JustSketchMe

How to keep a colour journal

Colours! Anyone who's tried to embark on a journey to the wonderful world of hues and shades knows it can be a tricky thing to master. Solution: a colour journal of your own!

Step 1 - Start by asking yourself the following questions: How familiar am I with different types of colour theory? Do I understand how colour works in a digital space vs in a physical space? Look up a basic definition of hue, value, and saturation. Understanding these ideas is the beginning of your journey in keeping a colour journal!

Step 2 - Look around you! Write an account of your day. What colours make up the shadows that you see? How does lighting affect your surroundings? Did you wake up at 2 am and notice that everything was super washed out and desaturated? Did you collect any beautiful pics, or collage anything? What about it attracted you to it?

Step 3 - Expand on your account by backing it up with pictures - It helps if you take photos of what inspired you. For example, because It was a friend of mine who inspired the colour picking (looking at complementary colours in her eyes, hair and make-up) I started by using those colours to colour pick, but then took it further by searching pictures that those colours made me think of.

Step 4 - Analyse the colours that you've chosen. Are the colours you've chosen high or low in value? Are they high or low in saturation?

Step 5 - Keep repeating this process. Having a better understanding of the world and colours around you will really help you to have a better understanding of how to be more conscious of how to use colour in your own work. By taking notice of and making swatches of colours that stand out to you you can also understand what kinds of colours you are attracted to and how to create better colour palettes.