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Colour Theory
Ok so this is Colour Theory for Beginners!!! so all of you that know about it already may as well just skip it. as a side note, if you have suggestions/comments/contributions please let me know as this is my first tutorial in 5-6 years >_<
oh and just a tip, the first 2 sections are a little wordy, if you want cheep and quick ideas skip to the section under the dotted line :yes:
Lets start at the beginning, every one knows there are three Primary colours - Red, Yellow and Blue - which (theoretically) make Black when combined together in equal proportions. By mixing the primaries in pairs we produce three further colours - Orange, Violet and Green - that we call Secondary. By varying the proportion of the mix we have gradations of reddish or yellowish oranges, bluish or reddish violets, and yellowish or bluish greens mostly called Tertiary colours. The Colour Wheel below demonstrates this.
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We call colours that are opposite each other on the wheel Complementary, so Red compliments green, just as blue compliments Orange, and Yellow compliments Violet, by mixing a small amount of the complimentary colour into a chosen colour you will darken it (as you are combining all three primaries.
Colours that are adjacent on the colour wheel are described as Harmonies - the harmonies or red are orange and violet, for example. These colours blend together naturally because they lie next to each other on the colour wheel (and so naturally share a common primary "parent" if you will so there is less "contamination" from the opposite side of the wheel). By taking sets of compliments and adding clack to one and white to the other you obtain a series of Discords. Discords are extreme contrasts - they can work very well where you want a sprite at have contrasting trim colour, say a sand coloured trim to a indigo robe for example.
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ok so now i hope you will have the basic "book Knowledge" of colour theory, but you may be asking "How the hell will that help me with creating sprites/graphics for my game/community?"
You should have noticed that the colour wheel has another set of mini wheels, these show Analogous, complementary, and Split complementary. these are the basic formulas for creating an effective "pallet" is you will for colouring your next model. they are all self explanatory on how to use so i wont go into it now. although here are some examples of them working in nature
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But lets face it, there are well over 1000000 different colours that can be used on a computer, so how do you come up with an effective colour scheme? well basic rules would be:
don't use to many discords because this will look cluttered and messy,
analogous work well but maybe only 2 or at a stretch 3 should be use on small graphic
Look around you to get scheme ideas, but remember it must blend with all your other pallets unless your looking for a strong contrast
Now this is a matter of opinion, but many RM users tend to have "dark gloomy" games, this is all well and good, but using any colour to much can end up looking a little silly, i mean if you walk down the street you don't have everything the same dull muted colour. Put some life into your next game, colour carries emotion so use it correctly.
well that's it, hope it helps some one, and please let me know how it goes for you :D
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Details
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Tutorial:
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Colour Theory |
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Date Listed:
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2008-06-08 |
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Author:
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Dark_Sun
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Total Hits:
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2355 |
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