Readers recognise characters by colour before they read a single name. When a jacket is navy on page 1 and royal blue on page 7, the eye stumbles. This guide shows a simple, reliable way to keep colours consistent across a whole comic: choose a small palette for each character, write the exact hex codes down, keep a reference page inside your project, and enter those codes every time.
Quick Summary
- Give each main character 3 to 5 colours: skin, hair, one signature colour, one accent.
- Record every colour as a hex code (for example
#2B5EC7) on a reference sheet. - Keep that sheet as the first page of your project, so it travels with the .blank file.
- Use the hex codes in fill, border and text colour fields instead of picking “by eye”.
Why colour consistency matters
Colour is a shortcut. In a crowded panel, the reader finds the hero by the red scarf long before reading the dialogue. If that red shifts from page to page, readers have to work harder, and in a fast action scene they may lose track of who is who. Consistent colour also makes a comic look professional, even with simple drawings.
| Colour drift | Usually caused by |
|---|---|
| Slightly different shades on different pages | Picking colours by eye each time |
| Colours change between sessions | No written record of the exact values |
| Two characters look alike | Palettes chosen without comparing them side by side |
| Speech bubbles change colour | Bubble colours set per page instead of per character |
Step 1: Design each character’s palette
Keep it small. A palette of three to five colours is easy to remember and easy to apply.
| Slot | What it is | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Skin | Base skin tone | #E8B48A |
| Hair | Hair or headwear | #2E1F1A |
| Signature | The colour readers remember (jacket, scarf, cape) | #C8312B |
| Secondary | Trousers, shoes, second garment | #2B3A55 |
| Accent | A small detail: badge, glasses, ribbon | #FBBC04 |
- Make signatures distinct. No two main characters should share a signature colour or close shades of it.
- Check contrast. View the palettes side by side in greyscale; if two characters turn into the same grey, change one.
- Think about backgrounds. A character in a green jacket disappears in a forest. Plan which scenes they appear in.
Step 2: Record the hex codes
A hex code is a six-character colour value such as #2B5EC7. Unlike a colour picked by eye, it is exact and repeatable. Write each character’s codes in one place: a note on your phone, a spreadsheet, or, best of all, inside the comic itself.
Tip: Colour pickers in most apps, including BlankComic’s fill, border and text colour fields, show the hex code of the current colour. When you find a colour you like, copy that code into your reference sheet immediately.
Step 3: Keep a reference page inside your project
In BlankComic, use Pages to add a page at the start of your project and turn it into a character sheet: one panel per character, a simple drawing or picture of them, and text boxes listing their hex codes. Because it is part of the project, it is saved in your .blank file and is always one click away while you work.
Build a character sheet
- Add a new page with Pages and move it to the front.
- Create one panel per character (split panels with H and V).
- Add a picture or quick drawing of each character with Picture or Draw.
- Under each, add a text box (E) with the character’s name and hex codes.
- Fill a small panel or shape with each colour as a swatch you can see at a glance.
- Save the project with Ctrl/⌘ + S. A PDF export includes every page, so before the final export save a copy of the project and delete the sheet from that copy.
Step 4: Apply colours consistently
- Enter codes, do not eyeball. When you set a fill or border colour, use the value from your sheet.
- Copy what is already right. Duplicating a finished bubble or panel with Ctrl/⌘ + C keeps its colours exactly.
- Duplicate pages. Duplicating a page from Pages keeps every colour on it, a good start for the next page of the same scene.
- Review in batches. Every few pages, zoom out and compare characters across pages before moving on.
Colour-coding speech bubbles
Some comics give each character a bubble tint or border colour, which helps in group scenes, phone conversations and stories with a robot or narrator. If you do it, keep the tint pale so text stays readable, and record the bubble colours in the same reference sheet. BlankComic’s bubble settings have separate fill, border and text colour controls.
| Character type | Bubble idea |
|---|---|
| Main character | Standard white bubble, black border |
| Narrator | Narration or caption box in a pale tint |
| Robot or AI | Square-cornered bubble, pale blue fill |
| Villain | Off-white or pale grey fill, heavier border |
| Voice on a phone or radio | Dashed border or a jagged tail |
Bubble shapes and their meaning are covered in speech bubble styles explained.
Checklist for a new comic project
- A 3 to 5 colour palette per main character, with hex codes.
- Signature colours that stay distinct in greyscale.
- A character sheet as the first page of the project.
- Bubble colours decided per character, if you colour-code.
- A .blank backup saved after the sheet is done.
Working on a long story? Pair this with multi-page storytelling for pacing and continuity.
Frequently Asked Questions
How many colors should a comic character have?
Three to five main colors is a good rule: skin, hair, one signature color and one or two accents. Fewer colors are easier to keep consistent.
How do I keep character colors the same on every page?
Record each color as a hex code on a reference sheet and enter those exact codes every time, instead of picking colors by eye. Duplicating finished elements also keeps colors identical.
What is a character reference sheet?
A page that shows each character with their exact colors, often with front and side views. In BlankComic you can keep one as the first page of your project.
Does BlankComic have a saved color library?
No. Colors are set with fill, border and text color fields. The reliable workflow is a character sheet page with hex codes inside your project.
Should speech bubbles be color-coded by character?
It can help in group scenes and for narrators, robots or phone voices. Keep tints pale so the text stays readable, and use them consistently.