Color is amazing.
Color can change personality.
Color can change perception.
So let's discuss color.
I observe in these forums that a lot of them are creative. They know what the appeal of their character design is.
However, they are still afraid, or maybe don't understand the true nature of color.
Basically, color is divided into two areas. Warm and Cool color. If you count black and white as a color, it becomes three, with monochrome.
These two colors are so distinct in what is the personality of the character.
I can tell a character in just the color the artist uses. What is their trait, what is their personality, and what is their purpose? With just colors.
Here, I will share some color theory that I learned from my teacher, basically. She has a background in the animation industry.
If you have a character that is energetic, rebellious, and wild, warm colors are your choice.
If you have a character that is calm, reserved, and mature, cool colors are your choice.
After that, there is some color theory on how you mix the colors.
Each of the theories depends on your character personality.
Let's play the analysis game.
So I search for a coloring image or picture in Freepik and color it, like a coloring book for kids.
First, we go in warm color and cool color in basic analogous.
In the warm color, we can see that the personality of the character is energetic, optimistic, and sociable. Her bright yellow is like screaming to you, as it's loud personality. The example of it
-Kyojuro Rengoku from Demon Slayer
-Naruto from Naruto
-Aino from Sailor Moon
However, it changes as we use the cool color. Somehow, her character becomes more complex. Hidden, calm, and mature are the words for this new character. It can be so arrogant, it can be genius, or it can be so mature, like a big sister type.
The example of it
- Tatsumaki from One Punch Man
-C.C from Code Geass
-Shinobu Kocho from Demon Slayer
Now we go in complementary
Complementary is a hard step to achieve if you don't know your own character. As these colors represent a mix of personality, the character can be so loud, but can also be so mature. The usage of complementary colors depends on what object/accessories the character represents. For example, if the character is so loud, arrogant, and energetic, yet if there is this object/accessories, the character changes 180 degrees. So that object needs to not use warm color.
This will bring our eyes a Visual Dissonance. This is a powerful thing in character design. Because you need to set a limit on what your character is. Surely your character is annoying and loud, but is there a limit to it? This makes a hidden depth of meaning for your character.
For example,
Usagi from Sailor Moon.
Her colors are such a good representation of her character. The colors red and yellow show how Usagi acts energetic, cheerful, and carefree. However, the blue and white show the barrier or the limit of her personality. She is destined to be a savior, so this color will represent her maturity stage. You may say the blue color is actually the color of a sailor's uniform. However, the blue color in the uniform, especially at school, represents connection, discipline, and authority. Usagi as leader.
It's not accidental; it mirrors her growth from crybaby to queen.
Monochromatic...
I advise you avoid this type unless you are trying to use "iconic archetype" or "symbolic archetype."
Monochromatic basically means just one color, yet it adds black or white to get a tone and texture. It's flat, boring, and lacking in telling the personality of the character. However, if you are creating an iconic archetype, you can use this. Monochrome works best for iconic or symbolic characters, but only if it’s controlled, not lazy. Like death, you want to design death as a character, so you just need one color with a different tone.
If your character doesn't represent or symbolise something, you need to break the color.
90/10 ratio. It's a theory to break this boring color. The best way to break it is with a complementary color or the opposite color. You can try analogous if you want. Yet, sometimes analogous colors can't break it properly. For example, blue, the opposite color of blue, is yellow. If you use purple, it still shares the same tone as blue; it's still weak. You need to break it with yellow or orange.
This 90/10 ratio will amazingly work and be immediately recognisable by human eyes. When you use monochromatic, the eyes are basically scanning for what is different. Like a black dot on white paper, the eyes immediately scan the black dot as it's Visual Dissonance.
This 10% can be eyes, ribbon, armband, etc. Usually, it's the most important item; it represents the truth of her character. If your character uses warm colors, and you want to show that your character is actually shy, mature, or maybe a genius, you can use 10% with cool colors in their accessories; usually, it's in their eyes.
What is the focal point of your character? That's the 10%.
A strong example is
Rei Ayanami. Her striking eyes are basically screaming, I want to know you, I want to share with you, and etc. She wants to socialise and learn about society. That's the real her.
Princess Bubblegum is like an iconic archetype character.
Yet, this character breaks the dominant color. The purpose is to tell that she is a ruler. With a golden crown on her head, is breaking the color of the pink. Immediately, our eyes look at the crown and now her background.
Unique example
Nanami Kento.
In the case of his character, it's not about color. But about the 10%, his ties are basically showing the inner depth of his character. In the boring of his professional barrier, he has a very distinct, unique sense of himself.
Color is a device to show your character, personality, background, and traits. It's a device that shows, not tells.
Avoid this.
"My character loves this specific color, so I use that color for everything."
If you use this, my teacher will immediately jump and body you. My teacher knows this and uses it as a tease: "Why do you use this color? Don't tell me your character loves this color." Because she heard a lot of this reason. It's a weak reason.
If you can’t explain why a color is there without using the word "like," the design likely lacks a foundation.
