Recoloring and Color Theory
As you probably know, recoloring is one of the simplest things you can do in pixel art...besides scribble. Therefore I won't take much time to explain the execution of a recolor and I'll take more time to explain some basic color theory and terminology. Believe me, it helps.
How Do I Recolor?
Throughout this guide, I'll be using some example images to help illustrate my points. I'll be enlarging some images to make it easier on your eyes, but make sure that when you do this, you do not enlarge it in any way. It just...overcomplicates things. I also won't be using any transparent backgrounds in my examples. I'll also assume that you know the ins and outs of whatever program it is you're using.
With this being said, let's start with something simple: Persian from HGSS. It won't be too complicated because of how few colors it has.
Since I'm assuming that you're new to this--and if you're not, feel free to skip down to the juicier stuff--you'll want to start out by figuring out what colors Persian has and making a color ramp beside your workspace for reference.
ProTip: It's also not a bad idea to make a copy of the original sprite just in case you make a mistake.
Figure out what colors you want to use and where. For this example, I'll be using a blue for the inside of the ears, a pink for the fur, and a green for the gem. I know, I know: that is NOT a good color scheme. At all. In a minute, though, you'll understand why I chose to do this.
Lighten or darken the colors in correspondance to the lighter and darker areas of the sprite.
Do this with the rest of the colors until the recolor is complete.
And look, we're done! ...But, wait. Why is there a weird pink pixel on Persian's nose? That's supposed to be blue, right? Which leads me into...
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Common Pitfalls
Oh no! We've got a bit of a problem on our hands, don't we? There are two things you can do in a situation like this; however, for the sake of this tutorial let's only go over one.
You see, the reason this happened is because the color for the inside of Persian's ear is actually different from its fur color...by a teeny, tiny bit. One of those colors from its ears are used beside its nose, hence the pink pixel there. The easiest thing to do in situations like this is just to change that pixel or group of pixels to match the rest of the surrounding colors. Look, because this also happens in the inside of the ears:
Another way to fix this problem is much more complicated: sometimes, you need to play with your colors a little bit in order to get things right. We'll go over this in a later guide.
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Color Contrast
Oh, what's this? I've never heard of that before. What's contrast?
Contrast is how vast or how small the visible difference is between colors. There are three different kinds of contrast: hue, saturation, and value. For now, we'll only go over the value.
As you can see, there are little to no problems with the contrast in my example...well, not big ones, anyway. However, let's take a look at what can go wrong.
In this example, the contrast is way too low. It's difficult to differentiate the shades unless you really squint at it. You'll want to avoid this as much as possible. However, keep in mind there is also another extreme:
Look at this! The contrast here is wayyy too high. Sure, you can distinguish the colors better than with the last one...sorta. But this is just as hideous as the last one.
The key is moderation. You may have to play with your colors a little bit until you get it just right.
Color Theory
You're about to find out why my color choice there was absolutely horrid...maybe. The thing is, there's a thing called color theory. Let's go over the basics of it.
First of all, color schemes tend to be based on how the colors used relate to each other on the color wheel. The first, and simplest one is:
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Complimentary Colors
Complimentary colors are two colors that "compliment" each other. They are opposite to each other on the color wheel. For example: red and green, blue and orange, purple and yellow.
Complimentary colors make each other stand out when put side-by-side. However, strictly using red and green together can be a bit of an eyesore, because while they have a lot of contrast
in hue, basic green and basic red have barely any contrast
in value. All of that will be explained in a later lesson. For now, just remember that complimentary colors can be used as accents to make one color pop; just don't overdo it.
Analogous Colors
Analogous colors are colors (usually 3 of them), that are side-by-side on the color wheel. Analogous color schemes are usually very aesthetically pleasing because of their similarities: it looks very harmonious. These colors seem to go together perfectly.
Examples include: red, orange, and yellow; yellow, lime green, and cyan; blue, purple, and cyan.
Triadic Colors
Triadic colors are
three colors that, when located on the color wheel, form a triangle when lines are drawn from each point. The most classic example is the three primary colors: red, yellow, and blue. Other triads include purple, green, and orange; and yellow, magenta, and blue.
Tetradic Colors
As the name may suggest, tetradic colors are
four colors that form a square when viewed on a color wheel. Tetrad color schemes can include blue, fuschia, orange, and yellow; or red, green, yellow, and blue.
Further Reading
Worqx has a great guide on basic color theory.
Paletteon is a great website that allows you to generate color schemes based on different schematas. I encourage you to toy with it a little to further understand what I've explained.
I will most likely edit this tutorial as I see fit. However, as of now I think I've got the basics down pretty well...and I don't want to unload too much, or else it will seem overwhelming. Just a little bit at a time....
For your assignment, I want you to do the following:
- Recolor a sprite (preferably from either Gen III, Gen IV, or Gen V) of a Pokemon that has no more than just one color. This will show that you understand how to recolor.
- Recolor a sprite (preferably from either Gen III, Gen IV, or Gen V) of a Pokemon that has no more than two main colors. Make sure that the colors you use are complimentary.
- Recolor a sprite (preferably from either Gen III, Gen IV, or Gen V) of a Pokemon that has no more or no less than three hues (colors). Make sure that the colors are analogous.
Send these completed sprites to me via PM, and I'll grade them accordingly! They'll be judged based on your understanding of recoloring and your understanding of basic color schemes. You may or may not have to complete a few more assignments based on how well you do. Don't fret, though! Work on this on your OWN time.
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