As a ‘yarn artist’, I am often faced with the task of choosing Colours that I hope will go together beautifully in a project. Putting colours together when designing a product is incredibly exciting and really is part of the fun. However, it can sometimes be a little daunting, because there is no guarantee that anyone else will like my Colour choices. Naturally, I do my best to make products that I think will be appealing to many people. After all, if they are not appealing to anyone, they will never leave the shop!
When I am asked to work on a custom order, it is much easier to decide on the colours, even if it make take a little time. That’s because the customer comes to the table with an idea in their head…usually. It is not very often that I am asked to create something with no direction whatsoever. That has only happened to me once in all the time I have had my little business. All I was asked to do was to make a tea cosy which was to be a retirement present. To be fair to the customer, who happens to be my sister, she didn’t really know the person she was gifting. However, she knew that the person was a tea lover and that someone else had got them a teapot. Anyway, like I said, it’s different when creating a custom order, because the customer usually comes with a palette in mind and either knows exactly what they want, or they have a good idea. They will have done the hard work by choosing the design and the colours, and all I have to do it make their idea come to life.
When I am creating stock items for my Etsy Shop, it is pretty much down to me and my imagination and artistic licence. Sometimes I will consult my nearest and dearest, because it’s always nice to get someone else’s opinion, and, if I am honest, even I am not sure which colours to put together! It’s an unofficial survey, in a way, and, importantly, it provides me with a different perspective. It would be quite big headed of me to say I always get it right. On a handful of occasions I have deactivated a listing and changed the colour combination completely, because at second glance, the original colour combination looked quite hideous. Okay, someone might think as a designer I should never admit to making (costly!) mistakes; but, I’m human and I prefer to be ‘real’, and the reality is, sometimes I do get it wrong and I need a bit of help. There are times when I have asked my social media followers to help me out, especially when I can’t decide between two options. I usually go with the majority ‘vote’ on that occasion, but if there are enough positive responses on the other option, I end up making another item in the alternative colour combination, thereby increasing my inventory. I trust my followers because they are genuinely lovely people. I really love engaging with people in this way. I really value their opinion and I appreciate their honest.
Having worked with so many different colours and colour combinations over the years, I would like to think that I have sussed out combinations that work. But, as I said, I don’t always get it right. Some people have asked me how I choose the colours I put together. In most cases, it’s an organic thing, something that comes naturally, but with some thought into how the colours will interact with each other. I go with a feeling and if it feels right, I go with it. Whilst things can look ‘right’, I am not sure there is really a ‘wrong’ look. That’s because we are all so different and beauty is in the eye of the beholder.
There is no right or wrong way to choose the colours to use in your project. However, if you are thinking about a custom order but you haven’t quie figured out which colours to go for, there are a few things to consider, which could help you find your perfect colour combination.
1- Gut instinct and Emotion
Go with your gut instinct. We are surrounded by colour and we are drawn to certain colours because of the way they make us feel. Colour is linked to our emotions in a psychological way. Colour invokes emotions in us, even when we are not actively aware of it Different colours make us feel different things emotions and they mean something to us. There are colours which spark joy in us, colours which make us feel warm, cold, happy, worried…The incredible thing is, the colours which evoke a certain emotion is not always the same for everyone. Some people see red as a passionate colour, whilst some see it as danger and it makes them worried or anxious. Some people find blue calming, whilst others find it cold and depressing.
2- Coordinate vs Contrast
Some people believe that you should coordinate your tea cosy with your home decor, tea ware or other teatime accessories such as tea towels, napkins, table cloths, etc. Others would say that a splash of colour against a neutral background is a far better, interesting and exciting choice. Who is right? Who is wrong? My personal feeling is that you should go with what works for you. This is your tea cosy, in your home. So never mind what anybody else thinks or believes. Do what you want to do and get the cosy that sparks joy in you. There is no right or wrong choice and nobody should ever tell you to follow a certain trend, just because that’s what everybody else is doing. We are all different and have different tastes, different thoughts and idea and different personalities. Life would be extremely boring if we were all the same! It is all about you and how you feel about something. Sometimes a tea cosy doesn’t have to match or coordinate with anything at all in your house. Sometimes, that can actually be a good thing, because the tea cosy becomes the centrepiece and it could be a real conversation starter. If something looks pretty in your eyes and you want it, I say go for it. Who knows, it may be the thing that influences your next tea towel purchase! Beauty, after all, is in the eye of the beholder.
2- The Colour Wheel
The Colour Wheel was invented by Isaac Newton in 1666. He mapped the colour spectrum onto a circle, known as the colour wheel. This colour wheel shows the relationship between colours and is the basis of colour theory. Colours that look good together are called a colour harmony. By using the rules of colour combinations, you can use the colour wheel to find colour harmonies. The different colour combinations are known as complementary, monochromatic, analogous, triadic and tetradic. It may sound complicated, but in reality, the names are actually quite self-explanatory. The colour wheel can be handy when you’re trying to put together a palette for a custom order. I don’t advocate that you use this when you are trying to decide which tea cosy to buy from the shop. Again, this is really for when you are stuck and you’re not sure which colour goes with which colour. Your initial instinct will usually be right.
a) Complementary colours are directly opposite each other on the colour wheel and highly contrast each other, but in an appealing way (e.g. red and green, blue and orange or yellow and purple).
b) Monochromatic colours are three shades, tones and/or tints of one base colour (e.g. black, white and grey).
c) With an analogous combination, three colours are side by side on the colour wheel, e.g. royal blue, purple and fuchsia. This colour combination is versatile, but it can be quite overwhelming. You’ll need to balance this out by choosing one of the colours as the dominant colour and the other two as contrasts/accents.
d) In a triadic combination, three colours are evenly spaced on the colour wheel. This provides a high contrast colour scheme, but not as much as a complementary colour combination.
e) Finally, a tetradic combination consists of four colours that are evenly spaced on the colour wheel. This can be tricky to balance out, because of the number of colours. It works best if one colour is chosen as the main colour and the other three are used as accents.
There are no hard and fast rules about colour combinations. the colour combinations above are mainly used by designers when they are thinking about home decor. However, I sometimes use them when I have just got my hands on a brand new colour and I am not quite sure which colour(s) would work well with it. But, even then, I usually just go with how I feel. Rules? There are no rules about colour, really. I don’t think so, anyway. But, even if there are, some rules should be broken. That’s how new ideas are realised.
3 – Warm and Cool Colours
Colours are often classified as warm or cool colours. The warmth or coolness of a colour is also known as its colour temperature. Colour combinations often have a balance of warm and cool colours. Balance is important as it ensures that one colour is not overpowering or overwhelming.
So….the Verdict?
I use different principles and approaches when I’m creating projects. In most cases, I pair colours which most people would regard as good pairings. Of course, there are times when I choose to be a complete and utter rebel and I go against the grain. Why? Because I know somewhere out there, there will be someone waiting for something that is a little left of the middle. The thing about colours is that they are very forgiving and sometimes the most unlikely of pairings turn out to be some of the most complimentary and most stunning of combinations.
So back to the topic in question at hand….How does one choose a good colour combination? Does a ‘perfect’ colour combination exist? Those who believe that nothing is perfect will say, of course not, nothing is ever perfect! However, in my humble opinion, if you allow yourself to be open-minded, carefree and imaginative, perfection does exist, because the ‘perfect colour combination’ is one that you’re happy with. If a colour combination sparks joy in you and makes your heart sing, then that colour combination is perfect… for you…in that particular moment in time.