If a character wears a bright red ribbon in a sea of cool blue dresses, is it because they "like" red? Or is it a memento of a lost sibling? Or a symbol of a rebellion they are secretly part of?
If you want to show your character loves a specific color, just look around you. Are people wearing everything in one color because they love that color?
Love and obsession are different words.
If you use one color only, it means your character is being so obsessive. If your character is actually a psychopath or so obsessed, it's great. Yet if you are creating a dynamic character, a 3-dimensional character, not just 2-dimensional or 1-dimensional, you need to balance it.
Goth girls are obsessed with the color black. Is your character really obsessed with the level of this goth girl? Even some goth girls balance it with red or purple.
I love the color orange. To love the color orange means there is a backstory for why I love the color orange
A meaning in the color is a focal point; there is no way the focal point is 70%+
"Color is a tool, not preference."
You need to balance it.
You can go 90/10 ratio or...
With another rule or theory, 60-30-10 Rule.
60-30-10 Rule is basically like a 90/10 ratio. However, it has a breaking or distant color, so the 30% to balance it.
60% for primary color.
30% for supporting it.
10% for the focal point.
It's a general rule in the design world. Not just in character design. It is used with logo design, composition frame, layout, interior design, etc.
If you bleach your character with just one color, the character becomes a caricature rather than a person.
Lastly, but for the next step further, if you want.
It's a value.
Color has different value each other. To test this, change your character to greyscale.
If your character is having the same shade, it means your character shares the same value.
A great character design should work in black and white first. If you strip the color away, the value appears.
Value is like warm and cool colors.
Warm colors tend to sit in higher values, and cool colors tend to sit lower, but value must always be checked in grayscale.
High Value is usually associated with character, loud and annoying, almost the same as warm colors.
Low Value is usually associated with character, silent and calm, almost the same as cool colors.
However, value adds depth. As you can see above, the colors red and yellow have different value each other. There is a hotkey for Windows OS to change your screen to greyscale. Every presentation, my teacher always toggles this to see this value even without seeing the color first.
If the values are on the same level, it means the design is unreadable, muddy, or flat.
If you have a character with a brilliant red and green complementary scheme, but both the red and the green have the same value, they will vibrate against each other and turn into a grey blob.
So with just color, the personality of characters can be changed.
Don't make you the only one who knows your drawing character; make everyone know the character of your drawing.
You can draft the color first.
What is the color for my character that shows her? Let's start with red. After that, you research the hierarchy of color red, the references of the examples, and the characters using red.
A failed character design is when the artist tries to explain the personality with exposition.
When an artist relies on exposition, it usually means the visual language has failed to do its job.
Color can change personality.
Color can change perception.
So let's discuss color.
I observe in these forums that a lot of them are creative. They know what the appeal of their character design is.
However, they are still afraid, or maybe don't understand the true nature of color.
Basically, color is divided into two areas. Warm and Cool color. If you count black and white as a color, it becomes three, with monochrome.
These two colors are so distinct in what is the personality of the character.
I can tell a character in just the color the artist uses. What is their trait, what is their personality, and what is their purpose? With just colors.
Here, I will share some color theory that I learned from my teacher, basically. She has a background in the animation industry.
If you have a character that is energetic, rebellious, and wild, warm colors are your choice.
If you have a character that is calm, reserved, and mature, cool colors are your choice.
After that, there is some color theory on how you mix the colors.
Each of the theories depends on your character personality.
Let's play the analysis game.
So I search for a coloring image or picture in Freepik and color it, like a coloring book for kids.
First, we go in warm color and cool color in basic analogous.
In the warm color, we can see that the personality of the character is energetic, optimistic, and sociable. Her bright yellow is like screaming to you, as it's loud personality. The example of it
-Kyojuro Rengoku from Demon Slayer
-Naruto from Naruto
-Aino from Sailor Moon
However, it changes as we use the cool color. Somehow, her character becomes more complex. Hidden, calm, and mature are the words for this new character. It can be so arrogant, it can be genius, or it can be so mature, like a big sister type.
The example of it
- Tatsumaki from One Punch Man
-C.C from Code Geass
-Shinobu Kocho from Demon Slayer
Now we go in complementary
Complementary is a hard step to achieve if you don't know your own character. As these colors represent a mix of personality, the character can be so loud, but can also be so mature. The usage of complementary colors depends on what object/accessories the character represents. For example, if the character is so loud, arrogant, and energetic, yet if there is this object/accessories, the character changes 180 degrees. So that object needs to not use warm color.
This will bring our eyes a Visual Dissonance. This is a powerful thing in character design. Because you need to set a limit on what your character is. Surely your character is annoying and loud, but is there a limit to it? This makes a hidden depth of meaning for your character.
For example,
Usagi from Sailor Moon.
Her colors are such a good representation of her character. The colors red and yellow show how Usagi acts energetic, cheerful, and carefree. However, the blue and white show the barrier or the limit of her personality. She is destined to be a savior, so this color will represent her maturity stage. You may say the blue color is actually the color of a sailor's uniform. However, the blue color in the uniform, especially at school, represents connection, discipline, and authority. Usagi as leader.
