Give Character Designs a Fun Color Scheme

Do you ever think about how your favorite fantasy characters decide what they're going to wear when they get up in the morning? Does red make them feel more empowered? Do blue characters want the world to know just how sad they are?

This course is about figuring out the "why" of color in regards to character design. We'll begin by exploring some basic ideas on color theory, and transition into how those colors are integrated purposefully into characters from video games, movies, cartoons, comics, and any other fantasy medium you can think of. Color can be a scary, complicated thing to learn at a glance, but the idea is to make it not so complicated, so that anyone can be confident in the palettes they choose for their own made up characters.

This class requires no specific software, but I'll be doing most of my demonstrations in Adobe Photoshop CS4 and Adobe Illustrator CS4. The way colors interact is something that people have studied before these programs even existed, so you're encouraged to follow along with whatever tools you feel most comfortable with. All I ask of you is a little of your time and a willingness to make mistakes!

This class is the second in a series about the components of an art style. Be sure to check out the previous course on shape language in character design!

• Introduction
• Your Assignment
• Everything Is Relative
• The Color Map Method
• Light and Color
• Color Palettes
• Color Ensembles
• Color Expectations
• Color Swaps