Whether coloring or crafting, you’re likely working with color. You may feel that certain colors go together and others don’t. You probably have a favorite color or two. Staring at a color wheel can get boring, so if you’re looking for some color inspiration, here are three websites that specialize in color palettes to help you out.
1. Design Seeds (https://www.design-seeds.com/)
This was the first color palette site I became aware of years ago. She picks her colors, by hand, based on photos. Design Seeds is an enjoyable way to find a set of colors for your project as you’re browsing beautiful photographs along the way. I often save photos that have nothing to do with my current project just because I like the color scheme and want to have it around for later.
You can browse by Color (https://www.design-seeds.com/by-color/) or by Collection (https://www.design-seeds.com/by-collection/), such as Seasons (https://www.design-seeds.com/category/seasons/) or even Edible Hues (https://www.design-seeds.com/category/edible-hues/).
Each page for a color palette shows six colors and also provides the hex codes, so if you are working digitally, you can get that exact same color by using the hex code in your software.
https://www.design-seeds.com/in-nature/creatures/color-swim-3/
2. Color Palettes – http://colorpalettes.net/
This website is very similar to Design Seeds in that their color palettes are based on photos. So you still have that enjoyable browsing experience, with a few key differences.
The functionality I like on this site is the ability to pick two colors (near the top of the page), and see the results. They also offer pages for Warm Palettes (http://colorpalettes.net/category/warm-colors/), Cool Palettes (http://colorpalettes.net/category/pastel-color/), and Contrasting Palettes (http://colorpalettes.net/category/contrasting-color/).
Each page for a color palette shows five colors, as well as their related hex codes, so again you have that digital help if you need it.
You also get tags – words associated with color palettes that share the same characteristics. For example, you can click on the “shades of blue” tag (http://colorpalettes.net/tag/shades-of-blue/) and see all of the palettes that contain the color blue. This is very similar to searching by color on Design Seeds. Where Color Palettes gets fun is when you check out the palettes for tags like “coffee color” (http://colorpalettes.net/tag/coffee-color/) and “soft palette for winter wedding” (http://colorpalettes.net/tag/soft-palette-for-winter-wedding/). You can see all of their tags here: http://colorpalettes.net/all-tags/.
http://colorpalettes.net/color-palette-3175/
3. Coolors – https://coolors.co/
If you want more control over your potential color palette, there are a lot of websites willing to help you out. I like Coolors for several reasons.
You can generate a palette as easily as hitting the SPACE bar on your keyboard. Once you find a color you want to keep, you can Lock it in place, Adjust the shade, or Adjust the Hue\Saturation\Brightness which gives you absolute control over all aspects of your colors.
You can also pick your colors based on a photo – one you link to or one you upload. There’s the option to have the system automagically pick colors, or you can use the eye dropped and pick exactly which colors you want.
Like the other color palette websites, Coolors will show you the hex value. If you’re into adult coloring and use Copic Markers or Prismacolor colored pencils, you can see those names and numbers as well under the Settings (so very awesome for me because my primary coloring tool is Copic markers).
Once you have a color palette you like, you can Export an image (PNG) or a PDF or just the specialty info, like the Copic marker names and numbers.
You can do everything I’ve mentioned above without registering for an account. If you want to save your color palettes on their website (which makes it easy to get to from multiple computers\devices), you can sign up for a free account in less than 5 minutes.
As I mentioned above, there are lot of color palette websites available, of which these three are just a sampling. Find one that works for you and enjoy the new adventures you can have using color palettes!
AKA Curator Prime of Vintage Coloring
Collecting, Curating, & Creating Coloring Books of Bygone Art
http://www.vintagecoloring.com/
My Patreon to create patronage coloring books to benefit
the children’s literacy charity Kids Need To Read
http://www.patreon.com/heidi2524
Be Creative. Have Fun. Help Someone.
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