ZBrush as a Character Design Tool - ZBrush Creature Design: Creating Dynamic Concept Imagery for Film and Games - page 43

You will rarely have to “mix” color on your computer screen. You will merely select it from the color
picker. It is important to understand the color wheel because it shows us what colors are complements to
each other, meaning what color is directly opposite on the color wheel. These complements create color con-
trasts that can be useful when trying to create visual interest. Mixing a complementary color into a compos-
ition can create a focal point and draw the eye or simply help make a very dull paint scheme more vibrant.
One of my favorite complements is violet and green. If you add the complement to a color you will desatur-
ate it. We will talk more about saturation below.
Temperature
Temperature refers to the relative warmth or coolness of a color. Figure 1-41 shows the color wheel broken
into warm and cool. Notice, though, that even when dealing with a “warm” color such as red, you can move