Every Thursday for the past month, I’ve woken up thinking it’s Friday. Same thing happened today, so after racking my brain all morning for a spontaneous idea for a post, I’ve only got the palette I made for tomorrow. I’m going to roll with it, though.
Happy un-Friday to you!
Pantone released their 2013 Fall Color picks back at the beginning of February, but I’ve been sitting on this post for a couple months now. Mostly because I really loved the Spring Colors and I wanted to enjoy them for a while. And partly because I didn’t want to think about fall yet.
But because creatives work several months in advance, and some of you might already be working on (or planning) fall pieces and shows, let’s go ahead and talk about the fall colors.
Very simply put, I love them. Love them. Take a look:
Overall, they’ve got a cooler tone to them, but a few are still nice and saturated (my favorite kind of color). Compared to Fall 2012, I like these colors better. They’re more saturated and closer to colors I personally favor, where Fall 2012 seemed a little dull to me. I’m also loving pretty much every shade, versus last fall, when I didn’t immediately react to choices like Honey Gold or Rhapsody. What do you think about this year’s picks?
What I’m especially loving are the quasi-neutrals they included: Linden Green, Deep Lichen Green, Turbulence, and Carafe. I had a feeling those four colors will be so beautiful next to any and all of the other fall colors, so I starting playing with those first.
And I think I’m right – those neutrals/quasi-neutrals look fantastic with pretty much anything they’re paired with, which is great for color lovers like us since we can match up any other color to one of them and have it look good. Fall is usually when I start reaching for neutrals/quasi-neutrals more, so having more than one option is nice, too.
When I was playing with the swatches, I did have one surprise: I kept reaching for Vivacious a lot. I knew I’d be reaching for Samba and Koi, as those are deeper, richer versions of Poppy Red and Nectarine (which I’m a big fan of), and I love pretty much any blue, so Monaco Blue was a given. But Vivacious caught me off guard.
At first, I didn’t think I’d like it much, but the more I look at it, the more I think it’s beautiful. And it pairs really well with other colors, especially Deep Lichen Green, Turbulence, and Carafe. Those are my favorites to use with Vivacious because they really let it shine without taking anything away from it.
So while I obviously used Vivacious a lot, I also had fun pairing up the other colors, too (can you tell?). I can’t get enough of the blue-gray Turbulence, or the gray-greenish Deep Lichen Green. If I had to pick a favorite neutral, it’s a dark gray, so it’s fun to have two shades to play around with.
Your turn: what’s your favorite Fall 2013 color? Favorite pairing?
I had a couple of people email me some fun questions recently, so I thought I’d share those here with you, in case you, too, were curious.
A color usually jumps out at me, and very insistently demands my attention. If it’s coming from an inspiration source, like a photo, where there are other colors surrounding it, I may open up Photoshop and put together a palette with those colors; I do that for every color palette post I do here. I love making palettes because I’m already reacting to the colors in the photo, so chances are, I’m going to love the way they look separated out, too.
If it’s just the color screaming at me, I might play around with a color relationship. Complementary colors are fun to use, and I like tweaking it so one color is nice and bold while the other is softer, like the graphic above.
Or I might pair it up with another color I’m loving, like I did with Oh The Color’s branding. Those colors are pulled directly from Pantone’s Spring 2013 color report - the red is Poppy Red and the orange is Nectarine. I paired it with a quasi-neutral yellow (tan) because it needed another color to make it feel complete, but it needed something that wouldn’t compete, either. And it turned out I already had one quasi-neutral ready – I put Pantone’s Spring Colors together with a favorite quasi-neutral in this post, so I grabbed that and was on my way, color-wise. Funny enough, even though I wasn’t trying for it, OTC’s colors ended up being an analogous color scheme.
Try starting with your materials. When I was creating jewelry for my old shop, I’d use boro beads as my color source and match up rondelles to the colors I saw. Having an inspiration source is excellent for all skill levels because you have something to guide you or get you out of a creative rut.
If you’re feeling very nervous, or if your materials don’t necessarily give you color help, start by finding color palettes to work from or making your own. I’ve got a big Pinterest board full of color palettes to get you started.
As you start feeling more comfortable, try intentionally using the color relationships.
I know I said I’d do one in the new year, and five months in, I still haven’t delivered. I think it’s time to retire it and move on to a different kind of color challenge, if there’s interest. Maybe something a little more inclusive this time, as I know not everyone has access to a graphics program.
Depends on what you’re looking to do. I talked about the differences between Elements and Photoshop here, so if you’re looking to buy one, definitely read up on that.
