Evolution of a color scheme – step one

I’m creating a new color scheme, and I’m taking you with me. Interested? Here’s the scoop: Normally when I plan a new color scheme, there is very little actual planning involved. I have a vague idea of at least one hue that I want to use, and the rest comes about while standing in the clay aisle of Michael’s, comparing little packages to each other. I thought it might be fun to go a little deeper this time.

Plus, I’m going to let one of you name the color scheme and win a little prize when we’re done. Sound like fun? Ok, here we go!

I have a few self-imposed rules that I follow when making up color schemes:

• There must be three distinct hues.
• They must be vibrant, because over the course of canemaking, they will be lightened to varying degrees.
• They must look nice together (of course!)
• There must be one additional “lightening” color, usually white, but sometimes tan, gray, yellow, or cream.

So, let’s start considering colors, shall we? I know that I want to use some form of aqua and olive, along with a bright pink to complement those greens. I’ve spent enough time favoriting things in flickr over the last few months to know that I am very drawn to these colors right now. But how do I choose exactly what forms of these colors I want?

I am beginning by looking through my favorite photos and choosing the ones that are pleasing to me in that colorway. I used the free mosaic utility from Big Huge Labs to make the image you see at the top of this post. The feeling I get when I look at these pictures is the same feeling I want to get with my new color scheme.

The next step? Translate this mosaic into a palette of colors from which we can choose our three main hues. Stay tuned!