From Colour Chaos to Colour Confidence: My Simple Swatching System!

I'm so excited to share one of my absolute favourite studio practices with you today - creating your very own colour swatch library! 💖

I used to think swatching colours was just 'wasting time' that should be spent on creating paintings. But it's become one of the most valuable parts of my creative process! Not only is it perfect for those low-creativity days when you need a gentle way to get back into flow, but it's also an incredible confidence builder for colour mixing.

You know that feeling when you create the perfect colour but can't remember how you mixed it later? Or when you're starting a new painting and spending precious creative time trying to match colours from your last piece? I've got the perfect solution that's going to save you so much time and boost your colour confidence!

Let me share my personal method for creating a colour reference library that you'll actually use!

What You'll Need:

• 140lb watercolour paper (this weight is perfect for holding up to lots of paint!)

• Scissors or paper cutter

• Hole punch

• Loose leaf binder ring

• Your favourite acrylic paints

• A pen for noting down your magical mixtures!

Here's How I Do It:

First, I cut my watercolour paper into rectangles - these become your colour cards! Then comes the fun part - mixing and exploring different colour combinations! I paint each swatch with care, making sure to get that gorgeous opaque coverage we all love.

Right at the top of each card, I write down exactly what paints I used to create that colour, listing them in order from largest to smallest quantity. This way, when I am searching for a particular shade, I can easily recreate it!

Once my swatches are dry, I punch a hole in the top right corner and add them to my binder ring. This makes it so easy to flip through and find exactly the right colour inspiration for my next painting!

Tip: Keep a small stash of pre-cut cards ready for paint swatches. When you create a beautiful colour mixture, you can easily grab a card to paint a sample and note down the combination. This way, you'll never lose track of those perfect colour recipes!

I can't tell you how many times this little library has saved me when I'm in the middle of creating! Instead of stopping my creative flow to mix and test colours, I can quickly find exactly the combination I need. It's like having your own personal colour cookbook right at your fingertips!

The best part? This library grows with you! Every time you discover a beautiful new mixture, just add another swatch to your collection. Before you know it, you'll have an amazing reference filled with your very own colour recipes!

I absolutely love how this simple practice helps build confidence in colour mixing and in choosing colour palettes. It's like having a little library of possibilities right there in your studio!

If you'd love to learn more about how I work with colour to create those depth-filled, vibrant paintings join my Newsletter HERE where I'll be sharing more of my colour secrets with you soon!

Keep creating and experimenting with those beautiful colours!

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