I will say that most people don’t really need Photoshop; they buy it because they think they do, but they really don’t. Elements is absolutely fine for most people’s projects, with the exception being someone who’s learning graphic design (if that’s you, grab Photoshop – there are student discounts for it).
Between the two, I personally like Elements a little better. I find it a little easier to work with, though that could be because I’ve used it extensively for the past five years, versus Photoshop, which I didn’t have for a long time and have only started using more in the last two years. So, maybe I’m a little biased about the ease of Elements!
As for Lightroom, I have it installed, but I honestly haven’t had a chance to sit down and learn it, so I can’t give an honest opinion about it. The way I understand it, it’s a digital darkroom, so it’s only used for photo editing. Elements and Photoshop can be used for photo editing as well as creating graphics. Since both Lightroom and Elements retail for around $100 USD, I’d probably say grab Elements if you think you might want to create graphics.
I do have Adobe’s Creative Cloud, and I love it.
If you don’t know what that is, it’s a monthly subscription to Adobe’s programs. There are single-app (Adobe’s calling their programs apps now, though it’s not really an app like for your phone) subscriptions available in addition to a subscription for access to most of the programs Adobe makes. You can subscribe month-to-month, or commit to a year and have a lower monthly rate.
If you have a license to a CS3 version or later program, you get a discount for the complete plan for your first year (it’s $30 per month for 12 months); that’s what I did last year. Now that my first year is up, I’m paying $50 per month for the next 12 months. It’s a big chunk of money for someone who’s on a budget, but the trade off is that I have access to so many programs that I wouldn’t be able to afford any other way. Through my subscription, I’m able to use Photoshop, Illustrator, InDesign, and Lightroom – that’s all I’ve got installed right now, but I can also use other programs like Dreamweaver, After Effects, and Premiere Pro, too (among others).
The ability to use so many programs for one flat price is absolutely worth it to me. I don’t have a CD of each program like I used to, but I won’t have to worry about shelling out hundreds of dollars upfront for each program. I also don’t have to worry about upgrading, either, since those are included in my subscription.
Now, will most people need a Creative Cloud subscription? Probably not. But if you’re curious about how to use some of these programs, you’ve now got a comparatively inexpensive option to give them a try, and a year to learn how they work.
Got more questions? I’ve got answers. Leave a comment or email me!
P.S. I know some people have been having problems downloading freebies. I have no idea why it’s acting up, but I am working on a solution. When I get it fixed, I’ll let you know!
Sometimes I’m scared I’m going to use up all the creativity I have. Sometimes the creative flow is less like a tidal wave or a steady river, and more like a trickle. Those few drops are so precious because of what they inspire, but sometimes, they come so infrequently that it feels like they might never come again.
But the wise Maya Angelou is right.
I’ve recently rediscovered something I always knew, but frequently forget – when I get scared or stressed, fear cuts off the creative flow. It’s hard to see past the worry when you’re in it, and it’s sometimes hard to trust that the creative well won’t dry up when all you feel is a few drops.
What’s driving me now is a clear vision of what I want to do – I want to write this color theory book. This has been one of the clearest, if not the clearest, vision I’ve ever had. Focus has not always been my strongest point when it comes to myself, so it’s hard not to fall back into my comfort zone because everything I’m doing is something new and different for me. But that vision is so irresistible, I have to at least try.
And a funny thing happened when I got clear about what I wanted – I suddenly had this overflow of creative inspiration. That clear vision sparked another, which sparked another, and suddenly, I’ve got a plan of action for the next few months. Funny how that works.
I’ve already started putting it into action, too. Besides trucking along with my book (I’m about halfway done by the way, which feels great), I used some of that creative flow and started a Facebook page for this blog. I’ve been sharing new palettes and colorful links over there, so if you’d like to stop by, I’d love to have you. I then used more creative flow to start the layout mini class I mentioned Friday, and am brainstorming the next class after that. And then, I’ve got several more projects brewing that need a little more time before it’s ready to be shared.
I’m still nervous, but I’m working to remember that I can’t use up the creativity that’s flowing. So, I thought I’d post a little reminder today for me and anyone else that might be feeling the same way.
What about you? What’s the clearest vision you’ve ever had for yourself, your work, your art?
Another graphic collage, but this time, I’m not actually on a plane, I just included one. I’m a woman of varied interests, clearly.
This is a mash up of two photos, both taken while sitting in the passenger seat in the car. It’s my new favorite thing to do, actually, and it’s fun to see what you come up with. Even if the photos aren’t super great, they work beautifully as a background.
I’m hard at work with the color theory book and plans for the next mini class (which will be on creating photo/graphic templates in Photoshop, if you’re curious). But what do you think about a class on iPhone editing for after that? Yay or nay? If nay, what would you like to learn?
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