apak

apak knocks my socks off every time with their colorful collaborative creations. i hope this husband & wife team (aaron & ayumi) continue to make beautiful art together. check out their game over piece at giant robot sf through april 15th.



we like these colors because they are warm and friendly! :)(:

lajla toullec

this french fashionista creates art that marries photography & illustration. i hope to see more of lajla toullec in the future.



black is the best color for drawings and letters. it is the stronger color for me—never trendy. it is the color one should use when beginning a drawing. white is what makes shapes empty or full. white is the room in a drawing. it is the most difficult color for me to use, and it makes black even stronger. 100% cyan, magenta, and yellow are not my favorite colors because my favorites change from moment to moment. however, i work in the fashion industry, so i cannot be attached to one color—i love all color which will fit next year. i chose these colors because they are the foundation of cmyk. colors are always changing, as are my drawings, creativity, and sensibility.

jeremy pettis

you may remember jeremy pettis’ genius type project twenty-six types of animals, but this guy is also a doodler, secret painter, and popsicle collector—his life must rule.



i chose them based on this photo of sanford and son. i used to watch that show with my father all the time as a kid so I thought it would be interesting inspiration for your project.

caro tello

i was excited to study caro’s concept art when i attended the academy. her illustrations are lit with the softest bits of sunlight—reminds me of the way rococo-era painters captured light and color—gorgeous.



i picked these because it’s a delicious palette that conjures up happy
feelings and moments in my mind: like being in love, flying kites, the
first days of spring, eating gelatto, the thrill of purchasing an
expensive yard of silk with a beautiful print, or finding the perfect
yarn to make a scarf with.

sfgirlbybay

her well-known blog provides infinite inspiration, but i first found sfgirlbybay on flickr while searching san francisco. her photography paints a unique and interesting portrait of the city. and of course, i now live by her keep calm and carry on motto—my desktop on difficult design days.



i selected these shades because i've been loving lots of white interiors with splashes of lavender and cool and charcoal grays, and then just a hint of lime green, like this room. i think they're beautiful shades for spring, calm, refreshing and soothing, and they remind me of the countryside in britain. i'm off to london in may, so maybe i'm daydreaming about my
trip already.

raphaël

the dreamy watercolor and delicate doodles draw me in, but the message makes me remember. raphaël’s insightful observations about the world around him provide an essential examination of popular culture.



i did one for you based on my mood because that’s usually how i work (kinda :D). i picked them up because i love pale blue and pink, the near black is something i use a lot and the red is for anger !!

loish

this digital illustrator knows how to make color pop, and her line quality and edge control are exceptional. loish typically works in rgb, which produces the loveliest greens…i did my best to preserve them in cmyk.



here are some of my favorite colors.

jessica hische

jessica hische, my favorite designer / illustrator / typographer, is getting all kinds of well-deserved recognition lately. you can try to keep up by checking out her blog, i love type.



i really love warm colors including warm blues and greens, with red/orange being my all time favorite color. i try to incorporate it in my work as much as possible. (+ my whole living room is that color!)

jade fang

jade fang is one of the most imaginative illustrators i met while attending the academy. character design is her specialty, but i have also seen her use every color in the rainbow and still achieve convincing color harmony—not an easy feat.



the colors describe how i felt about that moment, a little warm, a little cool and a little romantic.

jordan eagles

i was in awe the first time i saw the work of jordan eagles in person. not only is he a master of composition, his medium is equally notable. check his website for upcoming shows.

princess olivia

olivia is the most creative kid i’ve ever met, and she loves to play dress up. happy birthday princess! i love you.



these colors were inspired by disney.

cam & alexis vilay

my friends and fellow creatives, alexis marzolf and cam vilay, were married today in an intimate ceremony at city hall in san francisco. congratulations you two!



these colors were inspired by the day.

youme oh

i met youme oh in graduate school. every day she came to class with ten illustrations and they were all equally enchanting. her work ethic and whimsical style are an inspiration.









i love calm and more sensitive colors like these.

lindsay laricks

snow cones & color…this is my happy place. when i move back to kansas i will be so close to this snowie goodness. and in case that isn’t enough reason to love lindsay laricks, she also does beautiful work at hammerpress, a letterpress & design studio.



