Thinking in Color (or Colour, for our UK friends)

When I first started making jewelry in 2008, I started with bead stringing - and honestly, I wasn't very good at it. Bead stringing has a lot to do with color and visual texture and I am a little color challenged. I know when things look good together and when they don't, but I can't tell you why and I have a hard time planning in advance for things that will go together. Most of my successful color-centric pieces have been happy accidents and not really intentional statements.

Now that I'm getting more heavily involved in glass fusing and copper enameling, though, I am trying to get a better handle on what I'm doing from a color perspective, especially since the enamel powders - like ceramic glazes - often look nothing at all like their final result after firing and glass (especially the dichroic I love so much) changes radically in the kiln. Here are some of the resources I've been using to get inspired and learn more about color theory in laymen's terms.

Brandigirl Blog (Brandi Hussey)

In the interest of full disclosure, I should tell you that Brandi is someone I know - in fact, she helped me redesign my logo earlier this year. She recently wrote a really terrific three-part series on the basics of color theory and I highly, highly recommend it as a place to start.

Why Color Schemes Work, Part I 
Why Color Schemes Work, Part II 
Why Color Schemes Work, Part III

Her blog is also a place where you can regularly find some of the most beautiful and unusual color palettes, if you're looking for inspiration. (And her photography is stunning, too.)

Color Palette by Brandi Hussey, Brandigirl Blog

Color Palette by Brandi Hussey, Brandigirl Blog

Colour Lovers

This is a community site where a lot of different people create and post color palettes and patterns - and, like any other community, the results are a mixed bag. But it has some really fun features, including the option to find a palette you like and then use it to "color" available patterns in another part of the site.

A random palette from ColourLovers.com

Coloring patterns on ColourLovers.com

This can be a fun way to spend time when I'm feeling blocked - it has helped spark new ideas when I've been faced with a mat full of components and couldn't figure out what to do.

Design Seeds

Design Seeds may be one of my new favorite tools. Color specialist Jessica Colaluca posts daily palettes, with a twist. See a color that you really like? Choose it from the color list on the right and see more palettes that feature that color and similar colors. It's a great way to see a color you may be working with in multiple color combinations.

Color Palette by Design-Seeds.com

Palette Search Tool by Design-Seeds.com

So there you go, a few free and very useful resources to help you dig a little deeper into color. I hope you all have a very, very Merry Christmas, and that the coming year is filled with beautiful handmade things and much joy.

Until next time!