#11 - GUIDE FOR PASTEL COLORS
This is my first guide here on LJ and I'm pretty scared about it. I apologize immediately for my english, I'm italian -and that's not an excuse, actually- so... don't mind the bad spelling or the bad grammar use, okay?
I was asked about my use of pastel colors in the icon-making and I actually do not even know what to say exactly because I don't have a special technique to do it.
I was asked about my use of pastel colors in the icon-making and I actually do not even know what to say exactly because I don't have a special technique to do it.
In general, creating pastel icons Is easier when you use these colors for the background (backgrounds have a huge effect on the perception of the rest of the subject).
The only thing you have to remember is this: the pastel icons are always light because "dark" and "pastel" don't get along very well.
The secret is to always use a little of white (as a base or to create light points).
The colorization does not differ much from what you would do with any other icon, but sometimes you have to turn the saturation down a bit .
The pastel colors are NOT just the light ones, the can also be more vibrant -as a red, for example-but you can recognize them because they have some sort of "opaque" look. The textures are a holy hand in these icons, let me tell you.
To choose a pastel color, go to the color palette, choose a shade of color and move it to white. Those that fade into white are your pastels.
Now, as each icon is unique in itself I'll show you how I worked on each of these icon:
#01. just a fake background
After putting a color at random (I should have used a psd, anyway), this is the base I'm using to start:
What I did was using the eyedropper tool to get the colors of her hair and I inverted them: in the right side, which was more red, I did an orange background and in the left side I did the opposite using the red.
This base was easy to work on because it was already a bit pastel -the image was very light- and what I did was adding a bit of lines in the hair using the fake painting, sharpen a little and use the filter "offe set".
#02. texture is the way
Here the things are a bit different because I used some textures to get it to look that way (not so many though).
I started with a beidge background, I added a bricky central band (I already knew how I wanted it to look) and I added two little brownish bands to the sides.
I took this texture - I don't know who made it, sorry- and I just put it on the base, moving it around randomly (I used the top and left side of it, in the end) and I putted it on Screen.
Now, the colors have already took their "opaque" look tipical on the pastel colors.
Now, I added text in the background (Rockwell -double to create the shadow behind) and I pasted Lucrezia on top of it all. I erased the background and I duplicated her twice, one level went on Soft Light 40% and the other one on Screen 50%.
I just added, on Lucrezia, the word "sinner" to complete the phrase.
At this point the icon was too dark and a bit dull, so I took this texture -I don't know the author of this one too- and I setted on Color Dodge.
And here it is:
#03. a bit of white here, a bit of white there
In this one I played a lot with white!
I took the image, I duplicated it twice and I setted on level to Soft Light at 75% and the other one on Screen at 50% (I'm always talking about the "fil" option, not the "opacity" one).
And this is my base:
I "ereased" the bg, not completely though, using a soft brush with the color white, then I dropped the fill to 87%, then I took a light blue (#23a5e8) and I covered all the white. I setted the fill of this layer at 30% so it'd look like a pastel color.
(Sometimes choosing a pastel color can be though, using the white helps a lot).
I added a bit of hair with the fake painting.
The I used some Adjustment Layers.
In this case I increased the saturation and vibrance parameter because I wanted it too look a bit more bright but addind to much of it would make your icon look vibrant, not pastel.
I added two white bands to the side (I know you can't see them XD) and then I just added two other "flully" bands around Rose and dropped the fill to 49% (I ereased the white from Rose's face).
I added text, copypasted everything and added a bit of sharpen. I wasn't happy enough with it so I added some more white around Rose and setted on 42%. I copypasted everything again and used the filter "off set".
And that's all folks ^^" No special techniques XD Just a little use of pastel colors and white :P
I hope this is helpful though ♥