1. Pick a main color - everything in main color is doable - 100% 2. Severely limit opposite or complimentary color - Basically make them more desaturated colors - 25% color is doable 3. When picking a color in between the complimentary and the main color, you can only use 50% 4. When picking the color that is in between the color that is in between the main and the complementary color, you can use 75% 5. Basically the closer you are to the main color, the more saturated your colors are allowed to be, and the closer you are to the opposite color the more desaturated. 6. Anything white by nature is cool. 7. Shadows by nature are warmer 8. Take the opposite color to liven up the shadows
Or ya know you could just watch the video on 2x speed and actually grasp the concepts... anyone who thinks they can really understand all the "important points" of a forty-minute lecture by reading a list for 30s is delusional.
Picking colors is my worst skill in drawing. This was VERY helpful and encouraging. Thanks. The main lesson that I took away from this was that no color stands alone. You don't pick the right color. You pick the right colorS (plural). They create the effect together.
I just graduated from art school in June, and I have to say, it was not the experience I'd expected - I left without the grades I wanted (or felt I deserved) and with a generally disappointed attitude towards what I'd experienced and 'learned' - I know it's not like this everywhere, but I feel most schools and university's really aren't good at teaching in a helpful or productive (or enjoyable way). After a few months of feeling incredibly depressed about my art, I've started to pick up drawing again - and started watching tutorials like this one - and it's amazing how much you manage to convey and teach effectively. I feel like I've learned more in the past week than four years at Uni, and I'm starting to love drawing again :) So thank you very much for all of your videos! Even three years after they've been posted, they're still helping artists enjoy what they do!
Exactly the same here. I hold a bachelors degree in Fine Arts and I am learning much more in YOutube than at School. I am glad you are motivated again!
the irony of art schools is that they teach avant garde techniques that back in their time artists rebelled against academy theory (sorry my bad english I hope someone understand me ) I hated my art school im now learning on internet, the modern era is a good time to be alive!
so, before i changed my major, i took 3 years of graphic design. while i won't fault my professors (honestly, i really liked them and had a good time before i had a mental breakdown 75% into my major), i feel like i've learned SO MUCH MORE in even just 8 minutes. the way you break the colors down is ingenious and extremely clear, and whenever i watch your tutorials, i actually feel confident in my art, and i feel like i'm really improving !!
+Brandon Lam i really enjoyed graphic design for the most part! it only requires an associate's degree, which you can get at a community college (instead of 4 years of expensive art school). it can get to be a handful, though, because many of the classes are usually studio classes (3 hours once a week) and it's recommended that you sign up for adobe cc. i changed to a liberal arts and sciences, but i've taken a certificate course as a veterinary assistant (there aren't many vet tech programs in my area, sadly, but i'm currently working at an animal education center).
Heh, whatever school you took mustve been stressful! D: The art college I will attend is almost close to free, and you just need to pass highschool (as qualification)
Indeed, this comment is unusually well worded and positive. Showing my support for both this great channel and the general polite mannerism of this comment, I liked this comment.
Winner of a video, I've been looking for "choosing room colors" for a while now, and I think this has helped. Have you heard people talk about - Carterzen Paintify Formula - (do a search on google ) ? Ive heard some decent things about it and my neighbour got cool success with it.
From a photographer's perspective, it seems like the principle behind this is that the "main color" is the color of the light in the scene. Or like if you had a colored filter over the lense. This is great info though, I've never see a systematic approach to color like this. Thank you very much!
I was struggling and felt depressed that I couldn't mix colours in Photoshop properly. Thanks to your tutorial that now I can work with colours and experiment!
+Viktor Wallin I go in to art school and I asked how colors work to my professor and she just told me about the complementary colors and stuff and i still had no idea what's the right one to use and the wrong one-
I went to Vasa in Sweden. its a good school and i did learn a lot, dont get me wrong, but most of the stuff i learned were for artsy fartsy stuff, not actually drawing and making those drawings look good.
That teardrop color wheel is brilliant. It makes the greatest amount of sense to me. Seeing you work with that and how it subtracts the portion of color relative to its compliment made it all so much more clear.
You deserve a medal for this :) I'm familiar with color wheels, schemes and stuff but over saturated colors are always a problem when you just go around the wheel picking what you like. I've never seen it explained so well and easy to understand. Thanks alot!
sir, i have been drawing for years and color has always been something that has given me trouble. i just couldn't figure out how to get it right... until i saw your video. this is more than 10 years old, but it is pure gold. i thank you with all my soul for making this video. THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU!!!
This has taught me more about how colours work together than my college colour theory class has all semester. My mind is blooownnn. I cant wait to use all these tips and tricks!
I'm so amazed I might cry, I finally understand! in the last weeks I have been struggling trying to coordinate the colors of this drawing I'm making and now everything makes sense, I'm so happy! thank you so so so much!
So when you say "Pick your main color" are you referring to the light source color? If that is the case, could you do a video with perhaps two different color spot light sources and apply them to a scene/character to illustrate how that would interact?
good point here. I dont know if Sycra made one already, but if he hasnt and you still have that doubt, a good way to study that is doing a experiment with 2 lamps of diferent colors and seeing how their lights affect the colors of an object
right now i am only at 5:27 but i've already learned more practical info about picking colors than i have ever anywhere else and i was getting REALLY tired of my digital stuff looking truly off beside my traditional sketches etc, thank you so. SO. MUCH.
