Color swatches are a great way to get color inspiration for your card marking. I love color, but I also know that some colors just don’t go well with other colors. I have spent a little time studying color theory on my own, but I must admit that I’m still confused.
Color Swatches Made Easy
Then, about six months ago, I stumbled upon a color coach that is made available by the Stampin’ Up!™ company. The coach is a simple card that shows you what color combinations go nicely with nicely with other colors. Here’s a coach sheet that shows what colors you could comfortably use with the color “Old Olive.”
As you can see, there are six ink colors that would look good with Old Olive: Blackberry Bliss, Balmy Blue, Flirty Flamingo, Poppy Parade, Sahara Sand and Pacific Point. How would you use? Well, you can stamp or color other images in one or more of these colors. Or, you can use a card layer in one of these shades. Or, you can use a decorative element, like sequin, ribbon, etc., in one of the colors.
Color Swatches In Action
Ashley Morrison, known as applelover53 at YouTube, shows how she uses the color coach in making a colorful card in her video, “How To Use The Colour Coach.” I enjoy listening to Ashley’s British accent as she simply and clearly explains stamping concepts.
Color Swatches Download
Would you like a copy of the color chart Ashley mentions in her video? If you do, you can download a complete Stampin’ Up Color Coach at the end of this post. I’ve printed this chart and cut the cards and have them hanging on a ring like Ashley shows us. Although these inks are Stampin’ Up® products, you can translate the shades or hues to any brand.
Use this color coach as a starting point to plan a design and select colors that complement. I’ll share more information about color selection in the future. In the meantime, let me know if you think the color coach is a useful tool.
