Tutorials

Color Selection in Graphic Design

Tutorial 3 with Matisse Template – Exercise 3

(Three color combination guide.)

Before -- After

Step 1

Open the Matisse template. You may download the template here.

Step 2

Hide all the layer groups except for “Level 1”.

Step 3

Pick a background color. This time we’ll use a stronger hue.

Step 4

Create palettes from the background color. We filled the rectangle with a range 20 palette, and the other forms with a range 40 palette.ece we’ll be going with a proportional scale of 60, 30, 15… rather than the usual 40, 20, 10… we’ve been using. There is no “correct” scale. As long as the numbers relate proportionally to each other, the purpose is served.

Step 5

Show layer group “Level 2”.

Step 6

Fill the two rectangles using the Three Color Combination method. The pink is 20 from the background, while the yellow is 40. The pink and yellow were found to be 20 from each other.

Step 7

The larger shape was filled with the same color as the background rectangle. The other two shapes were colored from a palette created from that color, at a 40 range.

Step 8

The blocks are all filled from a palette created from the yellow with a range of 40, with some black interspersed.

Step 9

Show layer group “Level 3”.

Step 10

The new blocks are filled with colors from a palette off the background rectangle color at a range of 40, with some at a range of 20, and again more black. The larger squiggle shapes are filled with a dark gray, at 40 from the background purple, and 20 from the rectangle color.

Step 11

Show layer group “Level 4”.

Step 12

The remaining blocks are filled in the same manner, while the other shapes are filled with white. Another vibrant color composition complete. The process is rapid, flexible, and lends itself to tremendous variety within a single composition template.

Next - Tutorial 4 with Matisse Template