I just spent two hours looking at different tutorials and guides online, completely unsatisfied by most of them. You're a wizard, Sycra. That's the only explanation.
This tutorial was like an epiphany for me. I have never understood colours... until now (ok ok still a long way to go but damn! It all makes sense now!). I can't wait to test this and see how well I do! I can finally unerstand why some of my coloured work up till now has been so AWFUL... thank you!!!!
Can't believe me It took me so many years to finally find a tutorial that REALLY explained how to understand and use the color wheel to start a working palette from scratch. True, colors in real life may not conform exactly to these rules, but as a starting point... it does deliver and then some. This is survival knowledge for life (an artist's life, at least). Thanks for sharing.
I've seen thousand of tutorials about color, but this one is the ONLY one that helped me. Thank you very much. Please keep creating your great tutorials.
This entire video is extremely insightful, but I have to say, my favorite trick is the black layer used for checking value. THANK YOU! That is brilliant. I will never not use that from here on out!
I'm always struggling with colors in PS and Paint Tool Sai, so thank you a lot for this! No more need to find a picture with the targeted colors in mind!
Man this was so easy to understand, unlike all the other videos about how colors should be put together and a lot of rambling. Here you used practical examples and used percentages, I understand percentages! Thank you.
I've always tried to explain this in terms of colored light, and how that affects all the other colors in the scene (like red light making a green hat look almost dark grey), but I think this is a much better explanation of how to actually choose the right colors. I love the "teardrop-on-the-0sat-center-wheel", and the "progressively-more-desaturated-colors-approaching-the-complimentary". Super concise and helpful. Thanks for posting this.
white isn't cool or warm. it is neutral. it can go either way. grey can go either way too. cool or warm all depends on what colors are around. some colors are traditionally cool, but a violet will look warm when it is next to ultramarine and cool when next to a carmine! context matters.
@@astroliqht2773 Wowwwww you surely aren't ready for any artistic topics of this league at all. There's no such a thing like a color being whatever "by itself" to be warm or cool or anything would require a shift in hue saturation or value. that results in a different 'color'. and that ain't no such thing like "by itself" bullshit. it's as if you're saying a red turned into green in a literal sense is still red. and I think you meant to say cooler/warmer not literally cool or warm. I also have some fun facts for you, a cool violet can be something known as a "purple". and warmer is known as a "magenta". lesson over ...now you should leave, and try not to post anymore dumb pretentious shit attempting to get into r/imverysmart next time.
I've read and watched a huge amount of colour theory tutorials and guides and I must say that this one is the most intuitial and best to put into practice.
I knew there was a math behind colors as well. Thanks for this! Exactly what i was looking for. And really most art school teachers dont know how to teach these concepts.
I've wanted to be an artist for years but I've not been able to afford art classes at college. I found your channel recently and I want to thank you immensely for teaching all of this for free- I'm starting to feel more confident in my art and I want to thank you so much for all of your videos!!!
oh my God why am I just finding this video of yours right now? This is such a lifesaver. I've been struggling to understand how to make colors work together. I've watched a lot of tutorials that keeps giving me the color schemes (monochromatic, complementary, etc) but I never figured how to use them in a way that I could be free to choose several colors and not make certain shades clash with each other. Thank you very much for giving us this awesome tutorial with a very detailed example/application. Never have I agreed to anyone or any tutorials that are telling me the basic color schemes would work until I watched this. Thank you again and probably I need to look more into your videos~
This is the perfect tutorial for me. For some years I've been struggle with the colors, they didn't look real or natural for me every time I painted something. Now I know how to fix this "no harmony" problem. Thanks a lot, dude :D
mindblown. I had absolutely no idea of how colours work together. I would always paint with like 95-100% saturation LOL Thanks for saving my future paintings
Dear sweet lord thank you, i've been trying for a while now to get my colors to work with each other and no matter how many videos i picked up i just wasn't getting it until you explained the percentage thing. These other commenters are right dude, you are by far one of the easiest tutors to grasp, looking forward to binging your other videos.
Well man whatever, as you probably understood already i'm not native no english and its really hard to me to notice sarcastic or ironic vibes sometimes.
I start study digital painting now, 6 years afrer you're video is launch and this is the best video posted since, again, after 6 years! I'm from Brazil and I glad to find your channel, thank you só much!
Thanks so much for making this tutorial! When it came to digital coloring, it was hard to pick colors, because the color options were just mind boggling, so many to choose from. Here you've explained how to pick them with relation to other colors, and the amount of a color to use. Other tutorials never explain it that well. Here, you've done a magnificent job. I've practiced a bit with what I watched here and already, I'm feeling more confident when it comes to coloring digital again. I can take a break from coloring a pic and come back and still be satisfied with the colors I've chosen. This tutorial has helped me a lot!
i am trying to teach myself digital painting.. never stepped foot in a class.. i don't own any art books. not even a color palette, or wheel .. yeah i know i need those.. i never learned how to read those tools. i feel like an idiot saying that. but in saying that, i am kind of lost with this video. i am all for learning how though.. any advice ?
In what way would you need help then? I'm also just starting to learn digital painting. Oftentimes, the problem would probably be knowing how to use the tools in the software. Is that the kind of trouble you're in?
