September Monthly Challenge Color Palette and Bead Picks

I really like the dark and somber color palette in this month's challenge painting. Mixed in with those muddy neutrals are the loveliest unexpected pops of fall colors - the minty green in the sky, the pink mixed in with those red poppies, the periwinkle and my favorite is that ocher yellow. Even though the poppy red is the predominate color I would probably use it as an accent in my jewelry and focus on those smaller patches of interesting colors. 

And that's the interesting thing about the monthly challenge - you can pick and choose which colors that speak to you and use that as the inspirations for your next challenge. It's been a while since I've done the monthly challenge but these colors are so intriguing I think I will jump in and create a few new pieces with this fun fall palette. 

I picked some beads from the Art Bead Scene team shops that I would love to use for this challenge!

Top left to right:

Gardanne Beads, Tesori Trovati and Mary Harding

Bottom left to right:

Humblebeads, Firefly Design Studio, Creative Impressions in Clay

Monthly Challenge Color Palette & Bead Picks

Isn't this month's challenge artwork fun? I love the playful abstraction of the park and trees. But what I couldn't help notice about this month's inspiration was how on trend it is with the Pantone color palette for fall.

Even through the colors may be Pantone's color picks for the season, they really stand the test of time!

If you haven't seen this month's jewelry challenge head over to the blog post to read all about it. You have until the end of the month to enter. 

Here are some offerings from our Art Bead Scene contributor's shops that would fit perfectly in with this month's challenge. 

1. First up is the copper pendant from Mary Harding. I like how the curves are mimic the painting.

2. Tesori Trovati's leaf pendant pulls the sharkskin and potter's clay shades from the painting and gives a not to the subject matter - just in more literal terms.

3. Birds and parks are constant companions so one in that pop of orange would be a great focal. Enamel bird from Gardanne. 

4. The teal disks from Humblebeads picks up the green/blue hues in the painting and the branch them mirrors the curving branches in the inspiration piece.

5. More birds in a modern style from Swoondimples. I love the purple and think it's a perfect match.

6. As September starts to wave at us, mustard yellow is more and more appealing. This button from Creative Impressions in Clay can also be ordered a pendant. 

7. Ceramic rounds Firefly Designs Studio in that lovely muted shape of pink would look great with any of the other pieces listed here.

Monthly Challenge Color Palette Inspiration

Well, there isn't much in the way of color inspiration this month in this print from Utagawa Hiroshige. It's pretty much monochromatic from black to blue with touches of brick red and muted rose. But who doesn't love a good midnight blue or shades of denim in the summer? 

But even though the colors are limited the inspiration still abounds. I gathered up some beads from my fellow Art Bead Scene contributors to help spark a few ideas for your muse! 

Feather by SwoonDimples. Disks from Humblebeads. Clasp from Mary Harding. 

Button from Creative Impressions in Clay. Crab from Firefly Design Studio. Enamel work from Gardanne Beads.

Bird from Firefly Design Studio. Enamel pendants from Gardanne Beads. Wobbles from Humblebeads. Tube beads from Tesori Trovati.

Monthly Challenge Guidelines

April Challenge Color Palette

This month's amazing inspiration is from one of my favorite artists, Helen Frankenthaler. I fell in love with her abstract expressionist paintings and sophisticated use of color when I was in art school. This painting just makes me swoon.

I could make jewelry for days with this color palette. Love the pops of color in terracotta and orchid mixed with those succulent greens and balanced by those neutral hues. 

I could see you mixing in colors with leather, waxed linen, sari silk or color patina on chain. Get creative with how you use color in this month's challenge. 

I checked out the Art Bead Scene editor's shops for a few picks that would work perfect for this month's challenge. 

Top: 1. Creative Impressions in Clay 

(Don't forget Tari can make any of her buttons into pendants for you!)

2. Humblebeads. 3. Swoondimples.

Middle: Gardanne Beads. Firefly Design Studio.

Bottom: Tesori Trovati. Mary Harding.

So what colors are you loving from this month's painting? 

Do you find the abstract paintings more freeing or more of a challenge to interpret? 

April Monthly Challenge Details

March Challenge Color Palette

Hello dear ABS readers! Oh, this painting. I love, love, love it. Let's take a look, lots of pale grays and neutrals with punches of dark, muted colors like that dark peacock teal, the hint of purple, that dull bit of yellow and the gilded accents of gold on the dishes. 

Use all the colors or pick one or two for your creation. Have fun mixing metals, I see brass, gold, pewter and silver tones in the painting. 

I pulled together some picks from the Art Bead Scene team. 

