"The line art was good, but as soon as I add color, it suddenly looks like a beginner's work."
"I know the colors don't match. But I don't know how to fix them."
"The more I color, the more the original quality disappears."
"Coloring" is something that troubles many artists in this way.
Many people probably feel that while their line art seems to be getting better little by little as they draw, their coloring doesn't seem to improve no matter how many pieces they finish.
I myself used to be like that, thinking:
"I don't know why, but I feel like it worked out somehow!!!"
I was coloring in a state that was half-gamble, with no reproducibility, even if I felt like I had managed to color it somewhat well.
In reality, line art doesn't just get better on its own just by drawing, but because it's relatively easy to find distortions or awkwardness in shapes, as you practice, it's easier to find "what to fix," such as:
- Facial balance
- Poses
- Body tilt
- Clothing folds
- Hair flow
It becomes clear where you feel the awkwardness, so as you draw repeatedly, you can course-correct by thinking, "This is my weakness" or "I'll do it this way next time."
On the other hand, with coloring, the cause of the awkwardness is quite hard to see.
Even if you feel:
"The color is weird"
"It looks muddy"
"It doesn't look like it's glowing"
The cause isn't necessarily just one thing.
While a deviation in line art is easy to find by location ("this part is weird"), color deviations are often caused by multiple overlapping elements.
That's why with coloring, even though you know yourself that it "doesn't match," it's hard to see where to fix it to make it better.
And the cause of that invisibility is a common misunderstanding about coloring.
If you continue coloring without knowing this, the colors will look muddy, and it will be difficult to create an impression of light.
In this article, I will introduce three points that people who are bad at coloring tend to trip over.
1. Thinking Color Selection is Determined by "Sense" (Talent)
A phrase often said by people who are bad at coloring:
"I don't have a sense for color."
This.
Many people have probably said it.
Certainly, people who are good at using color place colors freely, one after another, and it certainly looks like they are harmonizing pleasantly.
So we end up thinking, "I guess it really is just sense..."
But in reality, they aren't just placing colors they like; they are often making judgments while looking at various things.
Is that color bright or dark?
Is it vivid or dull?
Is it a place where light hits, or is it in the shadows?
Compared to the surrounding colors, is it strong or weak?
After looking at such things, they choose, thinking, "Maybe a color around this level."
In other words, color selection is not determined by sense alone.
Rather, the difference lies in what they are looking at and in what order they are making judgments.
People who think they are bad at color might not lack a sense for color, but rather they just haven't yet organized "what to look at when choosing colors."
