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!
Yay! I’m ready to go with you! Let’s go! Love this mosaic!
Thanks! Aren’t they great colors? 🙂
[…]We’re creating a new color scheme together, and our first step was to make a mosaic of photos that included colors we might want to use.[…]
[…] I’m kinda in the mood for a weekend. A crafty weekend. I know I left the “Evolution of a Color Scheme” posts hanging, but there is more to come. The next installment is already written, and I […]
What a great idea! Im going to be playing with this all afternoon!
It’s kind of addicting… I wish I could blow-off my whole to-do list today and just play with colors! I think maybe I would, too, if I didn’t have to get the house company-ready this morning 🙂