It's not accidental; it mirrors her growth from crybaby to queen.
Monochromatic...
I advise you avoid this type unless you are trying to use "iconic archetype" or "symbolic archetype."
Monochromatic basically means just one color, yet it adds black or white to get a tone and texture. It's flat, boring, and lacking in telling the personality of the character. However, if you are creating an iconic archetype, you can use this. Monochrome works best for iconic or symbolic characters, but only if it’s controlled, not lazy. Like death, you want to design death as a character, so you just need one color with a different tone.
If your character doesn't represent or symbolise something, you need to break the color.
90/10 ratio. It's a theory to break this boring color. The best way to break it is with a complementary color or the opposite color. You can try analogous if you want. Yet, sometimes analogous colors can't break it properly. For example, blue, the opposite color of blue, is yellow. If you use purple, it still shares the same tone as blue; it's still weak. You need to break it with yellow or orange.
This 90/10 ratio will amazingly work and be immediately recognisable by human eyes. When you use monochromatic, the eyes are basically scanning for what is different. Like a black dot on white paper, the eyes immediately scan the black dot as it's Visual Dissonance.
This 10% can be eyes, ribbon, armband, etc. Usually, it's the most important item; it represents the truth of her character. If your character uses warm colors, and you want to show that your character is actually shy, mature, or maybe a genius, you can use 10% with cool colors in their accessories; usually, it's in their eyes.
What is the focal point of your character? That's the 10%.
A strong example is
Rei Ayanami. Her striking eyes are basically screaming, I want to know you, I want to share with you, and etc. She wants to socialise and learn about society. That's the real her.
Princess Bubblegum is like an iconic archetype character.
Yet, this character breaks the dominant color. The purpose is to tell that she is a ruler. With a golden crown on her head, is breaking the color of the pink. Immediately, our eyes look at the crown and now her background.
Unique example
Nanami Kento.
In the case of his character, it's not about color. But about the 10%, his ties are basically showing the inner depth of his character. In the boring of his professional barrier, he has a very distinct, unique sense of himself.
Color is a device to show your character, personality, background, and traits. It's a device that shows, not tells.
Avoid this.
"My character loves this specific color, so I use that color for everything."
If you use this, my teacher will immediately jump and body you. My teacher knows this and uses it as a tease: "Why do you use this color? Don't tell me your character loves this color." Because she heard a lot of this reason. It's a weak reason.
If you can’t explain why a color is there without using the word "like," the design likely lacks a foundation.
If a character wears a bright red ribbon in a sea of cool blue dresses, is it because they "like" red? Or is it a memento of a lost sibling? Or a symbol of a rebellion they are secretly part of?
If you want to show your character loves a specific color, just look around you. Are people wearing everything in one color because they love that color?
Love and obsession are different words.
If you use one color only, it means your character is being so obsessive. If your character is actually a psychopath or so obsessed, it's great. Yet if you are creating a dynamic character, a 3-dimensional character, not just 2-dimensional or 1-dimensional, you need to balance it.
Goth girls are obsessed with the color black. Is your character really obsessed with the level of this goth girl? Even some goth girls balance it with red or purple.
I love the color orange. To love the color orange means there is a backstory for why I love the color orange
A meaning in the color is a focal point; there is no way the focal point is 70%+
"Color is a tool, not preference."
You need to balance it.
You can go 90/10 ratio or...
With another rule or theory, 60-30-10 Rule.
60-30-10 Rule is basically like a 90/10 ratio. However, it has a breaking or distant color, so the 30% to balance it.
60% for primary color.
30% for supporting it.
10% for the focal point.
It's a general rule in the design world. Not just in character design. It is used with logo design, composition frame, layout, interior design, etc.
If you bleach your character with just one color, the character becomes a caricature rather than a person.
Lastly, but for the next step further, if you want.
It's a value.
Color has different value each other. To test this, change your character to greyscale.
If your character is having the same shade, it means your character shares the same value.
A great character design should work in black and white first. If you strip the color away, the value appears.
Value is like warm and cool colors.
Warm colors tend to sit in higher values, and cool colors tend to sit lower, but value must always be checked in grayscale.
High Value is usually associated with character, loud and annoying, almost the same as warm colors.
Low Value is usually associated with character, silent and calm, almost the same as cool colors.
However, value adds depth. As you can see above, the colors red and yellow have different value each other. There is a hotkey for Windows OS to change your screen to greyscale. Every presentation, my teacher always toggles this to see this value even without seeing the color first.
If the values are on the same level, it means the design is unreadable, muddy, or flat.
If you have a character with a brilliant red and green complementary scheme, but both the red and the green have the same value, they will vibrate against each other and turn into a grey blob.
So with just color, the personality of characters can be changed.
Don't make you the only one who knows your drawing character; make everyone know the character of your drawing.
You can draft the color first.
What is the color for my character that shows her? Let's start with red. After that, you research the hierarchy of color red, the references of the examples, and the characters using red.
A failed character design is when the artist tries to explain the personality with exposition.
When an artist relies on exposition, it usually means the visual language has failed to do its job.
