Sometimes I am overwhelmed by all the choices in my everyday life. Should I sleep late and skip breakfast? Watch Oprah or go to the gym? Clean the house or work on my art projects-my easiest decision. Unfortunately the choices don’t stop when I enter my art room. I am overwhelmed by all the colors of paper, embellishments and inks stored in the plastic containers scattered about my room. How do I choose colors that work well together?
Many of my artist friends live by the color wheel. I understand the color wheel, but I’m not sure how to make it work for me. I decided to conduct my own research on color and I thought I’d start with the basics: warm, cool, monochromatic and neutral colors. These are the color palettes used to set the mood or tone in artistic work.
What do you think of when you hear the word "warm"? A crackling fire? A blazing sun? Red, yellow, and orange are the colors used to create the sensation of intensity, excitement and warmth. Do you need a little spice in your life? Add warm colors and add energy and feelings.
Close your eyes and think of a cloudless blue sky or an endless pasture of green. Does your heart rate slow? The cool colors of blue and green are soothing and relaxing. Working in cool colors is like a trip to the spa-well, almost. Stress and anxiety melt away. Slow down and enjoy the cool colors in your world.
Are you still unsure of what colors work well together? There is one easy, surefire way to guarantee that your colors will always be perfect - a monochromatic palette. Create a monochromatic palette by adding white and black to a basic hue. To make this process even simpler, many companies have created monochromatic product lines. You can buy monochromatic papers, embellishments and even inkpads.
Neutral colors were difficult for me to understand. Some people list neutral colors as black, white, gray and brown. Others only list black, white and gray. What happened to brown?
Technically neutral colors are the colors not found on the color wheel, specifically black, white and gray. But don’t let that little detail concern you. Artists and designers often include brown in the neutral palette. Shades of brown coordinate nicely with other colors.
Of course, nothing involving color is truly simple. Purple can be a warm color and a cool color. Even an intense red can have cool undertones. Understanding color palettes is just the beginning. I recommend experimenting with color palettes. Add a little turquoise to your warm hues and a little yellow to your cool tones. You may enjoy the results.
