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3. Coming up with a concept for your COH character
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In my opinion COH costume creation should begin here. A good character concept will almost build your outfit for you! With that in mind I would like to describe a few hero archetypes and some COH costume suggestions that go with them. I believe a lot of times people start with no concept in mind, they get into the character creator and say "Ok, this is the coolest looking shoulder pads, this is the coolest looking belt, this is the coolest looking shirt design, these are the best looking boots..." so on and so forth. While the person feels they are choosing the best in each category the sum of the parts end up being a tragedy. Pizza and chocolate pudding are both awesome... just not together.


NOTE
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The examples listed under each archetype always have exceptions, they are just generalized for example sake.
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Classic Super Hero:
Description: The always faithul, always strong classic superhero from days of old
Keywords: Strong, Regal, Gallant, Vigilant, Unyielding, Altruistic, Brave, Powerful
Examples: Superman, Wonder Woman, Captain Marvel, Mr. Incredible, Promethion (my character)
Costume Suggestions: Bright colors, Tights, Well groomed hair, Small eye mask, Prominent chest logo, Big jaw, Muscular, Hopeful facial expression, Capes a must.

Troubled Vigilante:
Description: A fierce warrior often driven by revenge, disregarding of authority but ultimately good.
Keywords: Dark, Troubled, Intense, Tempermental, Impulsive, Violent, Uncompromising, Loner, Haunted
Examples: Wolverine, Blade, The Punisher, Rorschach
Costume Suggestions: Drab colors, Avoid tights, Messy Hair, No mask, Facial Hair, Muscular, Trenchcoats, Chest symbol optional, Guns and swords are good.

Cocky Young Hero
Description: The superhero who enjoys his powers, sometimes young, foolish and brash.
Keywords: Young, Handsome, Daring, Cocky, Pretty Boy, Thrill seeking, Jokester, Sometimes disrespectful
Examples: Human Torch, Spiderman, The Flash, Dash
Costume Suggestions: Bright colors, costume patterns (checkerboards, lighting bolts, etc), Trendy hair, Smirky facial expression, Brighter leather gloves and/or boots.

Mysterious Hero
Description: A hero shrouded in mystery, often a mystery to those close to him or her.
Keywords: Mysterious, Quiet, Stealthy, Enigmatic,
Examples: Batman, Deadpool, V , Darkman, Crashfreeze (my character)
Costume Suggestions: Covered face, avoid bright colors, Chest symbol important, Somber facial expression, Intense eyes.

Born from Evil
Description: A hero born from evil that pursues redemption or revenge
Keywords: Dark, Brooding, Demonic, Scary, Intense, Vengeful
Examples: Ghost Rider, Spawn, Hellboy, The Shadow
Costume suggestions: Loose clothing, Dark drab colors, Skulls, Scary face, Scars, Glowing eyes, Chains, Spikes, Horns, Trenchcoats, dark circles around eye cavity.

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4. Lesson on good coloring
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The brain is naturally inclined to find some color combinations pleasing and others less appealing. Knowing which colors to pair together can have a profound impact on whether your COH character looks coordinated or a walking fashion disaster. Let's face it, the citizens of Paragon need to see you have a good wardrobe to take you seriously. For color reference we use the color wheel.

Graphic artists use the color wheel often to determine who pleasing colors will be when paired together. It is a general design rule in COH that never use more than 3 colors in any scheme. This would apply to company logos, sports jerseys, websites, automobiles, etc. Most of the time when I design I try stick with two colors and mix in a 3rd very little.

Rules for using the color wheel

1. When deciding on 2 colors choose any color and its complement is directly across from it. Examples; red and green, blue and orange, yellow and purple.

2. If you want 3 colors for something you need to use the points of each triangle. For example if you want to use blue and 2 other colors they should be yellow and red. Orange's other two colors should be green and purple.

3. You can almost interject or substitue black, white or grey(silver)into any combination. For example you could choose Blue and Orange (Like Sister Cinder) and add in black or white to the outfit and it will still look good. Or you could do a three color scheme with Blue, Red and instead of Yellow substitute black or white and it will still be pleasing.

Color Categories:

Believe it or not in City of heroes /COH costume , colors actually invoke an emotional response in people. There are two main color categories. You can almost divide the color wheel in half and on one side would be cool colors, the other side would be warm colors.

Warm colors:
Warm colors invoke a soothing, inviting response from our brains. We associate warm colors with the colors of fire or the sun. These include yellows, oranges, reds, pinks and white.

Cool colors:
Cool colors invoke a non-inviting response, typically cool colors "recede". Cool colors have a tendency to make our minds associate with ice, night time, water, etc. These include blues, purples, greens, aquas, and black.

Examples of complementary Colors in popular culture (That look good):
Superman (Red, Blue, Yellow)
Spiderman (Red, Blue, Black)
Minnesota Vikings (Purple and Yellow)
Denver Broncos (Blue and Orange)
Florida Gators (Blue and Orange)
New England Patriots (Red, Blue, Silver)
Christmas (Red and Green)
Miami Dolphins (Orange and Aqua, which is a blue variant)
Auburn University (Navy Blue and Orange)
Baltimore Ravens (Purple and Yellow)

Color combinations that are not complementary (and are disastrous):
Oregon Ducks (Yellow and Dark Green)
Clemson Tigers (Purple and Orange)
Tampa Bay Devil Rays (Dark Blue and Aqua)

notice these are harder to find because designers avoid bad combinations.