My Color Palettes

The Decision of a Color Palette…

Sometimes it is an urge where I saw an image, beautiful photography,  or some colors in a décor magazine, another artist's artwork,  or the colors in a scarf, that makes me want to use the main colors in that theme.

And very often, there is no urge, no specific idea, and I stand in front of the empty canvas, look at my color bottles, and think "which ones do I feel like playing with today". Some days I definitely want to include some playful colors like Magenta or Yellow, and some times I just want to create something more calm,  some days it's a cool palette, some days I like to incorporate some warm browns.

Whatever the mood is, there are a few favorite color combinations that I naturally feel drawn to, that I enjoy as a palette.

Here are some examples of few color themes  that I really love working with so far that I like to share with you.

1 - Vibrant Themes

Liveliness. Energy. Love. Passion. Joy. Being bold. Dreaming big.

Sometimes vivid flowers come to mind. Gardens. The joy of summer. Tropical delights. Sometimes it's the colorful abstract expression of passion, and excitement. Dreams and imaginations...

I love applying vibrant hues on the canvas, from magenta to turquoise, from yellow to green. This is by far my largest spectrum of work so far, as there are so many possibilities of creating excitement, contrast, energy, intrigue, and there is always a sense of exploration through a lot of different combinations of colors that I love to play with.

2 - Ocean Blues

Deep blues. Serenity. A sense of freedom. Feeling powerful, yet also calm...

I have always been a lover of the sea, the blues and turquoises of the ocean, the brilliance of the light reflecting through the water. So an influence of that can always be found in some of my works. While I typically love to work with various (contrasting) colors in one painting, you will see that I do like certain paintings that emphasize on the ocean blues or seaside vibe. In these paintings the oceanic colors work more in harmony with eachother, rather than bold contrasts. This is a color theme I will always love and have the need to express myself through once in a while....Whenever I feel the calling for feeling free and tranquil.

3 - A Touch of Earthy & Natural Colors

Feeling grounded. Connected to earth. Kindness. Humbleness. Balance...

This is a bit more of a newer exploration for me. At the beginning of my art practice I almost always gravitated toward very vivid colors only or the blue themes, but recently I felt the need to also pull in some natural or earthy hues as well. When I say earthy tones, the painting I create still is relatively vibrant, so for me it is more about bringing in some natural hues to tie into the color composition. I definitely want to explore more of the earthy and natural color palettes in the future.

Finding Your Color Calling...

I find that working with color palettes starts as an instinctive preference. Some of us are driven by putting on very intense colors on the canvas, and some artists will like a very beige-brown dominant composition.  And yet there is a huge spectrum of color orientations in between these two. The choice is driven based how we like to express ourselves or what colors we like to see around us - it emerges naturally for each artist. Yet there is also a sense of evolution where we artists may typically like to bring in some variations and new flavors over time and experiment with colors that were perhaps not an initial instinct. We may love to add new colors into our works and enjoy how they can add some new expressions into our paintings. Creativity is a continuing journey of exploration. As an example when I fist started I was rarely using yellow and almost never any brown color. Lately I really enjoy yellow accents in some of my paintings, and I also love to have brown as a neutral accent in some paintings. So, we definitely evolve over time. I don't think there will be a forever favorite palette for me, I think it will always keep changing.

My tip for new (or exploring) artists :

Paint and experiment - see what colors you love working with. What gives you more enjoyment when you see the color applied onto the painting surface. Think about what colors or color combinations you are drawn to in your daily life (whether in nature, or places, objects, your home, your garden, or in photography you admire). Is there a color that makes you feel better - whether it is a color that motivates you, or makes you happy, or makes you calm? Which emotion do you feel you like to emphasize or wish to have more in your life (joy, calmness, wildness, fun, mysteriousness, sense of strength, freedom…etc.)?  Colors (and color combinations) can express certain moods. There are lots of online resources on "color mood" (you can google it), but the best is for you to just try to think how you typically feel when you look at certain colors or places (as places provide clues for colors). And don't just think about colors (like blue, yellow, pink, or green), but also consider the lightness or darkness aspect as these qualities trigger different moods as well. Sometimes people tend to favor one over the other when it comes to visual enjoyment. And some enjoy both lightness and darkness presented in harmony (which is what I typically love too). We all are a bit different in how we perceive color and light/dark in our own world.  Finally, when you look at work of other artists - which color compositions are you drawn to most? Which artworks do you wish you had hanging in your own space? What colors do you often love to surround yourself with? These can be clues to the color palettes you would enjoy working with as an artist.

Having said all that, the simples tip is this:  just try various different things (palettes). By painting and observing how you feel as you create or as you complete your creation, you can find your color calling. And remember, we don't have to settle on a particular color theme at all! I often think it can be very seasonal where for a period we enjoy some colors more than others, but then like to change things up some times too.  Change is great!

I often get questions about which colors are my favorite or which ones I use. Or which would be my starter palette if I was just starting to acquire a collection of paints.

To help,  I have created a "Color List" that you can print out that includes my most used color codes among my paint inventory (my favorite colors) and a "starter palette" for those of you who are looking at some tips of how to start with a more limited color inventory. I also included a few "theme based" go to palettes that I enjoy working with.

You can download the Free 'Color Palette' PDF here.

So…What colors do you enjoy the most? Comment below!

Comments and answers previously made on my old Wordpress site:

• Barbara Rubenstein
  June 21, 2019 at 12:27 pm
  
  Deniz,
  Thanks for sharing AGAIN! You are so inspirational and helpful. Still waiting for you to hold a workshop 

  • Deniz Altug
    June 26, 2019 at 9:53 am 
    
    Thanks for the sweet feedback Barbara! I’m really happy to inspire…. and thanks so much for waiting for the course!…I can say I’m really busy working on it right now, and so far on target for offering the online course around mid fall 

• Vicci Stanger-cribb
  June 22, 2019 at 10:56 pm
  
  Thank you Deniz, for sharing your favorite colours. Iam a newbie to this world of art & creativity so at times its a bit overwhelming. So your support & info is very inspiring, do you have any interest in doing a online work shop? Cheers Vicci

  • Deniz Altug
    June 26, 2019 at 10:00 am
    
    Hi Vicci!, thanks for your comment and for being here! I am actively working on creating an online course on vibrant layering techniques using fluid acrylics and mediums (and the catalyst wedge). It will be ready later this year (in the fall). If you’re new I suggest for now just to create a lot without much worry of creating something great each time. Also, feel free to reach out via email if you have other questions.