How to Pick Two Colors for Embroidery Brushes to Match a Specific One
Mastering color pairs for bokettori dual-color brushes
Hello, creative friends!
One of the key features of many of my embroidery brushes is that they use two colors.
Such brushes are marked with 🔲 or 🔳 in their names and can be found in these collections:
If you’re puzzled about 🔲 / 🔳 or need a refresher on the basics of setting up the colors in Procreate, I cover all of that in this guide:
And we also covered multiple approaches to color selection in this one:
But what I haven’t covered yet is how to choose the right two colors for your brush to match a specific color, say, from a pattern you want to recreate.
And that’s exactly what we’ll do today.
Let’s dive in!
Step 0. Get the Files
As usual, I’m offering free assets to work with.
To get those files, go to my site by following this link: Dual Color Selection Practice
Once the free checkout is complete (you won’t need to enter any card details), a download button will appear for the .zip file containing all the tutorial assets.
Download and save:
Tap the download button.
When prompted, save the
.zipfile to your iPad’s Files app (you can choose a specific folder like Downloads).
Unzip the folder:
Open the Files app on your iPad and navigate to where you saved the
.zipfile.Simply tap once on the
.zipfile. Your iPad will automatically create a new, unzipped folder next to it with the same name.
Inside the unzipped folder, you’ll find:
Working file (
Color_Selection_For_Threads.procreate)Two embroidery brushes (
Color_Guide.brushset)Color palette to work with (
🧵_✨… .swatches)
To install the brushes, do the following:
After downloading, open your iPad’s Files app and locate the downloaded
.brushsetfile.Simply tap on it.
Procreate will automatically open, and the brushes will be imported. You’ll typically find the new brush set at the top of your Brush Library list.
To install the color palette in Procreate:
Locate the downloaded
.swatchesfile.Tap on it.
Procreate will automatically open, and the palette will be imported. You can find it by opening your Color Panel (the color circle in the top right) and tapping the Palettes tab (located at the bottom of the Color Panel, near Disc, Classic, Harmony, and Value). New palettes usually appear at the bottom of your Palettes list.
Set it as default:
Find your newly imported palette in the list.
Tap on the three dots (...) next to its name.
Choose Set as default. (If you don’t see this Set as default option, it means the palette is already active as your default)
Finally, tap on Color_Selection_For_Threads.procreate to open it up in Procreate.
Step 1. Understand the Goal
When you open the working file, the first thing you’ll notice is our test pattern.
This pattern is intentionally simple and constructed using just three distinct flat colors (we’re ignoring the background colors for now). These are the target colors we’ll be aiming to replicate using our dual-color brushes.
You’ll also see that the pattern is displayed across both a light and a dark background. I’ve set it up this way to clearly demonstrate how the same colors can appear quite different depending on the background they’re placed against — a crucial consideration in digital art!
Next, let’s look at the tools.
In the brushes folder, you’ll find two thread brushes, both originally from my Cross-Stitch Art Box:
#02🧵/Small Cross/
(This brush gives a traditional matte stitch appearance)#02✨/Small Cross/
(This one adds a lovely, somewhat metallic finish to your stitches)
Our main goal is to learn how to select the right two input colors for both of these brushes to accurately recreate the appearance of those three flat target colors in our test pattern.
🎯 From One Color to Two
In the palette, you’ll see the three pattern colors from our test design (olive green, red, and light peach/pink) repeated in the first row.
Each color appears twice, once marked with a 🧵 icon and once with a ✨ icon:
🧵 columns are for color pairs for the
#02🧵/Small Cross/brush✨ columns — for the
#02✨/Small Cross/brush
Two empty rows are for:
Lighter color (active):
This will be our Primary (P) color. It’s often a lighter, brighter, or more saturated version of the pattern color.Darker color:
This will be our Secondary (S) color. It provides the depth to create the textured, dual-color effect.
So the whole idea is to find those two colors.
Step 2. Olive Green for 🧵Brush
In this step, we’ll match our target green for the #02🧵/Small Cross/ brush.
