I believe strongly that everyone has their own ‘palette’. So when I wondered what to give you all as a thank you for your support and to celebrate the golden 10k mark on Instagram, I decided we should make COLOUR WHEELS!! They make me SO HAPPY, so I can’t wait to spread this joyful, uplifting ‘celebration of colour’ – activity!
Don’t forget to tag me @jenniemaizels and use the hashtag #JennieMaizelsColourWheel so I can share my favourites!! SO EXCITED FOR THIS!!!!
Right, lets get going! First of all let’s make our circle to create our colour wheel. It’s up to you what material you use. You can buy ready cut circles on ebay quite cheaply (40cm X 40cm is a good size) or you could cut it out of carboard (from an old carboard box) – it’s up to you. Once you have your circle, it’s probably a good idea to paint it white first (unless, like me, your card is already white).
Next, choose either a 12 segment or 16 segment circle (if you wish to go a bit more ‘free-style and add more colours) and print out your template…
Place your template in the CENTRE of your circle (find the centre by measuring the circumference and making sure the centre is at half-way point) position with a little tape.
There are two ways of doing this, firstly, you could use a blunt knife (cutlery or butter knife) and start to score lines by using a ruler and following the lines of the template.
Secondly ( this is the best way if you are using wood), you could draw in the lines from the centre with the paper stuck down and then finish the lines with a ruler once the paper is removed (see below image:)
Remember, you could always do this freehand (wobbly is charming!) or add more segments, it’s up to you! Once you have finished, you will now have a guide as to where the colour segments go…
It’s now time to start creating our colour wheel by working our way through the spectrum. We’ll be experimenting as we go in order to create a definitive palette. Creating a colour wheel is a brilliant way of increasing your colour mixing knowledge and discovering new colours you hadn’t investigated before. Plus, they are SO gorgeous displayed at home (here’s mine being appreciated by Charlie)…
Before we start, a note about piant.. I used Acrylic paint because it is plastic based, so wipe clean (great if this is going to be a permanet display in your home). My one tip with acrylics, is because they are plastic based that can be quite transluscent, if you add a dash of white (especially to the yellow) it can give it a bit of depth and make the colours more intense… Hope that helps? 🙂
So, we will be starting with one of my favourite colours, Yellow.
Spend some time, looking at examples online and around your home/work that you are drawn to. Start to mix some yellows, experimenting with different hues.
What happens if we add a dash of green, or white, or even grey? Play around with the multitude of variations and as you go, whenever a colour resonates with you, be sure to make notations as to how you mixed it in your sketchbook/paper.
When you feel you have exhausted all possibilities of yellows. Try to pick a favourite.
This will be the first segment on the colour wheel we will paint. It may take a couple of layers to get a nice smooth even colour.
We will continue this process, working on the following colours in order…
Yellow (as above)
Yellow/Orange
Orange
Orange/Red
Red
Pink
(If you are creating a 16 segment circle, here is where you might like to add White, Grey, Brown and Black – in-between the pink and the purple 🙂 )
Purple
Dark Blue
Mid Blue
Light Blue
Green
Green/Yellow (Lime Green)
Remember, we are not trying to be overly accurate, I added a florescent pnk in mine because I love bright colours, so do make it your own and add any colours you love too!
Don’t forget to tag me @jenniemaizels and use the hashtag #JennieMaizelsColourWheel so I can share my favourites!! SO EXCITED FOR THIS!!!!
I hope this helps you find your own personal ‘palette? Over the many years of teaching and running Sketchbook Club, it is clear to me that each and every one of us has a very distinct and personal palette, we are drawn to *that* green or a certain orangey red etc. It is very obvious as to what my colour palette is, as you can see from my kitchen!
As I mentioned earlier, please don’t forget to tag me @jenniemaizels and use the hashtag #JennieMaizelsColourWheel so I can share my favourites!! I Can’t WAIT to see them all!!! xxxxx