There's Just Something About - Colour!

Before class reenactment

I've been working on perfecting my Creative Colour Class for a while now.

I am often asked colour advice at the yarn shop and also asked, "How do you do it? How can you just put things together? What's your process?" Well, partially, I don't know.... mostly, practice and training. I have a background in fine art and I've been a hair-colourist for nearly a decade too, which gives me all the scientific "whys" and "hows", my backgroud also gives me the language. BUT - I think that everyone has a instinctive and very personal way with colour. Most people that ask my advice really need another set of eyes... validation for what they already know and feel.

So, a bit on my class, but not too much because you'll just have to take it to get the whole kit-n-kaboodle... Hee, hee!

Class prep - getting organized:

I wanted to create a class that was part hands-on, part basic theory. I also wanted the class to be applicable to yarn-ies as well as just in general (as in, "I'm just kind of interested in colour").

I wanted participants to be able to build a palette for themselves and was very much inspired by the book, "The Art of Felt". The author of the book takes photographs and uses them as spring-borads for surface design. Great idea! I also wanted a large palette to work from and so I ordered the full range of the Knit Picks "Palette" yarn. FUN!

After class a reenactment:

Then I had to organize it and make it make sense for the class....

I also thought it was important to bring in my idea of "The X-Factor" which is a tool I use when creating my palettes. I was visiting my friend Lixolux in San Francisco and we took a scent mixing class with the amazing Yosh. During the class we were asked to rate each oil we sniffed in one of 4 ways. Either you loved it and couldn't live without it in your life, you hated it and it made you barf, you were completely indifferent and could care less OR you weren't sure if you hated it or loved it but it was worth note. This catagory is the X-Factor and it can be quite easily applied to colour in the same way it does with scent. These colours that are "worth note" can quickly become the most important part of your palette. They are the colours you should pay most attention to - they may just be the kick you need to make your palette really sing!

Smell Class:

To end off, here is the intro from my hand-out.... It's a little cheezy, but true (I think):

Colour surrounds us everyday! It affects our mood, evokes emotions, and has deep cultural significance.

The colours of a national flag or religious garb hold cultural significance. Even the names we give colours hold historical significance, for example, "Royal Blue" was the name given to the blues used by the court of Louis XIV!

The beautiful colours of a fresh salad, a sunset, your favorite work of art or your first car – evoke personal memories and feelings.

Everyone holds the creative and instinctual power of colour inside them. A unique, personal palette evident in the clothes we wear, the art we choose to decorate our walls, the bouquet of flowers that sits in the perfect vase – we gravitate to our favorites every time!