5 tips when choosing your colour palette for your artwork
Do you struggle with choosing colours for your work? or just want to have a nose at how i pick my colours, this is the right place.
Colour can be overwhelming, and believe me i have been there.
there are so many rules, tones, hues, tints, shades.. i could go on but I won’t. What i will say is for scrap the rules, the worry and the fear and get mixing instead.
“scrap the rules and just get mixing”
noW BEFORE YOU DOUBT ME, I DO UNDERSTAND RULES HAVE PURPOSE AND CAN BE USEFUL TOOLS. HOWEVER THEY CAN ALSO BE RESTRICTIVE AND BORING. SO WITH THAT IN MIND I ADVISE JUST GETTING YOUR PAINTS AND START MIXING, EXPLORE COLOUR, LEARN AS YOU GO AND WHEN YOU HIT A WALL, THAT IS WHEN YOU NEED TO LOOK AT THE RULES. THIS IS WHEN YOU CAN LOOK UP THE COLOUR WHEEL, RESEARCH SECONDARY COLOURS, HOW TO HARMONISE YOUR COLOURS AND MORE!
tHINGS TO CONSIDER
WHAT ARE YOU TRYING TO SAY WITH YOUR WORK
HOW DOES COLOUR MAKE YOU FEEL
HOW IMPORTANT IS COLOUR TO YOU
WHAT ARE YOUR COLOUR SENSITIVITIES
LEAN IN TO YOUR UGLY COLOURS
BONUS TIP - USE YOUR JOURNALS & SKETCHBOOKS
What are you trying to say with your work?
What i mean by this is are you trying to evoke a certain emotion, a feeling or an idea? for me my work stems from nature and emotions. I strive to create reimagined landscapes and moments of calm against chaos. take some time to consider what it is you want to portray and think about how colour comes into this?
2. hoW DOES COLOUR MAKE YOU FEEL?
COLOUR MEANS SOMETHING DIFFERENT TO EVERYONE. FOR ME COLOUR IS A WAY OF SHOWING MY PERSONALITY, IT IS A SAFE SPACE TO EXPLORE NEW IDEAS AND IDENTITIES. TAKE THE COLOUR GREEN, FOR ME IT IS BOTH A SENSE OF CALM AND A SENSE OF GROWTH. THE COLOUR RED ON THE OTHER HAND IS A DEEP SHOCK VALUE COLOUR, IT IS MEANINGFUL AND CAN LEAD TOWARDS POSITIVE OR NEGATIVE EMOTIONS. GRAB YOUR JOURNAL OR SKETCHBOOK, TAKE A LOOK AROUND YOUR HOME, GO ON A WALK AND TAKE NOTES ON WHAT YOU NOTICE AND WHAT COMES TO MIND, HOW THE COLOURS AROUND YOU MAKE YOU FEEL.
3. hOW IMPORTANT IS COLOUR TO YOU AND YOUR WORK?
YOU CAN CREATE A CERTAIN FEELING OR LOOK WITHOUT USING MUCH COLOUR AT ALL. ON THE OTHERHAND YOU CAN CREATE AN EXPLOSION OF COLOUR TO HAVE THE OPPOSITE EFFECT. THINK ABOUT THE FIRST TWO QUESTIONS AND YOUR ANSWERS. IS COLOUR WHAT YOU WANT TO FOCUS ON OR IS SOMETHING LIKE MARK MAKING, TEXTURE OR PATTERN MORE IMPORTANT TO YOU, YOUR WORK AND WHAT YOU ARE TRYING TO SAY?
4. WHAT ARE YOUR COLOUR SENSITIVITIES?
YOU MAY KNOW THIS STRAIGHT AWAY, YOU MAY NOT. THIS IS AN IMPORTANT PART OF WHO YOU ARE AS AN ARTIST AND CAN BE A GREAT WAY TO EXPLORE COLOUR. I WANT YOU TO THINK ABOUT THE COLOURS THAT AUTOMATICALLY BRING YOU JOY. WRITE THOSE DOWN AND WHY, THEN THINK ABOUT THE COLOURS YOU REALLY DONT LIKE. THE ONES THAT YOU THINK AND FEEL NO TO REALLY QUICKLY. THIS IS YOUR INNER PALETTE, START WITH THESE COLOURS AND LOOSE THE ONES YOU DON’T LIKE FOR NOW.
think of this like exercising. we all know exercise is good for us both mentally and physically but sometimes theres a mental block or a fear of failure. but if you try different types, lets say you try running and its horrible (hello! me) you usually would try something else like a combat class. you enjoy that so you keep at it. thats what its like trying to work with colours you don’t like until you find the ones you do. work with yourself not against.
5. LEAN INTO YOUR UGLY COLOURS
this section has two parts to it. what i mean by this is you need to learn to lean into your not so favourite colours, the muddy ones, the less exciting hues. i promise if you add some of that into your piece it will make the other colours sing.
I also want you to push yourself to play with those colours you dislike. i know i said before to stay away from them earlier. but once you have built up your confidence with colour you can now push yourself into exploring more. try painting with your least favourite colour, mix it into as many different hues and variances you can. i bet you land on a new shade that pushes your work in a new direction,
i could keep going, there are so many ways to have fun and enjoy colour. but for now i will leave you to go and try it for yourselves.
this whole art thing? its about having fun, finding out who you are and what drives you.
it is certainly not a skill you aquire in one day and no matter where you are in your art journey, its never too late and you can do it. so go.