Top row: Mary Harding and Firefly Design Studio

Middle: Humblebeads, Swoondimples and that pendant is from Tesori Trovati

Bottom row: Creative Impressions in Clay and the Curious Bead Shoppe

Monthly Challenge Details

Monthly Challenge Color Palette

What a striking image for this month's color palette. The reddish-orange and navy blue are taken right out of the playbook of complimentary colors from color theory. One thing that makes this color combination so successful is the strong use of neutrals to balance out the two dominating colors. You'll also notice that the orange is the main color with the navy used less. Take that as a cue when working with complimentary colors, pick one as the main color and use the compliment as an accent.

I hope this month's inspiration gets your heart racing and muse ready to go! Looking forward to seeing your creations.

Here are some Humblebeads picks that match this month's palette.

January Monthly Challenge Palette

This month's color palette can be seen as an icy winter night or a burst of fresh spring shades - it just depends in which direction you decide to take! Do you spy rose quartz and serenity blue? Those Pantone Colors of the Year have potential! And isn't art amazing, a painting created over 100 years ago happens to be right on trend for colors in the year 2016. Just goes to show that great design and color are timeless. 

Here is an example that captures all the inspiration colors for this month. 

Blooms and Birds Set by Humblebeads.

Love the close up of the painting! The brush strokes are so full of energy. And this little snippet shows how you could narrow in a smaller section of the painting to pull your colors from rather than the entire palette. 

Have fun creating this month! We are giving away over $150 worth of art beads for this challenge. Make it your goal for 2016 to participate in each monthly challenge. Here are the challenge details if you are just joining us. 

October Challenge Color Palettes

What a fun challenge for this month! The color palette is very gemstone inspired, isn't it? Carnelian orange, lapis blue, dark turquoise and golden yellow. Here are a few color palettes to inspire your creations this month.

First up, I picked the brighter hues in the painting. Don't be afraid to use gold or raw brass instead of the a yellow hue in your jewelry. Or use darkened copper for the copper hues. Metals count as a color. When working with a brighter palette like this one, you may want to zero in on one color as the main color of the design and use the other hues as accents. 

For the second palette, I focused on the complementary colors and omitted the golden hues. Focusing on the oranges, turquoise and blue narrows the color palette. I'd probably throw in some white to lighten up the palette too.

The third palette moves away from the brighter colors and I went for more of the muted tones in the painting. This offers a nice alternative for those of you who might not be feeling those brighter colors.

So what do you think? Are you ready to jump in and create something amazing this month?

Monthly challenge guidelines can be found here.

September Monthly Challenge Palette & Inspiration

The color palette from Vanessa Bell's View of Pond at Charleston reminds me of the fading colors of September before autumn sets the world ablaze. I loved the nostalgic feel of not wanting summer to end, filled with warm and wonderful memories. The muted colors of dark rose, peach and yellow play off of the warm and cool mix of greens with a nice variety of neutrals. 

Play with leaves, trees, floral or vessel themes in your jewelry this month or you could do less literal and use just the colors inspired by the painting. 

These are my Humblebeads picks to go with this month's painting. Click here to see all my choices from my collection that would work with this month's inspiration. 

Click here to read all the details on entering our Monthly challenge. Pull out those art beads and have fun creating with us this month! 

August Challenge Color Palette

 

While this month's color palette is predominately red and black, there are a few other hues to draw out your muse. I don't know about you, but red is always a hard color for me to design with, so I'm more drawn to this rusty shade of red. Purple is used throughout the weaving along with the neutral putty color. There are a few accents of gold, brown and a muted plum woven in the design. 

The key to successfully using this color palette is pick one main color for your design and then choose a few of the accents to bring in interest to your jewelry piece. Proportion of the color will be important. Just as in our inspiration piece, one color dominate and then the accent add the spice. 

I'm looking forward to seeing what you create this month!

(A few beads from my shop that fit the challenge.)

July Monthly Challenge Color Palette

Our inspiration this month is Still Life with Seashells by dutch painter Balthasar van der Ast. The muted color palette is predominantly taupe and blue. Mix in bright pops of color this month with yellow, orange and dark berry red. I could see dark carnelian beads mixed in with shell inspired art beads. Or you could start with a light neutral like the cream in and stick with the color shades of gray blue and navy. Add in a bit of that lemon yellow for a classic summer color palette. 

I'm looking forward to seeing what colors inspire you this month! 

June Monthly Challenge Color Palette

This month's painting is bursting with pink, red, orange, golden yellow and rich greens and hints of purple. I love how the colors contrast against the white leaves, I would probably add in some lighter colors to this bright palette in creams and off-whites.

You could focus on a single leaf theme or create the over-abundance portrayed in the art by layering leaves together. Anyone else see fringe in the leaves down at the bottom of the painting? 

No matter which direction you go in this month, have fun playing with the relationship of your chosen colors, as they play back and forth in the painting causing your eye to jump from one color combination to the next. 

Did you know they made a movie about our artist this month, Seraphine? Check out the trailer below.

April Monthly Challenge Color Palette

This month's challenge painting is "Self-Portrait with Thorn Necklace and Hummingbird" by Frida Kahlo.