espresso & mexican cane sugar | blackberry lavender | watermelon basil | ginger rose | green tea pear. these colors were inspired by fresher than fresh snow cones. they are homemade, all natural, and contain no artificial colors or flavors.

happy saint patrick's day!

i’m a bit irish (mixed in with mostly pawnee and german), and i usually attend the st. patrick’s day parade in san francisco. but, i must admit, this is really just an homage to my favorite color…green!

brendan monroe

i cannot stop staring into the paintings of brendan monroe. i see something new each time, and the color is spectacular. i think ‘morgan and kateneh’ might be my favorite. you can view brendan's work in person through this wednesday at park life in san francisco.



the bright vivid red is the most important. somehow it draws me in. i gravitate toward it, i don’t know why but i just do. it’s lust and anger, evil and passion, blood, heat and love. the others help support it. the deep and dark red should always be painted with countless layers, nearly the same in color, so that it can be complicated and immense. the orange is a little less vivid and closer to earth. the green hot with yellow and magenta, it's very important not to let it go cool. the yellow ochre rounds them out and sets them off.

crystal eldridge

her illustrations reflect color in a way only possible with pastels. i want to reach out and touch the thick velvety colors. currently, crystal is hard at work on her mfa thesis, which is a cinderella story that takes place within the wodaabe tribe.



i like deep rich colors that remind me of home. thanksgiving and christmas in indiana are always colorful, and the shocking white of the snow makes the colors of the holidays even more vivid.

jen oaks

her colors and textures are unpredictable, but the art of jen oaks is so serene. and she has matted prints on sale…yay!



i’m inspired a lot by nature and textiles. i go wild for color combinations like turquoise and vivid cherry red, or mustard and velvety gray. and pink is on everything good—lipgloss, cupcakes, you name it. if i could add a supporting cast, i would add black, white and cream, plus a healthy dose of deep olivey yellow-green. these are the colors of my dream garden. or my dream closet.

ellen markoff

i refer to ellen as the printmaster because not only has she been working as a print production manager for years, she also creates these beautiful dreamlike monotypes at her studio in hunters point. she is always on the lookout for textural inspiration, and as you can see, she has a slight interest in color as well.



and because i can’t pick just five: alizarin, amaranth pink, atomic tangerine, azure, carmine, caput mortuum, celadon, chocolate, chartreuse, cinnabar, cobalt, copper, cosmic latte, cerise, ecru, inidgo, fuschia, flax, falu red, indian red, terra cotta, lemon chiffon, linen, eggshell, seashell, navajo white, ochre, persian plue, persimmon, pear, papaya, raw umber, robin egg blue, rose madder, school bus yellow, tea rose, vermillion, viridian, wheat, wisteria, cream, ivory, fire engine red, cardinal, venetian red, payne’s gray, xanadu, taupe…need I say more?

caroline duke

my best friend might be a fan of the former, but her style is certainly not passé. this talented writer finances her greed as a newspaper nerd, and her blog, i am a greedy girl, inspires me to shop like no other.



i've always drawn inspiration from all things bygone, whether it be music, movies, photography or fashion. right now i'm drawing a lot of color inspiration from technicolor films, like singin' in the rain or an american in paris—crazy colors in crazier costumes that we don't see enough of these days. don't you think the world would be a lot nicer if technicolor sequins were a part of our every day?

miss vu

i did. not only is she an amazing designer & illustrator, the girl has one of the largest wardrobes i've ever seen. she says her color portrait was inspired by her 'passion for fashion'.



i am very inspired by fashion. i love colors that pop and bring out an emotion in me (i.e. ouu's, ah's, and sighs). i usually stray from browns, earth tones, and muted colors. i'm drawn to the striking fresh and colors that contrast in a not-so-shy way. and, of course, i heart black.

creative holly

my very own blog! soon it will be filled with colorful inspiration.

and what better way to start than with a color portrait of myself, creative holly. these colors represent who i am in cmyk at the moment. i like the kind of color that makes your eyes bleed. and i prefer my bright colors to float in a sea of gray. next, i will feature color portraits of my favorite creatives, so please check back.