reused several colors that were already in the illustration so as not to overload it.

Gradient map

Many times when I'm not satisfied with how the colors look, I like to use the gradient map without having to recolor. First, I duplicate the illustration and in that layer we will apply the Chromatic Harmonization filter and we will find it in the menu Edit > Tonal correction > Chromatic harmonization.

Try a few and experiment with them to see how it changes the image. Also change the layer mode and layer opacity so you can control how the artwork will look.

Chromatic aberration

First I'm going to duplicate the illustration. Select the top layer where we'll apply the filter. To access the filter, go to the menu Filter > Effect > Chromatic Aberration. I chose the displacement type: Linear and then set the angle and intensity. Then I erased the edge because I want to focus it only on the character's face.

CONCLUSION

And there you have it, a digital illustration full of color and life.

I sincerely hope you enjoyed this tutorial and that you are inspired to create your own colorful and lively illustrations! Don't forget to give the post a like!