Joey Dy i would have to say yes.. i been learning slowly about some of the tools , but when it comes to color theory and use, i am lost. so i am going back to formula by starting from scratch. trying to get into the frame of mind of someone that has no idea about a damn thing, and doing it all step by step. anatomy , pencils, inks , and so forth. any good books out there ?
Apparently, there 'are' a lot good books out there. Whichever bookstore you enter should have some helpful ones. Although you don't really need to rely on them. A lot of experienced artists on UA-cam are willing to give starters like you and I a helping hand. There are tons of them here. But if you've already bought and read them, then watching video tutorials made by talented people will add indefinitely to what you already know.
i cant afford art books. so far i been going to youtube for my info.. and trying to watch the videos in order, giving myself at least 5-7 days of training on what the vid was teaching before going to the next video in the series. i dont expect to get better over night, and as long as i keep that in mind, i will do just fine.
Matt B i think it is also has alot to do with confidence. which is something i lack . but i need to get over. i been doing my best to draw faces today. and some gesture poses. still trying to learn to see. before i can even move to drawing from imagination , i will need to have the basics down first. at this rate, i wont be getting to that childrens book illustrating till the middle of next year . this is the year i hone my skills. my slow slow honing of my sorry ass skills..
Wow, Ive been on a bit of a color kick recently, trying find whatever I could to start thinking about color in a way that made more sense. Haven't had much luck, then this shows up in my subscription box. This was exactly what I needed I think.
Great tutorial. I love the way you do first an abstraction of the color palette, explain the use of the colors as they are relationed, and then do a practical demonstration.
I think you are one of the most sane artists i have seen on the internet. I mean most other guys I have met and seen are so off their meds its impossible to lern anything from them xD You make me like being an artist again thanks, keep it up :)
You're an amazing teacher with such a humble way of approaching things. Thank you so much for this tutorial, I know next to nothing about picking the right colors properly and this helped a lot. Thank you thank you
I finally got around to trying this out and it works really well. It makes sense by watching the video but you don't fully understand until you successfully do it yourself. Thanks, Sycra.
There is something striking about you, you do have a mind blowing incredible talent, and I have a lot of respect for the work you put in for honing your skill. But you are drawing some of the most boring shit that I've seen, at least by looking at your home page, even your S logo looks like some autogenerated shit from the 90's. A lot of beginners are trying to implement some crazy or original idea way beyond their skills but I feel with you it's the other way around. Maybe you should (listen to this random stranger on the internet and) get out and look for some drawing ideas that would be on par with your excellent skills. Just trying to be constructive here. Cheers man.
I think as you get better at art, a lot of the technicality of the subject clogs your mind and gets in the way of originality and creativity. If you study something like entertainment design, they will teach you a lot of techniques (like thumbnail sketching) so you can communicate your really cool ideas while maintaining the technique. Also some people are just less creative than others.
I love the internet where everyone is certain their opinion counts, people with no talent can say that the work of those with talent is boring, people with faces like an ogre's asshole can comment on beauty. The truth is that not everyone's opinion is relevant or should carry weight, some people are better than others and some peoples opinions have value while others don't. I include myself in that statement, most of us just don't fucking matter in any way, especially not our opinions.
AfterYouLose And how the heck did you already quantify my experience as null? Since I was little I was obsessed with computer graphics, I spent almost 10 years with 3D and quite some time with 2D. I have nowhere near the talent and experience of Sycra, I'm quite shit probably, but I'm up to my ears every day in this subject and with risk of being an asshole I'll sustain that I am a little bit qualified to have an opinion. I may have just gotten jaded actually :) Btw pop in to drawcrowd.com (Feng Zhu's new site) when you want to drop down on your knees, you'll see what I mean.
I agree on most points, but that's what makes Sycra a fantastic teacher... He seems to use logic more than emotion, which is awesome because it's a different perspective for the stereotypical, over-the-top feeling artist. His creativity might suffer for that, but his teaching and technical skills remain superb. He's what most artists need.
Hey (don't mind the awesome account name x"D) On flipagram... Its all I have... But , I wanted someone who had been drawing to see if I can go anywhere with my drawings... I'm only 12 and have taught myself to draw, Ive seen a few of your videos and their AMAZING! Wish I ha founf them sooner... Ive seen 9... c:
1st off, not all 12 year olds draw the same, I found that a bit insulting X"D but I'm going to stop watching videos. Hes awesome, but I want to find this out on my own ^-^
Your so polite :P Did Da Vince watch videos to speed up his learning process? You don't need videos, you need patience with yourself. That's what I'm working on. You can have your opinion and I'll have mine ^-^
Alrighty ^-^ taking the hard way because... It isn't that hard actualy x"D It makes me want to see what else I can do (: Good luck with your drawing as well~!
Oh this helps. This helps greatly. You have given me in 40 minutes what I wish I got out of weeks of color theory class. I wish I could like this more, and thank you.
