Color Confidence: Trust Your Instincts

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The truth is, designing with color doesn’t come easy for everyone. In fact, it’s quite common for many designers to have a love/hate relationship with color. Then consider the complexity that bead finishes add to basic colors, and you may find choosing colors to be a daunting task.

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ABOVE: Zigzagit Bracelet by Leslie Venturoso | Photo courtesy of the artist

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As for my personal relationship with color, I took several formal courses on color while in art school and have been designing for over 20 years, yet I still often question what looks good together. After speaking to five Beadwork contributors, I am happy to share their great insight for helping us overcome our hurdles, while giving us the confidence we need to make designing fun.

Study the Colors that Surround You

Many artists put undue pressure on themselves to consult color wheels and books on color theory. However, the answer to choosing colors that fit your personal palette is closer than you think. Leslie Venturoso says, “Look at your clothes: Even if they’re all black, you can use beads and other elements with different finishes and textures to create design. My ensembles go together because I gravitate to the same colors in my clothes and beads.”

Rangashrii Santhanam gravitates to the colors that spoke to her while shopping for beads, instead of forcing herself to always branch out: “I start with the colors I have in my stash. I have a few go-to colors that I stick to.” Leslie Rogalski adds, “I learned a long time ago to follow my instincts and have accumulated my stash’s palette accordingly.” Edgar Lopez advises, “Look closely at everything around you wherever you go—nature, the urban landscape, animals, television. They will offer you many ideas on how to combine colors; don’t be afraid, color is expression.”

Record Your Color Inspiration

Keep track of what speaks to you, building a wealth of information at your fingertips for when the time comes to design. Cindy Kinerson shares, “I keep a color journal with pictures of colors I like. Most often, they are either paintings or architectural or garden photographs. I completely stay away from jewelry for color inspiration.” Venturoso is also inspired by source material: “I use pictures to inspire my work—pictures of flowers, nature, art. I use Pinterest to create albums for inspiration and some of my work is inspired by jewelry and ceramics from the Isle of Capri and Amalfi Coast.” To help new designers (or experienced designers who feel stuck), Lopez encourages, “Take fashion magazines, cut out color combinations, and paste them onto small pieces of cardboard. This will help you have a good folder that you can turn to for inspiration and create your own combinations.”

You Won’t Know Unless You Try (and Retry)

Even the best designers don’t get it right the first time, so don’t be afraid to play. Santhanam says, “I try out samples. I usually have a few trials and errors before one sticks. There is a lot of tearing apart of pieces in my work until I get the concept right.” Lopez does the same: “I regularly test the colors and their different shades to see which ones I like the most, or which best express what I want to convey.”

As for Venturoso’s approach, she says, “Most times I dive right in. I’m a big believer in ripping it out if it doesn’t work or starting over.” Kinerson also isn’t afraid of redos: “I don’t create samples, but I will tear apart a new project over and over until I like the color combinations.” Rogalski’s design process relies heavily on testing components. She shares, “I do lots of ‘bead doodles’ and when I bring pieces together, I can see where pops of color might energize a design.”

Layers of Complexity

A red bead isn’t just red once it has an iris finish. This is just one of the many ways bead finishes force us to throw out the rule books and color wheels when it comes to combining hues. Lopez says, “The finish of the beads is very important to me when I choose the colors that I will use. Sometimes I want shiny finishes that stand out a lot, and then I use other colors with an opaque finish to accentuate the combination I want to achieve. Other times I want beads that have a finish that reflects another color to indirectly combine all the colors I use.”

Thread color can also have an impact on your final results. Venturoso states, “When I teach, I always talk about the importance of thread color. It’s why I use different types of thread with my work. I like it to enhance, complement, or change the color of the beads. I always encourage my students to pick the thread that works best for the project. One type of thread does not fit all. For example, I use gold metallic beads a lot. I will use a gold thread to enhance the color, an orange or red thread to darken the color, yellow thread to lighten the color, and purple thread to add depth.” In beading, you have more than just formal color theories to consider.

Vote of Confidence

If you’re still in need of a little more encouragement, take this advice: “We should not be frustrated; color is not a problem, but is a tool to express ourselves without words” says Lopez. Rogalski believes, “New beaders should revel in playing with every color they can. A personal style will eventually emerge. Go with what you like. Be true to yourself. I admire fearless beaders who are explorative with color, and find those works full of joy. I don’t feel intimidated or pressured, I like what I like and stopped questioning it.” Venturoso shares, “Learning and playing with color is a journey without a destination.” Next time you sit down to bead, go with your instincts and don’t hesitate to have a little fun. After all, you can always start again.

10 Pro Tips for Choosing Color

• Take a photo of a piece on a white background, open it in Photoshop, play with the color adjustment slides, and check out what happens! It’s fast, surprising, and can be very inspiring.” — Rogalski

• Begin with your favorite color, then try to incorporate colors that you feel less comfortable with. This will make you think more and be more creative to make it work. — Lopez

• Pick one color you don’t usually use and go with it. What would seem like a great combo doesn’t often translate into reality. That’s okay; it’s how you learn. — Santhanam

• Just bead. Sometimes when I’m in a rut, I will make someone else’s design. I may not finish it, but it will get me thinking in a different way. I always take classes with the intent to learn something new. —Venturoso

• Stay away from color combos that have connotations for people. For instance, don’t make jewelry just black and orange unless you are trying to suggest Halloween. — Kinerson

• Nature is the best informer for color. Blue and green (sky, water, grass, plants) are the neutral backgrounds for everything. I have Pinterest collections of flowers, birds, and fish. Mother Nature is amazing! She puts colors together you would never think of. — Venturoso

• To add color you don’t use often, pair it with something that really sparks joy in you. — Kinerson

• Be patient. Sometimes, I spend more time putting colors together than the actual design. — Santhanam

• Choose a go-to color. People have come to recognize black as a dominant color in my work; I use black to unify my work in a dramatic and graphic way. — Rogalski

• Find your style. Turquoise and orange are my favorite go-to colors. My style is Western, but I use these colors because I love them—no other reason. I don’t think it matters at all if someone gravitates to the same colors, you should make what you love. If you want to switch it up, try new complimentary colors to accompany your favorites. — Kinerson

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Melinda Barta is a former editor of Beadwork magazine and the author of six books published by Interweave. She has filmed many instructional DVDs on bead-weaving techniques, taught at craft schools and bead shows nationwide, and shared her love of crafting on DIY, PBS, HGTV, Style, and local television networks. Melinda is a craft industry consultant and a 2016–2020 Starman TrendSetter. Visit www.melindabarta.com and www.melindabartastudio.etsy.com.

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First published in the October/November 2020 issue of Beadwork. Published to web 9/23/2020, udpated 6/7/2022.