How to Read Ohuhu Color Codes + Shade Like a Pro
When you first open your Ohuhu markers, it can feel a little overwhelming—so many beautiful colors, but what do all those letters and numbers actually mean? Don’t worry, once you know how to read them, they’ll make blending and shading much easier! Let’s break it down step by step.
Shading Made Simple - The easiest way to create smooth blends is to work in three layers:
1. Start with a light shade – this is your base color.
2. Add a mid shade – this fills in the “in-between” tones.
3. Finish with your darkest shade – this deepens shadows and makes your artwork pop.
But here’s the key: choosing the right three shades. That’s where the color code system comes in!
Understanding Ohuhu Color Codes
Every marker has a unique code printed on the cap. Once you know how to read it, you can easily pick colors that blend beautifully together.
1. Color Family (The Letter)
The letter at the start shows the color group. For example:
* R=Red
* BG = Blue Green
* Y = Yellow
This tells you the “family” your color belongs to.
2. Color Saturation (The First Digit)
The very first number after the letter is always a single digit between 0–9.
* Lower numbers = softer, lighter saturation
* Higher numbers = stronger, richer saturation
Colors with the same saturation number will blend really well together.
3. Color Brightness (The Last Numbers)
The final 1–3 digits (ranging from 0–16) show brightness.
* Lower numbers = lighter shades
* Higher numbers = darker shades
So if you see a marker like BG3-12, you know it’s a Blue Green color family, with saturation level 3, and a brightness of 12 (meaning it’s one of the darker tones).
Putting It All Together
Let’s say you want to blend in the Red family. You might choose:
* R3-2 for your light base
* R3-6 for your mid shade
* R3-14 for your darkest shadow
Because they share the same family (R), the same saturation level (3), and just vary in brightness, they’ll layer beautifully!
Once you get the hang of this system, picking your light, mid, and dark shades becomes so much easier. It’s like having a little color map built right into your markers!
To see it in action, check out the tutorial below on drawing sea animals with our new color system.