Thanks Sycra! Very useful, perceived colors are notoriously hard to handle. I find that shadows tint hast to do with environment/reflected lighting. So outside it tends to be colder (blue sky) unless it's sunset or sunrise (more red in the sky) or there is strong reflected lighting (off the wall on sunny day). Inside artificial lighting tends to be warmer (more orange from light bulbs/candles) and all diffused light fills the shadows.
this is so helpful! You explain things that I've had tendencies towards but did didn't understand why, kind of like stabbing in the dark- hitting the mark sometimes but often missing - so true how colours that appear grey can read as blue, red or yellow depending on the colours they are surrounded by! I'm using watercolours and there's such a tendency to have loud shouty colours because when they are toned they often appear grey before they hit the paper. My favourite works are those that don't shout at my eyes but have lots of soft neutral variations 😸
This one of the first color theory videos that have helped me in practical ways that I can apply instantly. Most videos seem to be really vague. Thk you so much for this!
I have subscribed, this is what I was looking for. I've always been afraid of colors because I didn't know how to combine them or make them look good on my drawings, now I think It will be easier for me with this technique. Thank you very much Sycra, my motivation has been restored.
I've been drawing, sketching, painting and experimented my whole life.. I've sort of learnt to find ok colours, but this... this is perfect. It makes sooooo much sense... I'm definetly going to use this thought or concept when teaching (I'm currently studying to teach art/drawing in schools). Easy to explain and making sense... Thank you!
This is awesome! James Gurney's color gamut stuff is amazing but you really simplify it and explain how to use it digitally. One thing James didn't make clear was that you can use any value range for any color within the gamut. and the gamut limit only the color chroma. Great video!
The was the most educational and helpful thing I've ever come across pertaining to coloring. I've always struggled because I'm somewhat colorblind, but I finally have confidence in using colors after watching this video.
1. Pick a main color
- everything in main color is doable
- 100%
2. Severely limit opposite or complimentary color
- Basically make them more desaturated colors
- 25% color is doable
3. When picking a color in between the complimentary and the main color, you can only use 50%
4. When picking the color that is in between the color that is in between the main and the complementary color, you can use 75%
5. Basically the closer you are to the main color, the more saturated your colors are allowed to be, and the closer you are to the opposite color the more desaturated.
6. Anything white by nature is cool.
7. Shadows by nature are warmer
8. Take the opposite color to liven up the shadows
Or ya know you could just watch the video on 2x speed and actually grasp the concepts... anyone who thinks they can really understand all the "important points" of a forty-minute lecture by reading a list for 30s is delusional.
That was incredible helpful, thank you!!
@@thecookiehero4338 you are supose to read this after the video
@@thecookiehero4338 i think it's more like bullet notes? like if u forget something after watching u can b reminded here?
@@thecookiehero4338 someone can chill
Picking colors is my worst skill in drawing. This was VERY helpful and encouraging. Thanks.
The main lesson that I took away from this was that no color stands alone. You don't pick the right color. You pick the right colorS (plural). They create the effect together.
now I know why when I do skin tones and if I do just 2 colors it looks flat (to me), going to try add some more colors in there and see what happens!
So basically I don’t use enough colors...? I GET IT NOW
TIME TO DRAW
Tru !!!
I just graduated from art school in June, and I have to say, it was not the experience I'd expected - I left without the grades I wanted (or felt I deserved) and with a generally disappointed attitude towards what I'd experienced and 'learned' - I know it's not like this everywhere, but I feel most schools and university's really aren't good at teaching in a helpful or productive (or enjoyable way). After a few months of feeling incredibly depressed about my art, I've started to pick up drawing again - and started watching tutorials like this one - and it's amazing how much you manage to convey and teach effectively. I feel like I've learned more in the past week than four years at Uni, and I'm starting to love drawing again :) So thank you very much for all of your videos! Even three years after they've been posted, they're still helping artists enjoy what they do!
Exactly the same here. I hold a bachelors degree in Fine Arts and I am learning much more in YOutube than at School. I am glad you are motivated again!
well, that certainly makes me feel better studying Biology instead of Fine Arts!
the irony of art schools is that they teach avant garde techniques that back in their time artists rebelled against academy theory (sorry my bad english I hope someone understand me ) I hated my art school im now learning on internet, the modern era is a good time to be alive!
Exactlly the same here in France.
Cheers
why did you waste so much money
Lol - "The reason why this is a triangle, is because its a triangle."
I LOLed too. 😂 But I realized that the triangle made picking the colors within the main color's range more intuitive.
The reason the doable area is a triangle is because the value area is also a triangle
What kind of reason is that 😂😂
Literally glanced down to read this right as he said it😂
so, before i changed my major, i took 3 years of graphic design. while i won't fault my professors (honestly, i really liked them and had a good time before i had a mental breakdown 75% into my major), i feel like i've learned SO MUCH MORE in even just 8 minutes. the way you break the colors down is ingenious and extremely clear, and whenever i watch your tutorials, i actually feel confident in my art, and i feel like i'm really improving !!
How was graphic design? I'm looking into that atm as an upcoming college freshmen. And what did you end up changing your major to?
+Brandon Lam i really enjoyed graphic design for the most part! it only requires an associate's degree, which you can get at a community college (instead of 4 years of expensive art school). it can get to be a handful, though, because many of the classes are usually studio classes (3 hours once a week) and it's recommended that you sign up for adobe cc.
i changed to a liberal arts and sciences, but i've taken a certificate course as a veterinary assistant (there aren't many vet tech programs in my area, sadly, but i'm currently working at an animal education center).
Oh okay, thanks!