One of Mexico's most renowned artist was known for her self portraits. Her work has been celebrated in Mexico as emblematic of national and indigenous tradition and by feminists for its uncompromising depiction of the female experience and form.

The painting is composed mostly of greens and yellows. The added boldness of the black pops off the background colors. The Red in her lips is where your eye  immediately goes to in this painting. It is prominently placed in the center of the canvas and the only places it appears.
Red is the color of fire and blood, so it is associated with energy, war, danger, strength, power, determination as well as passion, desire, and love. Red is a very emotionally intense color. It enhances human metabolism, increases respiration rate, and raises blood pressure.

March Monthly Challenge Color Palette

This month's challenge painting is by Emily Carr. One of Canada's most renowned artist was a landscape painter and modernist. The Haida Totems are one of her many plein air paintings from her 6 week journey to document totems through British Columbia.

The painting is loose yet detailed with the predominant color being a hue of Ultramarine Blue and varying shades of blue. The Burnt Sienna color is a nice contrast in the background and on the building. The painting is subdued yet bright capturing the feeling of the totems and their locations.

My favorite color is yellow ochre. Washes of the ochre is used throughout. 

I can see jasper, amber, sodalite, adventurine, pale amethyst even rose quartz gemstones as compliments to your Art Beads.

What do you like about this months inspiration?

Art Bead Palette :: JoyMunshower

Periwinkle Reticulated Octopus

I've had Joy Munshower's Etsy shop bookmarked for ages, and I had to share at least one of her pieces for the sheer artistry. Isn't that lampwork bead exquisite? The details are just incredible, and when I realize it's glass - I'm blown away, how about you?

These are one of those beads that I'd probably never use, but collect and frame instead. Talk about a little piece of art!

To see more, stop by Joy's shop.

Art Bead Palette :: RedStarArtBeads

Fox | Polar Bear | Hedgehog | Elephant

I came across these rustic animal beads from Red Star Art Beads yesterday and was thoroughly charmed. I love the texture of them, and the muted colors used are calling to me right now. Wouldn't it be a fun surprise to see one of these peeking out of a necklace or bracelet?

For more, be sure to click on over!

February Monthly Challenge Color Palette

This month's challenge piece comes from Edward Julius Detmold, and I love the reminder that spring is right around the corner, don't you?

This month, you want to focus most of your attention on shades of cream and coral, as those are the most prominent colors in the painting. And there are a lot of shades of coral to work with, too, from pale and toned down, to bolder and more saturated. The creamy parchment background has a little variation, but not too much, and tends to take a more muted, grayish cast than pure, bright cream.

If you're not familiar, coral comes from a mixture of red and orange. In this case, it's definitely more red than orange, and again, the saturation varies depending on the shade. This is good news for you, since you may or may not like coral (until a few years ago, I didn't), so there are some options here to play with if it's not a color you feel totally comfortable using.

Beyond that, we also have shades of green, from olive to sage, and touches of a reddish purple. That red-orange/green/red-purple combination is called a split complementary relationship in color theory, so it's naturally appealing to our eyes. This combination works because it's balanced.

Overall, I'm really drawn in by this month's color palette because we have a variation of values here, from pale to slightly dark. Which means you've got a lot of range to play with. Tell me, how do you feel about it?

January Monthly Challenge Color Palette

Happy New Year, ABS readers!

This month, we're working with this lively piece from Hundertwasser. I love bright colors all of the time, but probably never more than during winter when the weather's cold and nature's colors are muted. And this month, we've got as bright a color palette as we've ever had.

Pretty much all the colors of the rainbow are represented here in fully saturated hues, even touches of colors that I haven't included a swatch for, like olive green or pink. I look at this inspiration piece as anything goes, but if want to follow the color proportions faithfully, use a lot of orange - yellow orange, true orange, red-orange. Orange dominates the bottom two thirds of the poster with lines and shading, and the top third with shades of dark brown.

You might also want to use a lot of the aqua (second swatch from the bottom); that color is featured prominently, too, in solid squares and lines. And depending on how you choose to look at the poster, you could also include the dark gray/black of the background, too, either through beads or metal (like oxidized sterling silver). The dark gray helps all of the other colors seem that much brighter.

What colors are you feeling from this month's challenge palette?

Art Bead Palette :: StudioMarcy

Christmas Bunny Rabbit Snow Globe by StudiMarcy

On behalf of the ABS team, I just wanted to wish you a very Merry Christmas, Hanukkah, Kwanzaa, and Boxing Day! Thanks for all of your support this year!

Art Bead Palette :: CalypsoBeads

Summer Wine Lampwork Heart Bead

Is it bad to say that winter has pretty much just started, and I'm already over it? Not that I ever need a reason to dream of warm beaches, but Silke Buechler's shop, CalypsoBeads, absolutely fits into my daydreams right now.

To see more lampwork goodness, click on over to Silke's shop!