How to Build Fashion Illustration Color Palettes in Procreate Using the 12 Color Seasons

Why Fashion Illustrators Need a Faster Way to Choose Color Palettes

Choosing colors for a fashion illustration often involves testing multiple combinations of skin, hair, and clothing before the overall design feels balanced.

The 12 Color Seasons simplify this process by grouping colors that already share compatible temperature, value, and chroma. Instead of testing unrelated colors, you work within a palette designed to stay visually harmonious.

This Procreate guide shows fashion illustrators how to build, save, and reuse seasonal color palettes using real HEX codes from all 12 Color Seasons.

The 12 Color Season Palettes with Ready-to-Use HEX Codes

Every season below links to its full palette page, where you can copy each color's HEX code for use in Procreate.

Here are three representative colors from each season to give you a quick preview of the palette.

The colors below are sample swatches from each seasonal palette. Each linked page includes the complete palette with additional colors and copyable HEX codes.

• True Spring — #FF6B6B, #FF8E53, #FFC947
• Bright Spring — #FF1744, #FF6D00, #FFEA00
• Light Spring — #FFCDD2, #F8BBD0, #E1BEE7
• True Summer — #B0BEC5, #90A4AE, #78909C
• Soft Summer — #9E9E9E, #BDBDBD, #E0E0E0
• Light Summer — #E3F2FD, #BBDEFB, #90CAF9
• True Autumn — #8B4513, #A0522D, #CD853F
• Soft Autumn — #C4956A, #B8845A, #A0735A
• Dark Autumn — #3B1F0C, #4A2810, #5C3318
• True Winter — #C8102E, #D0177F, #7D1F6E
• Bright Winter — #E6007E, #63E6D4, #7B1FA2
• Dark Winter — #1A1A2E, #0F3460, #333398

Each season page includes the complete seasonal palette with copyable HEX codes, making it easy to build reusable Procreate palettes for future illustrations.

Setting Up Your Seasonal Palette in Procreate

Procreate makes it simple to save a seasonal palette once and reuse it across every illustration.

• Open the Color panel and tap the Palettes tab.
• Tap the + icon to create a new palette.
• Enter each HEX code individually using the Value tab, then tap an empty palette swatch to save it.
• Repeat for every color in the season, then name the palette after the season (e.g. "Bright Spring") so you can find it instantly on future projects.
• Once saved, tap any swatch while sketching to switch colors without leaving your canvas.

This turns a whole color season into a one-tap palette you can reuse across every character, garment, or collection you design.

Example: Designing a Character in Bright Spring

Here's how the palette translates into an actual character, using the Bright Spring direction as an example.

Skin: choose a skin tone with a warm or neutral-warm undertone that stays clear rather than muted, reflecting the overall warmth and clarity of the Bright Spring palette.

Hair: golden blonde, warm copper, or bright auburn — anything with warmth and vibrancy, avoiding ashy or muted tones that would clash with the palette's brightness.

Clothing: pull two or three swatches directly from the palette above, such as the coral and sky blue, and use them as the main garment colors, with the golden yellow as an accent.

This workflow also makes it easier to maintain consistency across multiple illustrations in the same collection.

Because every color came from the same seasonal palette, the character reads as visually cohesive without needing dozens of test combinations.

Bringing It Into Your Own Work

Once you've built and saved a palette for one season, repeat the process for any others you use often. Over time, you'll build a reusable seasonal color library that speeds up character design while keeping color choices consistent across projects.