Using Holiday Snaps for Colour Inspiration

Choosing colour for an artwork or design can be a really fun part of the creative process, but sometimes the sheer amount of colour choice available is just a little bit overwhelming, so here's a few tips I've learned over the past few years to help...
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Of course, if the artwork or design is of flowers, animals, or birds I find the the natural colour of the flower, animal or bird is a great place to start, but for more abstract designs, or ones where you don't necessarily want the colours to look true to life, you can start by picking colours out of a favourite photo...
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Here are some I tried from some of my own holiday snaps...

Inspired by Venetian reflections

Inspired by Valletta waterfront at night

Inspired by Jura beaches

I like these colour combinations where there is a contrast between cool blues and warm oranges, golds, reds or pinks - it makes for an interesting colour scheme...
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Usually, I will need to tweak the colours slightly, when using them in one of my artworks or designs, changing the tone, or adding additional colours, to make them work better in the context of my artwork or design.

​I prefer to use these as a starting point rather than a strict guide - personal creativity is key!

​Get more colour and creativity hints and help in my free drawing resources section here...

And learn more about colour and composition in my full 'Confident Colour & Composition' course, here...
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Learn more about colour with my 'Confident Colour & Composition' course for artists

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