There are loads of beautiful paper ranges out there. Sometimes they appeal to you and sometimes they don’t! And that’s OK. Sometimes I find that in a particular range there is a paper that I love and yet nothing else – it’s like my personal style just can’t work around that little something that it lacks. Lucky for me I have had enough training in art that I can solve the problem quite easily.

This week I chose to work with the beautiful Sunshine in my Soul range. I love the papers and the designs but found that combined together they tend to be rather dull. So what’s a girl to do? Well throw in an accent colour!

Accent colours are colours that are used in small quantities to boost or to add wait to a colour scheme. They should in essence be complementary colours – but I have never really been one for rules. Accent colours work best if they are bright and exciting. It will add lift and punch to your design and colour scheme. In most colour schemes you will also introduce variations on saturation, tint and shade and that’s what you will find in my layout.

I chose to add pink as an accent colour and combine it with the blue/grey and yellow of the Sunshine range of papers. Remember that you will also almost always add a neutral colour to your design like brown or black for matting, stamping and embellishments. For my layouts I used the brown on the back of one of the patterned papers as well as a brown cardstock for matting. Notice how the pink just adds that vibrancy that the layout would otherwise lack. Remember that accents are used in small amounts and strategically placed throughout the layout – much like a visual triangle to draw the viewer’s eye from left to right across your layout.

You will notice that my colours the blue/grey and yellow are complimentary colours on the colour wheel. But where on earth did I find the pink? Well that’s where the triadic colour combination comes in.

Triadic Colours

Triadic colours are three hues equidistant on the colour wheel (give or take a few colours left or right when you are me). When you want a design that is colourful and yet balanced a triadic colour scheme might be the way to go.

A key factor here is that you don’t have to have designer credentials – but you have to obey certain design principles in order to have a well-balanced and well-designed layout. Not everyone is a designer but by following good advice through the ages by experts and those in the know, you too can design a beautifully colourful and proportional layout.

 

And if you are having trouble with colour combinations, then there are loads of information and combinations to find inspiration from on the internet.
One such a site is www.design-seeds.com where you can see colour combinations taken directly out of photos – a really great source for getting it right. I went searching for my colour combination and found…Sushi Hues
 
 
 

Happy colour hunting and have fun designing with colour – you can breathe new life into the not so bright and cheery patterned papers!

 

 

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Products Used

• Petaloo – Darjeeeling Wild Mini Blossoms – Fuchsia (24 Pieces) [C1481-127]
• Petaloo – Darjeeeling Wild Mini Blossoms – Soft Grey (24 Pieces) [C1481-137]
• Mister Huey’s Colour Mist – Manila [AC 331018]
• Mister Huey’s Colour Mist – Sunshine [AC 331080]
• Tsukineko – VersaFine Ink Pad – Vintage Sepia [TVF-54]
• Glitz – Sunshine in My Soul – Double Sided Paper – Birds [GSS0717]
• Glitz – Sunshine in My Soul – Double Sided Paper – Floral [GSS0724]
• Glitz – Sunshine in My Soul – Double Sided Paper – Ledger [GSS0731]
• Glitz – Sunshine in My Soul – Double Sided Paper – Stripe [GSS0748]
• Glitz – Sunshine in My Soul – Double Sided Paper – Suns [GSS0755]
• Glitz – Sunshine in My Soul – Titles and Accents Stickers [GTA1301]

Post by The Wholesaler’s Designer Jowilna Nolte.

We are very proud to introduce you to our first designer, Jowilna Nolte. Jowilna is a true creative and she will be sharing some of her passion and creativity with you.

Read more about Jowilna here.