Just curious about color choices.

Night Force Cynic did a nice 25A Bazooka custom based on the Battle Corps ARAH figure. Rather than simply use the horrid colors of the original figure, I muted them and made them more realistic. Looks great. Going the other direction, I just did a Redmack custom. I took some color liberties, but decided to use the hideous green of the original figure as a nod to it. I've gone both directions, but if I use a color I don't like, I'll generally confine it to a small spot or two...

How/when/why do you use a color you dislike? I find that sometimes it makes me design a better figure to intentionally work in a design element that I dislike. When do you do a figure and completely throw out its original color scheme?

Are there colors you simply will not use? For me, it's purple. Maybe just a dash or two, but I refuse to use it as a major color for a uniform. That's even with the understanding that in "real life", it's even used for color-coding crews.

Where do your color ideas come from? Nature, television, work, other forms of artwork (yes, I consider custom figures artwork)?

All the time...

I throw out a characters color scheme when it makes absolutely no senses whatsoever. There are a ton of figures in the RAH line that are true gems, hidden behind a pile of crap paint choice. Two of my customs are examples:




Both are considered horrible figures and are generally cheap to buy and not in high demand at all....due to poor color choices on the companies part. I think any figure made so far can be improved upon with a better paint scheme.



As far as colors, I HATE painting white and yellow. Both are very hard to pull off in my experience because of the amount of coats it takes to make it look right.

I would say that I try to make my color choices based on what the characters role would be in GIJOEs world. Skidmark for example drives the DESERT FOX, so it made sense to be he should be wearing a desert uniform, with rolled up sleeves instead of a thermal shirt. If he's patrolling the desert in a desert vehicle, he should fit the role. Same with Voltar, his colors simply didn't fill the role and he wasn't worthy of respect running around a battlefield in hot pink.

So, I think mainly I personally just thinking about what 'realistically' would a particular character really wear is what I go with.

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When it fits the character. Someone like Mindbender I just associate with the color purple. It is regal without being the standard cobra blue. Even the techno Vipers wear purple so that is my default Cobra Science devision color.

I'm not a big fan of neon colors but there are instances where it is the only color that works. Recently I did a Chuckles Hawaii shirt pattern and I wouldn't normally copy it but I need it to be instantly recognizable as Chuckles so I used the same colors including a bright neon green.

Different environments, added detail, and an odd color choice on the original are all reasons I would change that color. Blacks and greens all all fine and good and realistic but color isn't something to be afraid of either. Sometimes different color choices make a figure look better, not worse. And sometimes changing an orange to an autumn brown or bright blue into a grey isn't a bad thing.

Like I said I need a really good reason to use neon. Those are such bright, eye catching colors that it distracts from the overall look of the figure. When I use them they have to serve an important purpose for the custom. I don't even own any neon colors for that reason.

It is all about the character. Mostly I've been doing existing characters lately so going right to the source helps. But I pretty much do that that regardless of whether the character exists or not. I research what that type of character would wear and try make that work with the parts I want to use. If the character is flamoyant then they get bright flashy clothes. If a guy is supposed to be stealthy then he gets dark colors. Where is the character from and what do they usually wear there? If the outfit ends up being a single color or maybe a second color for belts and pouches I try to make up for the lack of painting with added details, whether on the uniform or in a weapon or other accessory.

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For me, other sources--TV, movies, etc.--is a starting point, particularly with uniforms. If a custom is going to have a more or less "in fatigues" look I tend to stick close to established colors you'd see in fatigues (olive, OD green, black, dark blue.)

Next up I tend to look at what the character does. A night force type will wear dark colors; usually black or dark blue, or dark green; a sniper will tend to go more toward greenish and camo. A mechanic I usually lean toward grays or lighter blues, for example.

Probably the one I use most, I try to think of how this character would see themselves, in turn, what colors they might be drawn to; a happy, cheerful person will probably wear light colors, or at least try for a dash of it in there somewhere (a headband perhaps), while someone more serious would keep much of their look to earth tones, so the focus of anyone's attention would be on them, and not the clothes.

Special cases too come about when the character is a bit "off the wall"--everything from mutants to 50's era TV characters--those I usually try for something a bit "out there" that will also mesh with their personality. I have a custom on the table now I call Satin Charlie, who favors wearing purple satin suits--so I painted him with metallic purple. The color stands out but also conveys a sense of oiliness about the man (he's a slick con man) that kind of jumps out, yet fits.

Those are some of the things I do, and there are times when, honestly, it tends to be literally a random pick of colors than ends up with, "Say, I like that!" in the end.

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