I'll consider what you said :)
***** you're very welcome!! good luck in your search!!
Heh, whatever school you took mustve been stressful! D: The art college I will attend is almost close to free, and you just need to pass highschool (as qualification)
You are faaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaar the best tutor in the internet, and the most underrated! This deserves billions of views
borodante
He is very good. I also strongly recommend Ahamed Aldoori and Synix Designs. They are excellent teachers I stumbled upon
>far from the best
>most underrated
small bit contradictory, those two statements
i think by "far the best" he meant "by far the best"
proko
You articulate things so well with both your words and images. Your channel is an awesome education experience.
Indeed, this comment is unusually well worded and positive. Showing my support for both this great channel and the general polite mannerism of this comment, I liked this comment.
Winner of a video, I've been looking for "choosing room colors" for a while now, and I think this has helped. Have you heard people talk about - Carterzen Paintify Formula - (do a search on google ) ? Ive heard some decent things about it and my neighbour got cool success with it.
From a photographer's perspective, it seems like the principle behind this is that the "main color" is the color of the light in the scene. Or like if you had a colored filter over the lense.
This is great info though, I've never see a systematic approach to color like this. Thank you very much!
you're right
I was struggling and felt depressed that I couldn't mix colours in Photoshop properly. Thanks to your tutorial that now I can work with colours and experiment!
You are an art school on youtube bless you for making these videos
If I ever write an autobiography, I'll make sure to include the name 'Sycra' in the credit as one of my most influential coloring teacher
on me and my momma
Best colour tutorial I've seen. Great work.
+Roderick Gladwish The tutorials on his channel are such an awesome resource. I've learned a lot.
... WHY DID i NOT LEARN ANYTHING LIKE THIS FROM 3 YEARS IN ART SCHOOL?
God damnit...
+Viktor Wallin Thankfully we have UA-cam. A lot cheaper than art school, but arguably more valuable!
+Viktor Wallin I go in to art school and I asked how colors work to my professor
and she just told me about the complementary colors and stuff and i still had no idea what's the right one to use and the wrong one-
I went to Vasa in Sweden. its a good school and i did learn a lot, dont get me wrong, but most of the stuff i learned were for artsy fartsy stuff, not actually drawing and making those drawings look good.
+Viktor Wallin Are you me? I went to a pretty decent school for art but only learned very little about the technical side of creating a piece
+Viktor Wallin
cuz school wants the money.
That teardrop color wheel is brilliant. It makes the greatest amount of sense to me. Seeing you work with that and how it subtracts the portion of color relative to its compliment made it all so much more clear.
You deserve a medal for this :) I'm familiar with color wheels, schemes and stuff but over saturated colors are always a problem when you just go around the wheel picking what you like. I've never seen it explained so well and easy to understand. Thanks alot!
sir, i have been drawing for years and color has always been something that has given me trouble. i just couldn't figure out how to get it right... until i saw your video.
this is more than 10 years old, but it is pure gold. i thank you with all my soul for making this video. THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU!!!
This has taught me more about how colours work together than my college colour theory class has all semester. My mind is blooownnn. I cant wait to use all these tips and tricks!
I'm so amazed I might cry, I finally understand! in the last weeks I have been struggling trying to coordinate the colors of this drawing I'm making and now everything makes sense, I'm so happy! thank you so so so much!
Your technique is so different than anything I'd ever learned before and so effective. Genius. Thanks so much!!
7 years ago and you are still helping me. Thank you Sycra!
So when you say "Pick your main color" are you referring to the light source color? If that is the case, could you do a video with perhaps two different color spot light sources and apply them to a scene/character to illustrate how that would interact?
good point here.
I dont know if Sycra made one already, but if he hasnt and you still have that doubt, a good way to study that is doing a experiment with 2 lamps of diferent colors and seeing how their lights affect the colors of an object
4 years of art school, thousands of dollars and no one was able to explain colour like you did in a 40 min video. Thanks
Wow. This is very good! I had no idea what I was doing with color until now. Everything seems so clear now, what a great teacher you are!
right now i am only at 5:27 but i've already learned more practical info about picking colors than i have ever anywhere else and i was getting REALLY tired of my digital stuff looking truly off beside my traditional sketches etc, thank you so. SO. MUCH.
wow, this is an incredible tutorial, definitely one of my ever favorite, thank you for sharing
I just spent two hours looking at different tutorials and guides online, completely unsatisfied by most of them. You're a wizard, Sycra. That's the only explanation.
This tutorial was like an epiphany for me. I have never understood colours... until now (ok ok still a long way to go but damn! It all makes sense now!). I can't wait to test this and see how well I do! I can finally unerstand why some of my coloured work up till now has been so AWFUL... thank you!!!!
Can't believe me It took me so many years to finally find a tutorial that REALLY explained how to understand and use the color wheel to start a working palette from scratch. True, colors in real life may not conform exactly to these rules, but as a starting point... it does deliver and then some. This is survival knowledge for life (an artist's life, at least). Thanks for sharing.
23:38 wtf the snake ahah
+Catherine Verret (Why Lion) You saw nothing. Move along.
I saw it too xd
I just spit out my tea xD
I've seen thousand of tutorials about color, but this one is the ONLY one that helped me. Thank you very much. Please keep creating your great tutorials.
This is one of the most helpful art related tutorials I've ever seen. Thanks a lot! :D
This entire video is extremely insightful, but I have to say, my favorite trick is the black layer used for checking value. THANK YOU! That is brilliant. I will never not use that from here on out!
