Hello Guys! ? I always get asked how I choose colors and come up with a palette for my projects. It’s on top of the FAQs list alongside (a) what printer do we use, (b) what paper/paint do we use, and (c) when will Riley have a meet and greet? *Really, I’m so thankful for this kid’s online titos and titas who love him dearly!* So I decided to finally answer it here on the blog! The palette I mean, not Riley. Haha!
1. Consult the color wheel! It’s a classic trick and a timeless one too. You may also visit Adobe Color CC as it can move the wheel for you. It also comes with the color hex codes which is great if you’re also doing some digital work. ?
2. Inspiration is everywhere and you can start with something from nature, the runway, a movie, your favorite dessert or a random snack packaging. Speaking of which, Adobe Color CC can also help you pick colors from an image! You can also do this with a color picker on Adobe Photoshop and Illustrator.
Take this photo from our Flatlay 101 + Arts & Crafts Workshop with Canon Printers for example. 
(If you’re interested to join our workshops, sign up here to get updates.)
3. You may also think of colors not just as individual hues but you may classify them into warm, cool, light or dark in general and just attempt to strike a contrast or balance between the two.
This photo was taken during our trip in Iceland a few years back. More about that adventure here: 10 Reasons to Visit Iceland.
The box, gift tags, stickers and stamps are special Googly designs we made for one of the workshops we’ve held with Canon Printers last December. The paper rosettes are free dowloadables from the Canon Creative Park. You can download the template and check out more paper crafts from this post: Papercraft Projects Free Downloadable Templates!
4. You may also want to check out and download Pantone Studio. This app comes with color values and references (sRGB, Hex, CMYK), Harmonies (complementary, monochromatic, analogous, split complementary, triadic), and you can even cross reference across Pantone color guides. It will also allow you to extract colors from images and to take a photo and use a picker to build a custom palette.
P.S. How about you? How do you pick a palette and what are your favorites?
P.P.S. For more tips on how to choose colors, you may also visit: http://www.googlygooeys.com/how-to-choose-colors/
