How to set colors???

Question

In the code below depending on which type I call I need it to display a different color but if I specify more then one color in paint it just uses the last color specified how can I specify a color in each type outside of paint??
Here is my code:
import java.awt.*;
import java.awt.geom.*;
import javax.swing.*;
public class IconGen extends JComponent{
private Color crystalblue = new Color(128,224,255);
private Color bamboogreen = new Color(170,255,170);
private Color salmon = new Color(255,128,128);
private     Polygon p = new Polygon();
private String type;          
IconGen(String type){     //Start IconGen
          if (type.equals("Hostile")){
               int[] x = {75,125,75,25};
               int[] y = {25,75,125,75};
               int pts = 4;
               p = new Polygon(x,y,pts);
               }     //End if Hostile
          else if (type.equals("Neutral")){
               int[] x = {25,100,100,25,25};
               int[] y = {25,25,100,100,25};
               int pts = 4;
               p = new Polygon(x,y,pts);
               }     //End if Neutral
          else{
               System.out.println("ERROR: " + type + " Unknown");
}     //End IconGen
public void paintComponent(Graphics g){
               Graphics2D g2 = (Graphics2D)g;
               g2.fill(p);

Answer 1

Your object is considered to be null until the completion of its constructor. What would need to be done is to have a simpler constructor, and some methods outside of the constructor which are called to create your graphics. This should get around the NullPointerException. I don't do a ton of graphics programming, so I'm not sure that this is the best way, but it should work.
m