I'm always struggling with colors in PS and Paint Tool Sai, so thank you a lot for this! No more need to find a picture with the targeted colors in mind!
That black layer value test thing is gold. Well needed tip! Thanks
did anyone else see the snake in the bottom left hand corner at around 22 minutes in?
haha yes! 23:40 to be exact :p
top snek.
I'm glad I wasn't the only one XD
yep???
i did see it, but i don't get the joke.
Man this was so easy to understand, unlike all the other videos about how colors should be put together and a lot of rambling. Here you used practical examples and used percentages, I understand percentages! Thank you.
Can't tell you how happy I am to have found this video. Thanks man !
I've always tried to explain this in terms of colored light, and how that affects all the other colors in the scene (like red light making a green hat look almost dark grey), but I think this is a much better explanation of how to actually choose the right colors. I love the "teardrop-on-the-0sat-center-wheel", and the "progressively-more-desaturated-colors-approaching-the-complimentary". Super concise and helpful. Thanks for posting this.
The best lesson about colors I´ve ever seen. Thank you, man
As a teacher I find this channel so valuable as a resource for myself and my students. Thank you.
white isn't cool or warm. it is neutral. it can go either way. grey can go either way too. cool or warm all depends on what colors are around. some colors are traditionally cool, but a violet will look warm when it is next to ultramarine and cool when next to a carmine! context matters.
Help us. Create a video
White is a cool color
all he said was white in itself is cool. no shit that context matters, it happens with every color. everyone knows. jeez
well, violet can also be cool/warm by itself. if you add a lot of red to it, then it'll be warm. if you add a lot of blue to it, then it'll be cool.
@@astroliqht2773 Wowwwww you surely aren't ready for any artistic topics of this league at all.
There's no such a thing like a color being whatever "by itself" to be warm or cool or anything would require a shift in hue saturation or value. that results in a different 'color'. and that ain't no such thing like "by itself" bullshit. it's as if you're saying a red turned into green in a literal sense is still red. and I think you meant to say cooler/warmer not literally cool or warm.
I also have some fun facts for you, a cool violet can be something known as a "purple". and warmer is known as a "magenta". lesson over ...now you should leave, and try not to post anymore dumb pretentious shit attempting to get into r/imverysmart next time.
I've read and watched a huge amount of colour theory tutorials and guides and I must say that this one is the most intuitial and best to put into practice.
I knew there was a math behind colors as well. Thanks for this! Exactly what i was looking for. And really most art school teachers dont know how to teach these concepts.
I've wanted to be an artist for years but I've not been able to afford art classes at college. I found your channel recently and I want to thank you immensely for teaching all of this for free- I'm starting to feel more confident in my art and I want to thank you so much for all of your videos!!!
Did Sycra inadvertently create Satsuki? 0__0
LMAO i thought the same
I totally watched this video for Satsuki and stayed for the brilliant color lesson =).
I think he did.
Oh dame
oh my God why am I just finding this video of yours right now? This is such a lifesaver. I've been struggling to understand how to make colors work together. I've watched a lot of tutorials that keeps giving me the color schemes (monochromatic, complementary, etc) but I never figured how to use them in a way that I could be free to choose several colors and not make certain shades clash with each other.
Thank you very much for giving us this awesome tutorial with a very detailed example/application. Never have I agreed to anyone or any tutorials that are telling me the basic color schemes would work until I watched this. Thank you again and probably I need to look more into your videos~
Thank you very much for all your tutorials, they are excellent :)
+ErikM I know! It's like a free art education right here on youtube :)
thats exactly what it is!
This is the perfect tutorial for me. For some years I've been struggle with the colors, they didn't look real or natural for me every time I painted something. Now I know how to fix this "no harmony" problem. Thanks a lot, dude :D
17:45
"What you're sorta doing is killing everything."
I laughed so hard
mindblown. I had absolutely no idea of how colours work together.
I would always paint with like 95-100% saturation LOL
Thanks for saving my future paintings
dude you're the best thing that happened to me this year (no homo) and the year is almost ending so a ton of stuff happened already
Dear sweet lord thank you, i've been trying for a while now to get my colors to work with each other and no matter how many videos i picked up i just wasn't getting it until you explained the percentage thing. These other commenters are right dude, you are by far one of the easiest tutors to grasp, looking forward to binging your other videos.
"Anything white by nature is cool"
- Sycra
Seriously though, these videos have been very helpful.
You realize he means "cool" that is "cold", right?
Steir12
You realize it was a joke, right? I mean he said in the video that he didn't mean it that way.
Well man whatever, as you probably understood already i'm not native no english and its really hard to me to notice sarcastic or ironic vibes sometimes.
I start study digital painting now, 6 years afrer you're video is launch and this is the best video posted since, again, after 6 years!
I'm from Brazil and I glad to find your channel, thank you só much!
omg :DD did anyone saw that snake 23:39 ? anyone or just me? ..okay
Haha! Saw it!
Thanks so much for making this tutorial! When it came to digital coloring, it was hard to pick colors, because the color options were just mind boggling, so many to choose from. Here you've explained how to pick them with relation to other colors, and the amount of a color to use. Other tutorials never explain it that well. Here, you've done a magnificent job. I've practiced a bit with what I watched here and already, I'm feeling more confident when it comes to coloring digital again. I can take a break from coloring a pic and come back and still be satisfied with the colors I've chosen. This tutorial has helped me a lot!
