Color pops! Or: thoughts on color-"rules"

Hello everyone,

I'm back with another bunch of cards and I'd like to talk about color today. You know I am crazy about colors - there are some colors I use every day (like aquas/turquoises) and some I hardly ever use (purples and soft pinks). So let's see what I put together today :)

1) Use your least favorite color in small amounts... But dare to get out of your comfort zone.

I got this super cute Monster at the Stempelbar in Berlin and the sweet illustrator who was working there that day said "You can put something in his mouth, too!" and at that moment I had to have it. I cut a slid and gave him a little envelope. :)

Hands down - I struggle with purple. I see it on projects and think it looks lovely, but I find it doesn't look too good on my creations. So I tried to just use a pop of it.

love bold yellow-greens with aqua and even if I don't like purple a lot - that little splash of seedless preserves goes so well with these! it's there, but it's not all over the card - one way to incorporate colors out of your comfort zone.

Pile it on - thinking of you


2) Reduce colors to small areas if they're super bright
I'm totally into yellow right now. I have to control myself to not put yellow onto EVERY SINGLE CARD. But well, it's summer, so maybe I should just let go and go for yellow all of the time :)
If you're combining suuuper bright colors your card MAY look a little wild in the end - reducing the color to only a small area can help :)
(Well, this is not a rule at all. I actually saw many cards with LOTS of bright colors, but this is an EASY way to keep a nice balance with bright colors)

Addicted to CAS - Chevron
Happy little stampers CAS challenge - Stamping
Less is more - Snippets


3) Make your image pop with a subtile background
Coloring images is so much fun - and I love this new stamp  So i had to color it with my new Copics on my way back from Berlin. /The sentiment is from Create A Smile and says "Oops, belated...")
If you have an image with lots of different areas and colors, keep your background pretty simple. A subtile pattern that coordinates with your used colors will help make your image pop!

Simon Says Stamp - Anything goes


4) Don't let color and texture compete against each other.
Competing design elements might be a problem when it comes to cardmaking.
I have this crackling paste and I really wanted it to shine. So I thought focussing one one color (I mixed that crackling paint with salty ocean distress ink) would help draw attention to that texture. Brown/wood/kraft is a nice contrast, but not as "In your face" as a bright pink would be - if that makes sense :)

Challenge up your life - wood/ cork


So these wer just some thought on color combinations - let me know what you think about it and what you struggle with most.
Do you have certain colors that you struggle with? Or do you struggle with a goof balace. I've been there. I still am, now and then. But I find that practice improves a good sense for balance and combos.

Thanks for taking the time to read this through and visiting my little blog!