Welcome to our Color Spotlight feature! Every so often we’ll showcase a different color and give ideas of color combos that will work with it.
Marianne’s Note: When I mention a color combo whatever color I put first is the color I put down as my base color, then I blend in the second color. So Y17 + E25, the E255 was layered over the Y17. Also, these colors on the screen are NOT accurate and are for comparison only.
Y17, Golden Yellow
Story behind Y17: This was among the first colors Japan created over 20 years ago. This is a very bright Yellow, hovering on orange. Because the yellows are so bright, there is very little color difference in this blending family, especially as you get darker. Y17 has a touch more orange to it than Y18 or Y19 in my opinion. To get a good shadow for Y17 you would have to jump to another blending group within the Y’s (Y28 or Y38) or into another color family – YR or E.
Available in these styles: Copic, Sketch, Ciao, Wide
Natural Blend family:
Y11, Y13, Y15, Y17, Y18, Y19
Simple Blend:
Highlight Y15 Midtone Y17 Shadow Y19
Similar colors, other families:
B16, R17, V17, E17, BV17, G17, YR16
Marianne’s Unusual Combos:
Y17 + E25, Y17+ YG25, YG21 + Y17
Advanced Color Rules for Y17*:
Complimentary: Y17/V09
Triad (simple 3 color combo): Y17, B05, RV29
Tetrad (simple 4 color combo): Y17, BG18, V09, YR09
Pentagram (simple 5 color combo):
Y17, G19, B79, RV29, YR09
High Contrast: Y17, YR16, B37, B06, R89, R29
Compound: Y17, E37, E59, V06, R39, V09
*Advanced color rules are generated by Adobe Illustrator CS3 based on the digital representation of the Copic Color Spectrum set into a special color wheel. I generate these as suggestions for color combos to try when you are looking for a nice change, or you have a paper that matches this particular color and you want help picking other unusual colors to go with it.
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The project I made for Y17: Summer Sunflowers
I had been waiting to spotlight this color until my sunflowers were in bloom, because that is the flower that instantly comes to mind when I think of Golden Yellow. Here I’m showing the original photo I based my drawing from, and then my artistic interpretation of it with the color Y17.
The evening I took this photo the sun was just about to go down, and the next few photos got dark quickly, so I am showing my drawing with a darker sky than the photo. I also drew the outlines very loose, so my coloring style is loose as well. Notice how things close up have more vibrant colors, while things off in the distance have less contrast, less detail, and muted colors. I chose to make the foliage and blossoms brighter than real life. Looking at it now, I think it still needs deeper shadows for more contrast. Good thing I can always go back into my picture and blend more colors, even if it’s been sitting for a week.
Drawn with a Multiliner 0.05 on Color Laser Copier paper
Colors used: Y11, Y13, Y17, YR16, YG00, YG41, YG67, G14, G17, G28, G85, BG10, B04, B24, E35, E57, E59, 0, W3, W5
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