What inspires someone to create in certain colors? Where did they come up with the color combinations? Did they see them on TV inspired by a personality or movie star? Or maybe they see something in a magazine or just in nature or on adventurous exploration trips. As an artist or designer color combinations can be quite the challenge because of the wide ranges to choose from.
Where ever a designer or artists gets their inspiration, it is their own and is really reflected in the art they create. I recently read a great article in the new Beading 101 & Beyond by Bead Style; “How to Mix Colors”. “Color choices are very subjective. Three great places to start when combining colors and building your color confidence; the color wheel, fashion trends and color forecasts, and ‘snapshots’ from your everyday life.”
Color wheels can be found anywhere on the Internet and are an easy way to show complimentary color combinations; you can choose from primary colors, secondary colors, and tertiary colors. It helps to create a broader look at several colors rather than just a few.
Fashion trends and color forecasts are predicted months in advance of the seasons by the expert fashion industry. To find out the latest in ‘hot or in’ colors, browse thru your local mall or favorite mail-order clothes catalog. I also will browse thru the weekly Sunday paper sales ads and some of the women’s magazines just to see what people are wearing. I keep color charts that are published from year to year; this gives me an idea of what comes and goes and what stays as a ‘staple’….my advice, never throw out anything!
Snapshots of nature, sunsets, and those vacations can bring a lot of inspiration to your designing world. There is no better palette to draw from than that of nature itself.
Sometimes you may see a very striking jewelry piece that really accents the individual; often what we wear is a reflection of who we are; our personality or what we want to become. Jewelry can be a staple for most or an accent to finish off the best dressed or it can predict the personality of the individual. For a moment, wonder through your own jewelry collection and see what you might have…..do you wear a lot of sterling silver, gold, maybe a combination of the two or do you wear a lot of copper or maybe a little bit of everything.
One of my favorite quotes is by Thomas Merton "The imagination should be allowed a certain amount of time to browse around." The more you keep things ‘fresh’ and browse around letting your imagination create, will lead to some of the best creations of our talents. Don’t be afraid to walk on the wild side and try things you have never done before; you just never know what might work and what won’t until you try!
Where ever a designer or artists gets their inspiration, it is their own and is really reflected in the art they create. I recently read a great article in the new Beading 101 & Beyond by Bead Style; “How to Mix Colors”. “Color choices are very subjective. Three great places to start when combining colors and building your color confidence; the color wheel, fashion trends and color forecasts, and ‘snapshots’ from your everyday life.”
Color wheels can be found anywhere on the Internet and are an easy way to show complimentary color combinations; you can choose from primary colors, secondary colors, and tertiary colors. It helps to create a broader look at several colors rather than just a few.
Fashion trends and color forecasts are predicted months in advance of the seasons by the expert fashion industry. To find out the latest in ‘hot or in’ colors, browse thru your local mall or favorite mail-order clothes catalog. I also will browse thru the weekly Sunday paper sales ads and some of the women’s magazines just to see what people are wearing. I keep color charts that are published from year to year; this gives me an idea of what comes and goes and what stays as a ‘staple’….my advice, never throw out anything!
Snapshots of nature, sunsets, and those vacations can bring a lot of inspiration to your designing world. There is no better palette to draw from than that of nature itself.
Sometimes you may see a very striking jewelry piece that really accents the individual; often what we wear is a reflection of who we are; our personality or what we want to become. Jewelry can be a staple for most or an accent to finish off the best dressed or it can predict the personality of the individual. For a moment, wonder through your own jewelry collection and see what you might have…..do you wear a lot of sterling silver, gold, maybe a combination of the two or do you wear a lot of copper or maybe a little bit of everything.
One of my favorite quotes is by Thomas Merton "The imagination should be allowed a certain amount of time to browse around." The more you keep things ‘fresh’ and browse around letting your imagination create, will lead to some of the best creations of our talents. Don’t be afraid to walk on the wild side and try things you have never done before; you just never know what might work and what won’t until you try!
