Color

How are shapes and colors alike?

Colors are like shapes in that they both can tell us something about a person, place or event.

Just like shapes, our cavemen ancestors handed down colors to us as a way to survive.

We call this, Association.

What is Association? Association means making a connection

between two unrelated things.

Our cavemen ancestors associated colors to things that were safe and harmful to their environment.

Example:

Blood is bad.

The color of blood is red.

Therefore, red is bad.

What do colors tell us?

Based on this thinking we associate colors with meaning.

Every color has a hidden meaning within it.

Colors have a secret language that artists tap into to manipulate people emotionally.

Write down what you feel each of these images say.

Why do you think you used those words?

What are color schemes? Color Schemes are an arrangement of colors

that are pleasing to the eye.

Why are color schemes important to Character Designers?

Color schemes are important to Character Designers because they tell the audience on a subliminal level what the character’s personalities are.

How do color schemes work?

Color Schemes have a set of Color Rules.

The Color Rules are:

Analogous

Monochromatic

Complimentary

What are Analogous colors?

Analogous Colors are three main colors that are next to each other in the color wheel and all variations in between.

 

Example:

 

Yellow – Orange – Red and all colors in between are analogous to each other.

What do Analogous colors tell us about a character? An Analogous character is one who is very

unified.

A character who is organized

A character who knows who they are.

Dependable.

What are Monochromatic colors?

Monochromatic colors are variations on the same color going from it’s highest saturation to it’s lowest.

What is saturation? Saturation means how gray the color is.

If the color is bright we say it has high saturation

If the color has a grayer tone to it we say it has low saturation.

How do artists use Monochromatic colors?

Artists use monochromatic colors mainly to create shape and form.

The higher the saturation the more light is on it.

The lower the saturation the more it is covered in shadow.

Monochromatic colors can create a dreary atmosphere if most of the colors have low saturation.

On the flip side Monochromatic colors can be happy and bright if the colors have high saturation.

What are Complimentary Colors?

Complimentary Colors are two colors that are on opposite sides of the color wheel.

In order to understand how complimentary colors work we need to understand how Primary and Secondary colors work.

What are primary colors? Primary Colors are colors that cannot be made

by combining other colors. There are three primary colors they are:

Red

Blue

Yellow

What are secondary colors?

Secondary Colors are colors that are created by combining two or more primary colors.

Red + Yellow = Orange

Yellow + Blue = Green

Blue + Red = Purple

How do we match colors with their opposites?

We can match colors with their opposites in two ways.

Look at a color wheel, find a color and see what color is on the opposite side.

Begin with a primary color and then find its opposite color.

Example:

If we start with Yellow we need to find a secondary color that has no Yellow in it.

 

Since Purple is a secondary color and has no Yellow in it we say that Purple and Yellow are opposites.

How do we use that as character designers?

Complimentary colors are symbols of conflict. Symbols of two sides fighting one another. As a result Complimentary colors can be used to suggest a character has an internal conflict.

Kuler What is Kuler?

Kuler is an extended program within Photoshop, Illustrator and other Adobe programs to help create color schemes.

How do you access Kuler? Click on the Window menu.

Go down to Extensions.

Click on Kuler.

How do I create custom swatches?

You can create custom swatches by clicking on the Create Button.

There you will see that you can create swatches based on the Color Rules.

How do I select something in Illustrator?

In order to select an object in Illustrator you need to use the Move Tool.

You can either click on the Move Tool at the top of your tool box.

You can also tap the letter V on your keyboard.

With the Move tool on select the object.

How do I select multiple objects in Illustrator?

To select multiple objects use the Move Tool.

Click away from the group of objects and drag the box so it surrounds the objects you want.

Release

Or

Select the Move Tool

Click on one item

While holding Shift Click each item you want to select one at a time.

How do I move something in Illustrator?

Select the Move Tool

Click on the object you want to move

Click and Drag the object to where you want to move it.

How do I duplicate an object in Illustrator?

Select the Move Tool.

Click on the object(s) you want to duplicate.

Hold Command and tap C to copy

Then holding command tap V to paste

Or

Select the Move Tool.

Click on the object(s) you want to move.

While holding the Alt key click and drag the object(s) and a duplicate will emerge.

What is Fill and what is Outline?

Fill refers to the inside color of a shape.

Outline is the color of the line that creates the shape.

How do I change the Fill color?

The Fill color is located at the bottom of the toolbox.

It is the solid color square.

Double click and choose a color

How do I change the Outline Color

The Outline color is next to the Fill color.

The Outline color is the box underneath the fill color box and it looks just like the outline of a square.

Double click and choose a color.

How do I use swatches to select a color?

Using the move tool click on the object you want to change.

Go to your Swatches panel and select the color you want.