Awash With Colour Hop - Scrap365

Hello and welcome to our Back to Basics Blog Hop - part II - Awash With Colour! The first hop was about composition and now we're adding colors into the mix! Joining us on this hop are the lovely ladies from the Pan Pastel UK design team who work with these glorious dry pigment colours on a daily basis. 

We were lucky enough to be given some to play with too - think chalk (without the dust) but creamier and easy to blend, in a host of colours each with four tonal shades; Pan Pastels have had us all ooh and aahing at Scrap365 HQ!

Premium Craft Brands have donated a fantastic set of Donna Downey Pan Pastels for the lucky winner of our Blog Hop prize draw. What you need to do is enjoy the hop and leave a comment when you've done hopping. You also need to follow the Scrap365 blog. You have until March 20th to hop.

Here is the list just in case you get lost:

Scrap365 and Ali's post - http://scrap365.blogspot.com/

Nikky Hall - http://nikkyhall.com/

Riikka Kovasin - http://paperiliitin.blogspot.co.uk/ (you are here!)

Lou Sims - http://lulucardmaking.blogspot.com/

Sandra Przbylska - http://sandrap2206.blogspot.co.uk/

Tracy Easson - http://queeniesscrapmad.blogspot.co.uk/

Lisa Saunders - http://scrappyfairies.blogspot.co.uk/

Terry Wietma Gerbes - http://www.cardscreativity.blogspot.co.uk/

Tracee Provis - http://stresstickled.blogspot.co.uk/

Claire Chapman - http://clairescraftycreations.blogspot.co.uk/

Natalie Macdonald - http://njmacs.blogspot.co.uk/

RETURN to Scrap365 -http://scrap365.blogspot.com/

source: Design Seeds

When I'm thinking what colors to use on a layout my starting point is the photo. Is there a palette I can use? Or do I want the layout to make me think about a certain mood? If I'm using a black and white photo all the colors of the rainbow are mine to use as neutrals like black and white go with everything. 

But if you're stuck with choosing a palette, there's plenty of help to be found from in the net. For example for this hop we were sent to browse the Design Seeds site and find a palette from there. Ali asked us to step a bit away from our comfort zone so I couldn't go totally with the blues and turquoises I love so much. Instead I chose this palette called "Spectrum Hues" for my starting point.

I have noticed that I work best with analogous color schemes and I'm usually in trouble if I need to use a complementary color scheme. My survival trick then is to think about the proportions of color. So for this hop I created two layouts using the same palette seen above. As you can see from the sneak photos above and below, the colors are very different while the same palette is in use. For the other one I used the reds and warm colors with just a touch of the cold ones (green and turquoise) and just the opposite with the other.

If you want to know more about the color schemes, I suggest you check out this series by Nathalie Kalbach. There's also plenty of color theory to be found online. Even though I rarely think about the science or "rules" behind the art, it's useful to know your primaries, contrasts and how the colors mix.

Here's my first take on the palette - warm, rich colors and just a touch of turquoise and green in there. I chose this photo for this layout as the reds can also be found on my daughter's coat.

I used similar technique while creating the backgrounds for the layouts so that doesn't distract from the impact the scheme has. The backgrounds are done by using the PanPastels we were given. I just love their creamy texture and how easily they blend and mix.

First I stenciled a pattern to the background using gesso and let it dry thoroughly. Then added the colors with the PanPastels. After sealing the colors with a touch of fixative, I stamped doily pattern using watermark ink and then added some pastels on top to highlight the pattern.

Materials: PanPastels, Canvas Corp, Crafter's Workshop, Prima Marketing, Tsukineko, Tattered Angels, 3rd Eye, Ranger, Echo Park, BadgesFolie, Teippitarha, Carta Bella, Studio Tekturek, Evalicious, Garn und Mehr

As you can see, I didn't use the palette as one on one in these layouts, but more of a starting point to my creations. All the pinks and oranges aren't the actual same hue as in the palette, but I did use two reds, orange, lime green and turquoise in these pages.

And here's the other page. This time I used the green and turquoise in the background and as main colors and brought just a touch of the two reds and a little bit more of the orange. 

See how different the pages look even though the background technique is the same and they both have similar "tuck it all under the photo" style of composition? The atmosphere in these two is totally different and that's thanks to the colors. They were both created using the same palette, but it's how the palette is used that makes them different. You don't have to use the colors in equal amounts when using a palette. 

To better see how a certain color palette can be used in a number of ways, please check the CSI challenge galleries, for example the one with Scrap365 co-operation. All the creations are done using the same named colors plus possibly neutrals and there isn't two pages alike! 

Wishing you a lovely, colorful day and enjoy the hop! I hope you have enjoyed your stay here at my blog! Your next stop is Lou Sims, so hop on!

Materials: PanPastels, Canvas Corp, Crafter's Workshop, Prima Marketing, Tsukineko, Tattered Angels, My Mind's Eye, Color Conspiracy, BadgesFolie, Teippitarha, Carta Bella, Evalicious, American Crafts, Garn und Mehr