2.1. Initial Color Setup
Before we start selecting two different colors for our dual-color brush, our first step is to load our target flat green into both the Primary and Secondary color slots in Procreate. This gives us a consistent starting point.
As shown in the image above, here’s how to do it:
Switch to Classic color view:
Open the Colors panel (tap the color circle in the top right of Procreate).
At the bottom of the Colors panel, tap on the Classic tab. This view, with its large color square and HSB sliders, is often helpful for precise color adjustments.
Load target green into the Primary (P) color slot:
In the Colors panel (Classic view), look at the top right. You’ll see two small rectangular swatches. The left one is your Primary (P) color slot, and the right one is your Secondary (S).
First, tap the left swatch (P) to make it active (its color will show in the active color circle at the top right of your screen).
Then tap on your target flat green color (C). The left swatch should now be filled with this target green.
Load target green into the Secondary (S) color slot:
Next, tap the right swatch (S) to make it active.
Tap on that same target flat green color (C).
The right color slot will now also be filled with this target green.
At this point, both your Primary (P) and Secondary (S) color slots (the two small rectangles at the top right of the Colors panel) should be showing the exact same flat green color. This is our baseline! In the next steps, we’ll start adjusting these to create the perfect dual-color combination for our brushes.
2.2. Adjust Colors - The Diagonal Method
Our target olive green is quite dark and saturated. For colors like this, I’ve found that a diagonal method (as I call it) in Procreate’s Classic color view works wonderfully to pick the right two colors. The image above illustrates this: starting from our single target color, we’ll pick one lighter and one darker shade by moving diagonally.
Here’s how to do it:
Set up your Lighter color:
Ensure your Colors panel is open and set to the Classic tab (as we did earlier).
Recall that both your Primary (P) and Secondary (S) slots currently hold our target olive green.
Tap one of the rectangular swatches at the top right of the Colors panel to make it active.
Drag the color selection circle diagonally towards the top-left ↖️corner.
This makes the color lighter (moving up) and can also adjust its saturation. Follow the Lighter color arrow in the image above.
Aim for a bit lighter version of the olive green.
Set up your Darker color:
Next, tap another rectangular swatch to make it active. (It should still contain the original target olive green)
Now, look at the large color square in the Classic view. Drag the small color selection circle diagonally towards the bottom-right ↘️ corner.
As you drag, you’re making the color darker (moving down) and adjusting its saturation (right). Follow the Darker color arrow in the image above as a guide.
You don’t need to go all the way to the corner, a moderate diagonal shift is usually enough.
Ensure the Lighter color is active:
Tap on your lighter color and make sure it’s the one actively showing in the main color circle at the top right of your Procreate screen.
Test your color pair
Grab the
#02🧵/Small Cross/brush (size 67%) and make a few test stitches on a new layer.How does it look? Does the combination of your new colors create an effect that feels like your original target olive green, but with a texture or a thread?
Refine your choices:
This is art, not science, so it’s ok if your first attempt isn’t quite right.
Too dark? Try making your Darker color a little lighter.
Too light? Make your Darker/Lighter color a bit darker.
Not enough contrast? Push the diagonal movements further apart.
Too much contrast? Make the diagonal movements smaller, closer to the original color.
Keep adjusting and testing until you’re happy with the result!
2.3. Save Selected Colors
Once you’re happy with the results (and yours can differ from mine!), add the colors to your working palette:
Step 3. Olive Green for ✨Brush
Now, let’s match our target green for the #02✨/Small Cross/ brush.
First, I’d suggest checking if our current color pair works for this brush.
It looks nice and fresh, and certainly can work if you like that brighter, more reflective look!
However, if our goal is to match the original flat olive green from our test pattern as closely as possible, this shiny version might appear a little too bright or a bit too yellow-toned compared to the more subdued matte version. This can be a matter of personal taste, but for this exercise, let’s aim for closer fidelity to the original flat color.
