January Monthly Challenge Color Palette

I love this month’s challenge piece from Lois Mailou Jones, how about you? In the dreary months of winter, I want color, color, color, and this artwork delivers in spades.

The colors this month are pretty evenly used, and no one color absolutely stands out from the rest. This is great news for designers, because then you can choose whichever color you love best as a focal point (if you’re designing around a focal). Me, I’m drawn to that muted aqua, but that bright yellow is also calling to me. It’s so cheerful!

Pretty much every color on the color wheel is represented here, but there are very distinct shades. If you’re using yellow, opt for a light golden yellow or a darker, more muted mustard yellow over bright sunshine or canary yellow shades. If you’re looking at the purples, go for the red-purple of the smaller flowers or the blue-purple shade in the aqua leaf in the middle bottom of the image. The red is definitely on the pinker side, so avoid the true reds and go for a pinkish shade instead (think more ruby than garnet).

Overall, the colors are a touch muted, so if you’re following the inspiration artwork faithfully, opt for slightly grayer shades of each and you can’t go wrong this month.

Your turn: which colors are you drawn to?