*is a traditional media artist only*
*cries* TTvTT
you have no idea how much this changed my life. This was the most useful art video I've ever watched. God bless!
finally get how simple coloring could be! :D
you surely just make painting a whole lot easier to understand
I have had so much trouble going from traditional painting to digital. This helps me out so much in knowing HOW to limit the colours. Thank you!!!!
i am trying to teach myself digital painting.. never stepped foot in a class.. i don't own any art books. not even a color palette, or wheel .. yeah i know i need those.. i never learned how to read those tools. i feel like an idiot saying that. but in saying that, i am kind of lost with this video. i am all for learning how though.. any advice ?
In what way would you need help then? I'm also just starting to learn digital painting. Oftentimes, the problem would probably be knowing how to use the tools in the software. Is that the kind of trouble you're in?
Joey Dy i would have to say yes.. i been learning slowly about some of the tools , but when it comes to color theory and use, i am lost. so i am going back to formula by starting from scratch. trying to get into the frame of mind of someone that has no idea about a damn thing, and doing it all step by step. anatomy , pencils, inks , and so forth. any good books out there ?
Apparently, there 'are' a lot good books out there. Whichever bookstore you enter should have some helpful ones. Although you don't really need to rely on them. A lot of experienced artists on UA-cam are willing to give starters like you and I a helping hand. There are tons of them here. But if you've already bought and read them, then watching video tutorials made by talented people will add indefinitely to what you already know.
i cant afford art books. so far i been going to youtube for my info.. and trying to watch the videos in order, giving myself at least 5-7 days of training on what the vid was teaching before going to the next video in the series. i dont expect to get better over night, and as long as i keep that in mind, i will do just fine.
Matt B i think it is also has alot to do with confidence. which is something i lack . but i need to get over. i been doing my best to draw faces today. and some gesture poses. still trying to learn to see. before i can even move to drawing from imagination , i will need to have the basics down first. at this rate, i wont be getting to that childrens book illustrating till the middle of next year . this is the year i hone my skills. my slow slow honing of my sorry ass skills..
Wow, Ive been on a bit of a color kick recently, trying find whatever I could to start thinking about color in a way that made more sense. Haven't had much luck, then this shows up in my subscription box. This was exactly what I needed I think.
How did you get the actual painters wheel?
Asking the real questions here.
Ah, doing a bit of research it's in his web page..
It's the description. Find the ressources tab and search in there for "Len White Color Wheel" :)
Joshualacruz Thank you very much :D...
You are welcome ^-^
Great tutorial. I love the way you do first an abstraction of the color palette, explain the use of the colors as they are relationed, and then do a practical demonstration.
please help, i dont know how to put the color wheel in SAI
I think you are one of the most sane artists i have seen on the internet. I mean most other guys I have met and seen are so off their meds its impossible to lern anything from them xD
You make me like being an artist again thanks, keep it up :)
SATSUKIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII!!!!!!!!!!!!
You're an amazing teacher with such a humble way of approaching things. Thank you so much for this tutorial, I know next to nothing about picking the right colors properly and this helped a lot. Thank you thank you
I SAW A SNAKE!!!!
me too at 23:39
Me too.... I was on full screen, and kinda looking in that area and suddenly it popped up.... Freaked Out..!! What was that anyway Sycra ??
chethan c I'm wondering if maybe it's a super clever/sneaky watermark. I defo didn't notice it the first time! Creepy creepy :S
Hey Sycra. This is my favorite color tutorial on the net! I use this method all the time now. Pure gold! Thank you.
WHY DID I SEE A SNAKE IN THE CORNER!?
I finally got around to trying this out and it works really well. It makes sense by watching the video but you don't fully understand until you successfully do it yourself. Thanks, Sycra.
Anyone else noticed the snake at 23:40?
scared the crap out of me, I'm watching on a big screen
hahah I'm glad I wasn't the only one who noticed it lol
yes i thought it's tiger at the first glance when it dissapeared
yeah. he says it exactly as he says white. i freaked out for a sec and checked the comments immediately after. glad to know I'm not crazy.
Quite possibly one of the greatest UA-cam video of all time.
Please tell me someone else spotted the snake?
lol I thought it was another ad popping up..
"Colors are what they are based on what colors are around them" Wow. Thank you :-) It all seems so simple now.
There is something striking about you, you do have a mind blowing incredible talent, and I have a lot of respect for the work you put in for honing your skill. But you are drawing some of the most boring shit that I've seen, at least by looking at your home page, even your S logo looks like some autogenerated shit from the 90's. A lot of beginners are trying to implement some crazy or original idea way beyond their skills but I feel with you it's the other way around. Maybe you should (listen to this random stranger on the internet and) get out and look for some drawing ideas that would be on par with your excellent skills. Just trying to be constructive here. Cheers man.
I think as you get better at art, a lot of the technicality of the subject clogs your mind and gets in the way of originality and creativity. If you study something like entertainment design, they will teach you a lot of techniques (like thumbnail sketching) so you can communicate your really cool ideas while maintaining the technique. Also some people are just less creative than others.
