rinelica answered:
That’s an interesting question! I like both, white is more canon I think (she’s the White Witch) and imo is a neutral “colour” so I never felt like it made Mai too sharp, but pink certainly can give a warmer take.
In my art I ended up preferring to use a more pinkish tint (partly because I don’t really enjoy colouring with real white/black, too neutral) :
I know the colour limitation of the PC-98 can be tricky, but Mai’s in-game white and black (and Yuki’s, these are the same colours) have a reddish shade/light. This was something I found interesting to keep, contrasting with the overall coldness.
- This pinkish white is used by a lot of characters (These 2 + Reimu/Marisa/Alice/Shinki) and could be seen as a warm white. There’s also a blueish white (used by Mima/Yuuka/Sara/Yumeko) which could be a colder white.
- The reddish black is very red, unlike Marisa’s black which is more purplish (looking darker). Other black things, like the Grimoire of Alice and Yumeko’s bow are pure black with no light. Shinki’s bow, on the other hand, is the same reddish black as Yuki’s/Mai’s.
Ultimately, the warmth and the not-Marisa-like black are the big reason why I chose to keep the reddish tint of Mai’s/Yuki’s “black and white”. 3 black and white witches is quite a lot so if I have an opportunity to make the palette differ, I take it. And like I said, I like the contrast of the reddish, warm coloured clothes with the very blue and cold World of Ice and Snow!
So I agree with you about how pink can give Mai a warm look which fits her shenanigans. I still use “cold” colours in the palette to contrast with the clothes and to hint that the “warmth” is a façade, obviously with the blue but also with her skin, which I colour with a very very fair cool tone.