3.1. Adjust the Lighter color
I’ve found that a simple adjustment often does the trick: toning down (darkening) our Lighter color just a bit.
This adjustment should help the shiny stitch appear a bit more subdued and closer in overall value and tone to our original target flat olive green. Again, tweaking and testing help to find the sweet spot.
If it still looks a bit too shiny or bright for your taste, feel free to darken that Lighter color even more.
2.2. Save Selected Colors
Once you’re satisfied with the color pair for the #02✨/Small Cross/ brush, save it to the working palette for future reference.
Step 4. Red and Peach/Pink
Now that you’ve mastered the art of selecting and adjusting dual-color pairs for our olive green, it’s time to apply those same skills to the red and light peach/pink target colors from our test pattern.
Your turn to experiment!
I encourage you to go through the same steps we used for the green:
Initial setup:
Load the flat red (or peach/pink) into both your Primary (P) and Secondary (S) color slots.Diagonal* method for Matte 🧵 Brush:
Adjust your P (Lighter) and S (Darker) colors diagonally from the target color until you get a matte stitch result you like. Test and refine!Adapt for Shiny ✨ Brush:
Test your matte pair with the shiny brush. Then, adjust the Lighter (P) color (and perhaps the Darker (S) color slightly if needed) to get a shiny stitch result that closely matches the target flat color.
Don’t be afraid to play around and trust your eye! This is a great opportunity to really get a feel for how different color combinations interact with these brushes.
*Beyond the basic diagonal
While the basic diagonal method is a great starting point, sometimes you’ll want to make more nuanced adjustments. The image above shows a few alternative movements in the Classic color picker square:
For the 🧵 brush: angular diagonals
Sometimes, a perfectly straight diagonal pull for both your Lighter (P) and Darker (S) colors might not give you the exact hue or saturation you want.
As shown on the left side of the image above (under #02🧵), don’t be afraid to make your diagonal movements more angular or curved.
The key is to still aim for a distinct lighter and darker version of your target, but allow yourself to explore the color square more flexibly than just a straight line.
For the ✨ brush: darkening both colors (and other adjustments)
We’ve already seen that the shiny #02✨/Small Cross/ brush tends to brighten the overall appearance. While our initial fix was to darken just the Lighter (P) color, sometimes that’s not enough.
As illustrated on the right side of the image above (under #02✨):
You might find you need to darken both your Lighter and Darker colors from their initial matte pair settings to get the shiny version to match the target flat color. Notice how all the arrows on the right side generally trend downwards, indicating a reduction in brightness for both.
The adjustments for the shiny brush can also be more complex or angular. You might significantly desaturate one color while only slightly darkening the other.
The goal is to counteract the inherent brightening effect of the shiny brush while maintaining the desired color identity. This often requires more aggressive or varied adjustments than for the matte brush.
General Tips:
Always test:
Make small adjustments, then immediately test with the brush.Isolate changes:
Try adjusting only the Lighter color first, test. Then only the Darker color, test. Then both. This helps you understand how each change affects the outcome.Consider Hue, Saturation, AND Brightness:
Remember you can move the selection circle in any direction on the Classic color square (affecting saturation and brightness) and also adjust the Hue slider separately if needed.Trust your eye:
Ultimately, the right colors are the ones that give you the visual result you’re aiming for to match your target pattern color.
My color pair choices (for reference)
To give you a starting point or something to compare with, here are the color pairs I ended up with for the red and peach/pink, for both the matte (🧵) and shiny (✨) brushes.
After applying the methods from this guide, I ended up with this lovely cross-stitching:
Top Half: The stitches here were made using the #02🧵/Small Cross/ brush, using the color pairs we selected for it.
Bottom Half: Here, the same pattern is rendered with the #02✨/Small Cross/ brush, using the color pairs specifically adjusted for its metallic properties.
I hope this guide has demystified the process of choosing color pairs for my dual-color embroidery brushes and empowers you to create stunning, nuanced digital embroidery with confidence!
Happy color matching and happy stitching!
Kate 😊