I love the internet where everyone is certain their opinion counts, people with no talent can say that the work of those with talent is boring, people with faces like an ogre's asshole can comment on beauty. The truth is that not everyone's opinion is relevant or should carry weight, some people are better than others and some peoples opinions have value while others don't. I include myself in that statement, most of us just don't fucking matter in any way, especially not our opinions.
AfterYouLose And how the heck did you already quantify my experience as null? Since I was little I was obsessed with computer graphics, I spent almost 10 years with 3D and quite some time with 2D. I have nowhere near the talent and experience of Sycra, I'm quite shit probably, but I'm up to my ears every day in this subject and with risk of being an asshole I'll sustain that I am a little bit qualified to have an opinion. I may have just gotten jaded actually :) Btw pop in to drawcrowd.com (Feng Zhu's new site) when you want to drop down on your knees, you'll see what I mean.
I agree on most points, but that's what makes Sycra a fantastic teacher... He seems to use logic more than emotion, which is awesome because it's a different perspective for the stereotypical, over-the-top feeling artist. His creativity might suffer for that, but his teaching and technical skills remain superb. He's what most artists need.
I feels he's getting progressively more creative though. His new stuff on DA is much more interesting. But I mostly agree.
my mind is blown.... every time i had a question, you immediately answered it in the video man
Hey (don't mind the awesome account name x"D) On flipagram... Its all I have... But , I wanted someone who had been drawing to see if I can go anywhere with my drawings... I'm only 12 and have taught myself to draw, Ive seen a few of your videos and their AMAZING! Wish I ha founf them sooner... Ive seen 9... c:
1st off, not all 12 year olds draw the same, I found that a bit insulting X"D but I'm going to stop watching videos. Hes awesome, but I want to find this out on my own ^-^
Your so polite :P Did Da Vince watch videos to speed up his learning process? You don't need videos, you need patience with yourself. That's what I'm working on. You can have your opinion and I'll have mine ^-^
Alrighty ^-^ taking the hard way because... It isn't that hard actualy x"D It makes me want to see what else I can do (: Good luck with your drawing as well~!
Oh this helps. This helps greatly. You have given me in 40 minutes what I wish I got out of weeks of color theory class. I wish I could like this more, and thank you.
*Waiting for someone to say, "It's 'colors', not colours!"*
Space-churro XD I don't think you read my comment properly, I said I was waiting for someone to say that, not saying it myself.
Space-churro
I don't get it. ~
Oh Space-churro you made me laugh.
I was implying that there wasn't a location beyond America, you goof. x3 Cause, 'Merica!
Klowd Johnson I get it. lol
Space-churro We didn't put them in, Americans took them away! Poor letters.
Genuinely one of the best tutorials I've ever seen
Thanks Sycra! Very useful, perceived colors are notoriously hard to handle.
I find that shadows tint hast to do with environment/reflected lighting. So outside it tends to be colder (blue sky) unless it's sunset or sunrise (more red in the sky) or there is strong reflected lighting (off the wall on sunny day).
Inside artificial lighting tends to be warmer (more orange from light bulbs/candles) and all diffused light fills the shadows.
For someone who has never taken a color theory class, this is like magic! Thanks so much for this video.
I've never been so engrossed into a video in my life. never did and never will regret subscribing to you.
this is so helpful! You explain things that I've had tendencies towards but did didn't understand why, kind of like stabbing in the dark- hitting the mark sometimes but often missing - so true how colours that appear grey can read as blue, red or yellow depending on the colours they are surrounded by! I'm using watercolours and there's such a tendency to have loud shouty colours because when they are toned they often appear grey before they hit the paper. My favourite works are those that don't shout at my eyes but have lots of soft neutral variations 😸
I love this guy, its like i saw a different world of art that i've never seen before. So great at explaining
By far the best colour tutorial on UA-cam. Thank you
This one of the first color theory videos that have helped me in practical ways that I can apply instantly. Most videos seem to be really vague. Thk you so much for this!
I have subscribed, this is what I was looking for. I've always been afraid of colors because I didn't know how to combine them or make them look good on my drawings, now I think It will be easier for me with this technique. Thank you very much Sycra, my motivation has been restored.
the first 7-8 minutes of this video are VITAL to know for every artist. great work on this video!
The most helpful tutorial Ive ever seen in picking colors
this is the color theory video ive been searching for since the dawn of time. it is literally so magical thank you so much for this holy crap
I've been drawing, sketching, painting and experimented my whole life.. I've sort of learnt to find ok colours, but this... this is perfect. It makes sooooo much sense... I'm definetly going to use this thought or concept when teaching (I'm currently studying to teach art/drawing in schools). Easy to explain and making sense... Thank you!
I loved your "quick'n'dirty, pretty effective, not perfect, but works pretty well, uhh, colour guide, tutorial to help you".
Why are you teaching better than a university art class? >__> What did I even learn? I learned more in this one video.
This is awesome! James Gurney's color gamut stuff is amazing but you really simplify it and explain how to use it digitally. One thing James didn't make clear was that you can use any value range for any color within the gamut. and the gamut limit only the color chroma. Great video!
The was the most educational and helpful thing I've ever come across pertaining to coloring. I've always struggled because I'm somewhat colorblind, but I finally have confidence in using colors after watching this video.
You're so good at explaining things and I love how you use a range of examples to fully illustrate the point. Thank you so much. :)
Wow! This is one of the rare color theories that is actually practical. Thx Sycra!