Naturally Formed Color Palettes

I have always found that one of the most fascinating and astonishing places to study color and find inspiration for combinations is in natural elements. Not just in the outdoors, mind you, but all things naturally formed. This may not seem like news but have you ever stopped and studied the actual combinations of color not just inherent in any single thing but even the combinations that occur naturally. Have you ever seen a rock including the tag-a-long bits like lichen, moss, rust, etc. that had clashing colors? Did you ever look at the shade of green in the leaves surrounding a colorful flower and think “That color green so doesn’t go with those flowers”?

Maybe I’m just a little odd but for years I would go on hikes or to zoos and actually try to find poor natural color combinations. I have seen a few that weren’t to my taste but by all I know of color theory, they always work. How does Mother Nature do that?

Drawing inspiration from natural color combinations is just another way to bring fresh ideas into your studio but that is also the trick … keeping it fresh. The thing is, you don’t have to be literal. You may love the autumn colors of the changing trees but that doesn’t mean you can only use those colors with leaf and tree motifs. Take the colors where they’ve never been before.

Peacock colors are extremely popular but so many of the applications are replicating the feathers as well. No need for that. Do something completely feather free. Here Chris Kapono goes wild with the peacock colors but with a very unfeathery pebble-like appearance in her Little Peacock Book Box.

Take nature’s challenge and find some natural color combinations that strike you and see what you come up with in your studio. Keep your camera at the ready … you never know when nature will bring you the perfect palette.