Color Me Monday: Balancing Brights with Neutrals

Can you believe it’s August already? My daughters can’t—it means school is just around the corner! But we still have ample opportunity to savor summer, and today’s color combination kicks off the month with a sweet treat of Sorbet, some bright, jazzy Juniper, with a neutral complement of Cocoa and Bamboo just to balance out my complimentary orange and blue.

This color combination really is a “blank slate,” because it goes well with just about any artwork you fancy—note that I’ve created a theme-park themed card, and sowed the seeds of the harvest on another... And both wear my color combo perfectly!

I also love working in neutrals like Bamboo, Cocoa, Chocolate, and Brown Bag—these colors are favorites on both the fronts and backs of our Background and Texture paper, and it’s easy to find great patterns in these timeless monochromatics... Even when the kits they come from use entirely different color combos than what you’re working in.

For example, can you name the paper packet that’s home to the Bamboo diamond-print used in all of today’s artwork? If you guessed “Zippidee,” you’re absolutely right! (Note that Zippidee’s main kit colors are listed as Desert Sand, Cranberry, Honey, and Indian Corn Blue, but Bamboo is a lighter hue of brown that also features prominently in the kit.) Any time you want to tone down, round out, or ground a color scheme, nudge a neutral into your artwork for perfect balance every time!