Do you want to know how to make beautiful color palettes from ugly colors? We’re thrilled to be able to share a guest post today from illustrator and color enthusiast, Mara Penny.
If you’ve watched any of our free Facebook Live events, you’ll already know that color can be a dealbreaker for top art agent and Make Art That Sells co-founder and teacher Lilla Rogers, but getting started with color can be intimidating. Don’t panic! Let Mara break it all down and show you how you can easily make beautiful color palettes …
How to make beautiful color palettes from ugly colors
Hello everyone!
My name is Mara Penny and I live in Oakland, California. I am one of Lilla’s artists after joining Lilla Rogers Studio just over two years ago. I have taken many, many Make Art That Sells courses over the last five years and am a verified Make Art That Sells super-fan! (I made this geranium piece in Bootcamp a few months ago). Although I went to a fancy art school, I have learned more in Make Art That Sells than I ever did in college. Yay Make Art That Sells !
Today I want to talk about one of my favorite subjects: COLOR! Over the years, in every single Make Art That Sells class, I’ve noticed other artists talk about their struggle with using color in their work or even being afraid of it. I am here to help! I love love love putting together color palettes. In fact, I often start new projects with a favorite shade I’ve been crushing on … trust me, it’s a thing. (Sidenote: My daughter, Olive, and I talk about our favorite colors of the day each night at bedtime).
I especially like to incorporate so-called “ugly” colors into my palettes. Now there are no ugly colors, it’s all about juxtaposition, baby! And that is where the magic lies! Pro tip: Adding weird colors make your favorite shades sing!
First, let’s review some basic color theory:
Hue: Color like blue or red.
Value: How light or dark something is.
Tone: Created by adding gray to a pure hue.
Shade: Created by adding black to a pure hue
Tint: Created by adding pure white to a hue.
Monochromatic: Different shades in the same hue.
Analogous: The main color and the colors on either side on the color wheel.
Complementary: Opposite sides of the color wheel. Blue/Orange, Red/Green, Yellow/Purple
Triadic: Yellow/Blue/Green or Purple/Orange/Green
I have come up with a few different techniques to help challenge myself to create color palettes using colors I’m not particularly drawn to. Color is such an important part of the art making process, it sets the mood for the whole piece, it’s worth fine tuning it until it’s just right.
I definitely have favorites hues that I gravitate towards but I really try to vary my palette with each piece I make. Of course I’m not always successful and will fall back on old favorites because they’re the right fit for that specific piece. Blue and green forever!!
COLOR EXERCISES TO TRY WHEN YOU’RE STUCK IN A RUT
I seriously find this endlessly entertaining.
The Ugly Duckling Color Challenge:
Build a color palette around an “ugly” color. Choose a color you don’t like and mix five colors that will make it sing!
This palette started with the olive-brown wall color in the background. I find that some colors just love each other and it’s almost irresistible to keep apart. Like mustard and teal. Or peach and olive! Delicious!
Same/Same Color Challenge:
Build a monochromatic color palette using full color range from a single hue. Mix jewel tones, pastels, neon, primary, neutral, muted, bright, bold, pale and pure color.
This piece was inspired by a family trip to the redwoods in northern California. We hiked into a glen of thick clover and ferns, everything was carpeted with them. The giant redwoods towered high above us. Everything was so lush and green, even the air itself seemed green. It’s one of the most magical places I have ever been.
On Trend But Still You Color Challenge:
Build a color palette based on one trendy color (like millennial pink) but make it your own by adding five different hues.
This floral bat pattern started with millennial pink. I was crushing hard on millennial pink at the time and made a bunch of pieces using it as my starting point. I wanted it to feel light and summery but the contrast of the black bats on the pink background felt overwhelmingly heavy and too Halloween for my liking. I tried it with a darker background and voila! Strangely, by darkening the background I was able to achieve the summery feel I was looking for.
Now, onto a more controversial topic. Terracotta! It’s currently a huge color trend that I’m seeing across all markets. Terracotta ranges from a light dusty peach to dark rusty orange. Honestly, it can be a polarizing color. Whether you love it or hate it, it makes a lovely partner when pairing it with other colors.
I broke out my trusty paint chips to see where they lead. I illustrated a simple vintage key pattern and created some color palettes using several shades of terracotta, my color challenges and basic color theory.
Ugly Duckling Color Palette : Lilac + Terracotta + Mustard
Hold the phone!! Two controversial colors in one palette?! Lilac and terracotta. I personally adore all shades, tones and tints of purple but many people do not. You see, I was a purple and pink girl growing up and I’ve never been able to shake it. This looks like a dreamy cupcake to me!
Color Palette Same/Same: Terracotta + Terracotta + Terracotta
This is a whole lotta terracotta! All the terracotta. Right here. Just for you.
Color Palette Same/Same: Cinnamon + Terracotta + Lilac
Lucky you! I made a second, more contrasting, same/same terracotta palette.
Make It Your Own, On Trend Color Palette: Millennial Pink + Terracotta + Carnation Pink + Mustard + Hot Pink
You had me at pink! Hot pink is magic. It makes everything better and that’s the truth, Ruth.
Make It Your Own, On Trend Color Palette: Taupe + Terracotta + Carnation Pink + Mustard
This is just a gimme. I mean, come on.
Complimentary Color Palette: Cobalt Blue + Terracotta + Orange + Cornflower Blue + Coral
Blues and oranges love each other. They are complementary colors after all!
Complimentary Color Palette: Slate Blue + Terracotta + Ice Blue + Pale Olive
You could argue that this palette has every color of the muted rainbow in it! We have a red, orange, yellow, green, blue and purple in there! Yet it’s soft and not garish.
Thank you so much for indulging me in my color fantasies and giving me an opportunity to play! I hope you learned a trick or two. Please tag me if you post something inspired by my color challenges! I can’t wait to see your deliciously ugly color palettes!
Thanks so much, Mara! If you want to see more of Mara’s incredible artwork then be sure to check out her website here and her Instagram here.
Want more color fun? Get a FREE download of Lilla’s nutty color palette game here!
FREE DOWNLOAD! Would you like to have some fun with color? Lilla created a playful quirky worksheet all about color palettes and how you can create them in the run up to Assignment Bootcamp – read more and get your FREE download here!
Lots of love
The MATS team xxx
