Adding to a Colour Scheme

T-DES-003-018

When you feel you have enough to start, pick a colour scheme that feels appropriate for your project and start building your palette with that. Let’s use the living room background (below) as an example.

For an everyday life scene, we want it to be welcoming and warm. Nothing too dramatic. You could use a triad includes two warm colours and one cooler colour (see below).

That’s a fun set! It’s nice and warm and the blue mixes well with the orange.

Once you have those down, go back to your mood or intention and ask yourself what colours fit that description. Start by trying a few colours that are analogous to one of the starter colours and see how that goes.

The beige and brown (below) are two analogous colours of the orange. This keeps the palette warm.

Remember also to pick colours that are light or dark in value. Our first picks are often colours high in chroma, but you have to give yourself the chance to have at least one colour that is the lightest option and one that is the darkest option. It will allow you to have contrast in your piece.

We also like this twist on colour palette building: have fun with proportions. A great way to use colour is to use each one in different quantities. Maybe your scene is almost all blue and purple, but there is this small window filled with yellow light. An illustration like this might have a palette that looks like this:

Can you feel the purple taking over the scene with proportions like this?

By using swatches of different length, you will have a whole new look at your colour palette. Don’t hesitate to play with the proportions to see what the same colours can do for you! Here is how we imagine our warm living room colours with proportions now:

It's the same palette but it gives a different vibe doesn’t it?

Quiz

You must be logged in to take the Quiz

Time Estimated 15 mins

Difficulty Level Beginner

Download Material

How to Install

Topics List

Support

Help and FAQ
Contact us