Color theory: how to make colors pop

Some people seem to pick the right colors without even trying. Their pages just glow.

Most of the time, the secret is a little color theory, and the basics are friendlier than they sound. One circle of colors and four simple recipes will change the way you open your pencil box.

Grab your colored pencils and a page you’d like to color. Here’s how the color wheel works, plus four schemes to try.

11. Meet the color wheel

The color wheel arranges colors in a circle, in the order they mix. Red, yellow and blue are the primary colors. Mix two of them and you get the secondary colors: orange, green and purple. Mix a primary with the secondary next to it and you get tertiary colors, like yellow-orange or blue-green.

Every color scheme in this guide is just a way of picking colors by where they sit on the wheel: opposite, side by side, or evenly spaced.

Tip: make your own wheel with the pencils you actually own. Your yellow and your blue may be warmer or cooler than the textbook ones, and that’s what counts on the page.

22. Make it pop with complementary colors

Complementary colors sit opposite each other on the wheel: red and green, orange and blue, yellow and purple. Side by side, each one makes the other look brighter. Picture an orange pumpkin under a deep blue night sky.

Two bright opposites can feel a little loud. To help them get along, use a lighter or darker shade of one of them, and keep the brightest tone for small accents.

33. Go monochromatic

A monochromatic scheme uses one color in many shades. It might sound plain, but it can create the strongest mood on the page: a snowy scene in blues, a rose in every pink you own.

The trick is range. Use the palest version of your color, the deepest and several in between, so there’s still enough contrast to keep things interesting.

• Complementary
• Monochromatic

44. Stay close with analogous colors

Analogous colors are neighbors on the wheel, like yellow, yellow-orange and orange-red. They keep the harmony of a monochromatic scheme and add a little more variety.

Autumn leaves are the classic example. Not sure how much of each color to use? Borrow the designers’ 60-30-10 rule: your main color covers about 60% of the page, the second about 30%, and the third, your accent, about 10%.

55. Have fun with a triad

A triadic scheme uses three colors evenly spaced around the wheel, like red, yellow and blue, or orange, green and purple. The result is bold and playful, perfect for party scenes or a garden in full bloom.

Like complementary colors, three bright tones can be a lot. Let one color lead, use softer shades of the other two, and save the brightest touches for small details.

• Analogous
• Triad
• 60-30-10

66. Test your palette before the page

Pick a scheme and make a little swatch of it on scrap paper: three to five squares, in the proportions you plan to use. If something looks off, swap one color now, not halfway through the page.

Then try the same scheme on a real page. Fall scenes, like this one from Cozy Autumn, are made for analogous colors: leaves in yellows, oranges and reds, with one cool accent.

Common mistakes (and easy fixes)

• Every color at full strength. The page looks noisy. Let one color lead and soften the others.
• Too many colors. Twenty pencils rarely agree. Pick a recipe and stick to three to five colors.
• No dark tones. Without darks, nothing stands out. Add the deepest shade in the shadows.
• Choosing by the pencil, not the paper. Colors change on the page. Swatch before you start.
• Changing the plan halfway. The page loses its mood. Test on scrap paper first.

Your turn

Pick one scheme and try it on a single page. Then color the same page again with a different scheme and lay the two side by side. Same drawing, a whole new mood.

Want to practice on a round design? How to color a mandala, step by step uses these same recipes, ring by ring.

Questions about color theory

What are complementary colors?

Colors that sit opposite each other on the color wheel, like orange and blue or yellow and purple. Side by side, they make each other look brighter.

How do I choose colors for a coloring page?

Start with one main color you love, then pick its partners with a recipe: its opposite for contrast, its neighbors for harmony, or lighter and darker versions of the same color.

What is the 60-30-10 rule?

A simple way to balance colors: your main color covers about 60% of the page, a second color about 30% and an accent about 10%.

Do I need a printed color wheel?

No. You can draw one with your own pencils in a few minutes, or use a free color wheel online.