I just figured out my color palettes have been way too bright for years

I was showing my friend a new piece, a cityscape I made last week, and she asked if I was trying to make it look like a cartoon. I realized I always pick the most saturated colors first, which makes everything look flat and fake. How do you start picking colors that look more real?

3 comments

3 Comments

stella2216d ago

Try looking at a photo of a real place and squinting your eyes until it gets blurry. You'll see the big blobs of color, not the tiny details. I used to paint grass as straight up green, but when you squint, it's mostly a grayish brown with a hint of green. Pick those duller, muddier colors first for the big areas, then add tiny spots of your bright colors last for things like a red traffic light or a neon sign. It tricks the eye into seeing the whole thing as more real.

terryscott15d ago

My art teacher always said to squint too, but I find it just makes me miss the sharp edges that give a scene its life.

cole_murphy15d ago

Totally agree! It's like building a base layer of those muted colors stella22 mentioned. Then you can add back the sharp lines terryscott likes for focus areas.