Color Palette: Koi

I loved the colors of the Koi at the Japanese Garden so much that I thought I'd try to paint them rather than just put a color palette together. I haven't been illustrating or painting enough, so this gives me the excuse to dust off my brushes and get the kinks out of my system.

Color Palette: Japanese Garden

The Japanese Garden is a great place to wander, think and find inspiration. You can't help but stop and take a deep breath as you survey the finely sculpted trees and manicured flowers. Even if you have a slightly loud 5yr old in tow. This old and beautifully draped wisteria was mesmerizing. And gave inspiration to this latest color palette.

Color Palette: Paint Mixing

Here are a few colors I am using in my test illustration for my children's book. I like how they look together on the palette.

Color Palette: Beach Break

Color Palette: Higher Marks

How to Get Higher Marks in School by Harry Shefter, 1968

This color and type treatment caught my eye in a stack of dusty books...especially the two paragraphs of copy on the cover. Who does that anymore? The repeated outlined logo pattern on the back adds extra pop with teal against charcoal gray.

Color Palette: Warm Autumn Sky

These pinks, golds and grays remind me of the warm, slightly wild evening skies we've had lately. I loved playing with the overlapping transparent hues.

Color Palette: aristokitten

Inspired by the Aristocrats DVD looping in our house all weekend, these color palettes are taken from two of the kittens in the remastered movie. Which by the way, also has great vintage typography and animation.

Color Palette: Nautical Commute

Thanks to some really bad traffic, I ended up with this amazing route home on a sunny day. I really need to do this more often. It's hard not to be inspired by this view and fresh air. Oh yah, Go USA! It's Olympics time after all.

Color palette: Poppin poppies

I can never get over how vibrant poppies are. I got to see so many of them today on a walk through the neighborhood. Some of the flowers too saturated with color to even capture them realistically. Most of the red ones were almost fluorescent. These are two of my favorites. The vibrant oranges with their dark warm centers and the super delicate pinks that seem so fragile but yet hold themselves up proudly.

Color palette: First patio happy hour

There is nothing filled with more promise than the first sunny day warm enough to have a drink on a patio. Especially in Seattle when the wet winter has dragged on far too long. Our trip to Slims Last Chance gave us sun with a slight chill, stiff G&Ts, and spicy chili. I love the color and illustration of their tattoo inspired mural, plus all the great kitschy bar finds inside. A friend swears the Hamms bear is the one he gave away years ago.

Color Palette: Evening Containers

The worn shades of the shipping containers blend to create a fabulous family of colors as seen from my bus window each evening.