How to find color schemes that work

Are you someone who struggles with inspiration when it comes to color for a new beading project? Did you know there is help out there? That’s right, the wonders of the internet mean that you no longer need to struggle. In this blog, I want to share a couple of simple ideas and show you how to find color schemes that work every time.

What am I talking about? Well, you’re not alone in struggling to find color inspiration. So, I want to introduce you to a few websites that can give you just what you need.

Color Palette Websites

First, let’s keep things simple. You only need to google ‘color scheme ideas’, and you’ll get a wealth of websites that offer exactly this.

So, you can take a look at these individual websites. For example, http://colorhunter.com gives you a simple list of hundreds of color palettes. You can use their search bar to pull out color schemes that include a specific color. This could mean something as general as ‘pink’, or something more specific. If you happen to know the exact color code, you can use that. (Although sadly, it’s not a beading site, so it doesn’t extend to beading color codes!)

You can also upload your own photo and ask the website to generate a color palette from that. Within seconds, you have a list of colors from within the photo. So, you’ve immediately got a workable color scheme.

The website also gives you the ‘hex codes’ for the colors, so you can use that to identify them precisely. Again, no relation to the bead color codes!

You will easily be able to find other sites that do the same thing. Canva is another popular choice, although you do need to sign up (for free) before you can get started on Canva.

In effect, these websites are doing exactly what I showed you in my post on using photos for color inspiration. So, if you don’t want to do it manually, yourself, try a website to do it for you!

Borrowing from other crafts

We all know how much crafts influence each other. In fact, many of you probably enjoy crafts other than beading. So, you may already have stumbled across this lovely website, https://stitchpalettes.com/

Set up for embroiderers, Stitch Palettes has a wealth of color combinations that look beautiful together. So, it’s also worth checking out for inspiration.

You don’t even have to go that far. A simple google search on ‘color palettes’ or ‘color schemes’ will bring up options. Click on the images to see the suggestions, then take things from there. You can also get more specific in your search. For example, ‘color scheme with five colors’, or ‘blue and gold color scheme’.

So, inspiration doesn’t have to be hard to find. But how does that inspiration translate into the beads?

How to find color schemes that work in beads

Well, if you’ve worked with beads for any length of time, you probably know how tricky they can be to put together. If you want to know why this is, then take a look at this blog post.

The real question is what do you do about it?

Well, happily, I have an answer. Taking your initial inspiration is just the first step. So, once you’ve discovered a color combination that appeals, the second step is to identify which beads you need to use.

In order to do this, you’re going to need to stitch up samples and try out different options.

Is that all sounding a little complicated and time consuming? Well, it doesn’t have to be.

Over the years, I’ve come up with a simple three-step process for discovering exactly which beads I need to use together to create beautiful color schemes that really work.

And I’ve put all that together in a simple online class that you can take today. You can enroll and get started right away, using this link. Or enroll now and start whenever you’re ready.

“I have a hard time focusing on any type of instruction if I’m not in a very special mood – so as soon as I saw the quality and value of Katie’s material, I bought the color class! I will buy more when I finish it at my own pace! Fantastic”

Then, follow the class in your own time, work at your own pace, and come back to it any time you want to. You’ll never struggle with how to find color schemes that work, ever again!