The thing that strikes me most about this month’s lovely painting from Cezanne is the tonal quality of all the colors. We’ve had inspiration paintings in the past with a full rainbow of colors represented. But this month, and in this painting, all of the colors are all the cool side. See how even red and yellow, the warmest colors on the color wheel, seem quieter, colder?
So as you design this month, aim for those cooler shades.
For warmer colors, like red, orange, and yellow, you want to look for darker, less saturated shades. Dark ruby instead of fire engine red, browner oranges instead of tangerines, mustard-y yellows instead of sunshine. You’ll have more range of colors to work with in the yellow and orange family, but the reds don’t change nearly as much.
Similarly, aim for beads in that very specific shade of dark blue (third swatch from the left). That color is seen in touches all over the painting, and doesn’t vary very much, like the red. On the lighter side of blue (and blue-green), you have more to play with – light aquas and blues, medium teals, and all of those subtle shades in the background area. For the greens, stick to dark green, yellow-green, and brownish greens.
And because I’m working on a project where I’m playing with color proportions, I thought I’d share the breakdown of this month’s colors. You tell me, is seeing the color proportions helpful?
Which colors, or combos, are you drawn to this month?
autumndawns
November 6, 2013 at 1:46 pmI love the background colors, the way they blend. And I'm drawn to the reds and yellows of the fruit.
I prefer the original color bar as opposed to the proportioned one.
Your color palletes are one of my favorite parts of the ABS Monthly challenge.
I read on your blog that there are changes coming in 2014. I hope you will continue to do the color palletes for the ABS Monthly challenge.
Monique (A Half-Baked Notion)
November 6, 2013 at 3:26 pmThanks for offering the balanced palette, Brandi (the second)… my math-mind grooves on this 🙂 I'm printing that one. Now to find time to design…
TesoriTrovati
November 6, 2013 at 5:49 pmI like them both. It is funny, but I never really saw the seafoam green of the background until you pointed it out. I was drawn to the colors of red and orange and gold in the fruit! Enjoy the day. Erin
Sarajo Wentling
November 7, 2013 at 1:20 pmI like them both, but I find the proportional one really helpful. The artwork on its own wasn't really speaking to me, but maybe now that I'm seeing your palettes…
fulgorine
November 7, 2013 at 2:53 pmI like the proportions. The colour that strikes me first, and which isn't in the palette, is the white of the cloth 🙂
Angela Lund-Logan
November 7, 2013 at 3:03 pmBright green. I have an obsession with green. The first thing I saw were the bright green apples.
Perhaps a wine theme would work with this piece.
Lori Bowring Michaud
November 9, 2013 at 12:42 pmLove this palette, these are the colors in my home!
Kathy Lindemer
November 13, 2013 at 3:02 pmI do find the proportions helpful. I never really thought about using color proportions before ! I love the aqua and blends of blue in the background . The color palette and proportions helped me decide what I am doing. It has been a rough decision this month?