the ultimate

COLOR
COMBINATIONS

CHEAT SHEET
www.makoccino.com
HELLO!
I'M MAKO

Creating art is not only about It's actually easier than you think!

what you paint, but also about Sometimes  all you need is a color wheel
what colors you choose! that will guide you through the process!

Ever wondered what colors you should In this guide I'll show you the basic color
use for your painting so it looks either schemes and tools you can use to help
simple, elegant or bold?  you make a decision!

But you simply don't know what colors

you should pick because you don't know
Let's dive in!
Mako
what colors go well together!

W.W
WWW MWA K. O
YOC CUI R
NWO .ECBOSM
I T©
E.C
2 0O1M
9 MAKOCCINO
COLOR SCHEMES
Our world is filled with beautiful colors! And their variations can do everything
from conveying a message or even influence an emotion. That's why it’s essential
to understand the basics of color.

There are certain color combinations that have been established over time. These
color combinations consist of two or more colors that have a fixed relationship on
the color wheel and are pleasing to the eyes when viewed together. Meaning they
create a color harmony.

Here's a quick guide on how to combine the colors of the world to create
something beautiful!

MONOCHROMATIC ANALOGOUS COMPLEMENTARY

ANALOGOUS SPLIT
COMPLEMENTARY COMPLEMENTARY TRIADIC TETRAD

WWW.MAKOCCINO.COM © 2019 MAKOCCINO PAGE 2

MONOCHROMATIC
A monochromatic color scheme uses only a single color
throughout the whole painting but uses its variations from
light to dark and its shades. It’s a very elegant, minimalistic
and easy on the eyes color scheme that you can use to
practice different values, shades while creating distance and
depth in your painting.

You can find this color scheme in nature on overcast or when

it’s predawn or post dusk.
ANALOGOUS
An analogous color scheme is made of colors that sit close to
each other on the color wheel.

This is also an elegant and visually pleasing color palette that

you can find in nature because natural elements often feature
colors that are close to each other.

Choose one color to dominate, a second to support. The third

color is used as an accent to enhance the overall scheme.

COMPLEMENTARY
A complementary color scheme is made up of two colors that
sit opposite of each other on the color wheel.

You can find this color harmony in nature, for example in

skies, in foliage, water and other subjects. It’s a simple but
effective color harmony.

To be able to use this color scheme effectively, you want to

balance their saturation of the colors so they both support
each other instead of competing for their attention.
ANALOGOUS
COMPLEMENTARY
The  analogous complementary color scheme combines the
analogous and the complementary color scheme.

They incorporate three side-by-side colors plus the

complementary color of the center color.

W
WWWWW. M
. YAOKUORCW
C IENBOS. ICTOEM
. C©
OM2019 MAKOCCINO PPAAGGEE 13
 SPLIT
COMPLEMENTARY
A split complementary color scheme uses one color
plus to colors that are on the opposite to them on the
color wheel.

This color scheme combines the contrast between the

complementary colors but gives it a variation with the
analogous scheme to create less tension.

Because this is an easy harmony to use it's a great

color scheme to practice with.

TRIADIC
A triadic color scheme uses three colors that are equally
spaced around the color wheel.

It creates plenty of contrast and natural color balance.

To use a triadic harmony successfully, the colors should

be carefully balanced. Meaning one color should serve
as the dominant color, while the other two add accents
to the overall scheme.

TETRAD
The tetrad color scheme uses two colors that are
separated by one color on the color wheel plus their
complimentary color.

Because this color scheme can overwhelm with the

visual tension, the tetradic color schemes works best if
you let one color be dominant and use others for the
accents.

WWW.MAKOCCINO.COM © 2019 MAKOCCINO PAGE 4

ONLINE COLOR TOOLS
If you need some ideas and inspiration what colors you should use in your
paintings, here is a few selection of online websites that'll help you with that!

PALETTON.COM
A designer tool for creating color
combinations that work together well.

CANVA'S COLOR GENERATOR

Want a color scheme that perfectly
matches your favorite images? With
Canva’s color palette generator, you can
create color combinations in seconds.
Simply upload a photo, and they'll use the
colors in the photo to create your palette.

MYCOLOR.SPACE
Here you can find the perfect
matching color scheme for your next project!
Generate nice color palettes, color gradients
and much more!

HOW TO MIX COLORS?

If you need help with color mixing, check out
my guide about watercolor mixing here!

WWW.MAKOCCINO.COM © 2019 MAKOCCINO PAGE 5

 I really hope this guide was helpful!
Now have fun painting and learning!

Thank You!

WANT MORE GREAT

WANT MORE GREAT
CONTENT?
CONTENT?
What is your NUMBER ONE question about watercolors? If you have any
What is yourabout
questions NUMBER ONE question
watercolor aboutbrushes
paint, paper, watercolors?
or anyIf specific
you have any
questions
techniques, let meabout
knowwatercolor
by clickingpaint,
on thepaper,
buttonbrushes or any
right below specific
and I'll give
techniques, let me know by clicking on the button
my best to help you out! right below and I'll give
my best to help you out!

CLICK HERE
CLICK HERE