danny thompson

danny thompson is a talented designer, currently based in dallas. his work is striking, clean, and warm—all of the things i love to see in design. his kimberly harper website and usps annual report are two wonderful examples of this, but it was this illustration of bob dylan that first caught my eye on behance. i am also a fan of his camera work. to see more of danny’s creations, go check out his new website!



i draw lots of inspiration from the natural weathering of things from the past. with varying shades of brown, this palette has always worked well for me. the red/maroon works great as an eye catcher amid the neutral colors.

rilla alexander

guten nacht! tonight i bring you rilla alexander, an australian illustrator who lives and works in berlin. she is incredibly talented and quite hilarious, which i discovered while reading about anthropomorphized pets on her blog. her illustrations are equally entertaining—i especially enjoy the unique shapes and organic linework. my favorite rilla projects include sozi as little red cap, a voyage to the valley, and sleep seasons room—what a fantastic place!



i chose the colours of the 2010 studio on fire calendar which i contributed to (alongside other illustrators like brian gunderson, cecilie ellefsen and little friends of printmaking). every year studio on fire letterpress these luscious calendars in wonderful colour combinations that are unlike the palettes i usually pick. because, to be honest, i would be happy to only ever work in one colour—red (or c:0 m:100 y:100 k:10 to be precise).

st. patrick’s day

i awoke to the charming sound of bagpipes this morning. i live in downtown sf, so i get to hear all sorts of shenanigans echoing off the cement that surrounds me. i have SO much to do today, but i plan to make time for a green beer before the day ends.



these colors were inspired by the irish flag, and this bunch of balloons, which i photographed on saturday at the saint patrick’s day parade.

thea schrack

thea schrack is a san francisco photographer and encaustic painter. i wasn’t familiar with encaustic painting prior to viewing her work—the process involves adding colored pigments to hot beezwax, which is then applied to the surface. what i love most about thea’s work is the distinct atmospheric presence—each piece leaves me with a nostalgic, dream-like feeling. some of my favorites include small bird, redwing blackbird 2, magnolia 1, red branches 1, and blue weeds. you can find recent work and inspiration on thea’s blog.



that was really fun, and a surprising color combination for me. i picked colors from forest tapestry, a piece that is on my blog.

blogiversary

AHH…i just realized that today is my one-year blogiversary—how exciting! exactly one year ago today i started collecting cmyk colors. i am thrilled at how many wonderfully-creative people decided to participate! i love watching for parallels between the colors and a person’s life, and in some cases, the shock of finding the complete opposite. i think one’s color palette is not unlike their shoes—it says so much about them.



here is a look at my colors from a year ago…not much has changed.

katie kirk

illustrator, katie kirk is a master of the bézier curve. she successfully simplifies complex ideas and turns them into light-hearted vector fun. my favorites include queen pattern, head, and birds. also, be sure to check out her soon-to-be-published book, eli, no!



i chose the colors from this. not really sure why—they just seemed fun ;)

heart day

i like valentine’s day. growing up, my mom always bought me thoughtful little pink and red gifts. also—chocolate and stunning paper products! okay, so those are all consumer-based, but i think i’m okay with that. if i could only shop on one day, it would be valentine’s day. plus, the alternative is being one of those cynical anti-valentine* types, and i’m far too happy to venture down that road just yet. i hope you had a happy heart day, and if not you still have time to buy yourself a candy bar and cry yourself to sleep on the sofa.



green & black’s toffee milk chocolate | roses downtown | my pink t-shirt

*sorry anti-valentiners. i enjoy your rants on the bad days.

27th birthday

i wrote this to remember what i was thinking on my 27th birthday. since moving to san francisco (2005), my life has been filled with exciting new challenges—grad school (2006 to 2008), this color blog (2008), a return to freelance (2009), and a trip to the other side of the planet (2009). 2010 has barely begun, yet i feel aimless and uncertain. perhaps it’s because i haven’t made any specific goals, or it could be that my husband recently finished school and is looking for work. we are uniquely connected so his dismal results could definitely be contributing to my recent state of ennui. it might also be my inability to choose a vocation. i want to learn, create, and help, but i do so many different things that i am often at a loss as to where to begin and what i should really be doing.



i had to get out, so i hopped on the closest bus and took off toward golden gate park. i filled my day photographing bits of the park and the many flora at the conservatory of flowers. i finished the day with a giant burrito and a slice of vegan chocolate cake. although it didn’t cure my current state of mind, it did remind me that even though i’m not my usual happy-as-a-clam self, i still have the ability to create, and that’s something worth celebrating.

allison cole

allison cole is a fantabulous illustrator working her surface-design magic in providence, rhode island. her illustrations are very charming, and the best part is when she gives vegetables a voice. my favorites include veggie poster, what i wore today, feathers, robots, and take us home, which can be purchased on a tote—hooray! for updates, be sure to stop by allison’s blog, and if you’re a comic fan, take a look at her never ending summer.



recently i’m loving nature-inspired colors and really looking forward to spring. i love using shades of the same color and creating texture within the different values.

neely jacobson

i recently reconnected with neely jacobson, one of the kindest and funniest people i remember from high school. these days she is one talented photographer. all of her photos are gorgeous, but i keep returning to the portraits. her wonderful personality must put people at ease because she is able to capture the sincerest expressions. my faves include jillian + james, kendi, maple rings, jeramie jump, and most of all, this one of her little girl, drew.



they just look like colors that would taste good. they make sense to me. i LOVE the mustardy-olivey green colors. i never get tired of that color. and the coral pink reminds me of my daughter drew for some reason. the turquoise reminds me of california (my favorite place away from home) and the grayish color looks real, innocent, soft, old, classic, calming, and homey to me.

luke haynes

my grandmother owned a small quilt shop in rural kansas, but the quilts i grew up with are quite different from those sewn by artist, luke haynes. luke’s modern interpretation of the quilting process is refreshingly unique, and i am excited to see how his work evolves. favorite pieces include abraham lincoln, woods, and red leaf (back). for show inquiries, commissions, or to purchase quilts, contact him here!



i chose these colors, because they are the colors that i see. the colors i pick out when i walk into a fabric store and am barraged by the entire palette of color on the walls knocking me over the head.

elsa mora

wow, where do i begin? elsa mora, aka elsita, is a cuban-born artist whose talent exceeds classification. i knew of her first as a paper artist, responsible for perfectly-curved edges and the conceptually-brilliant paper sculpture, fears, and el corazon. more recently, i’ve been following her—GASP personal style, which has left me equally enchanted and a tad underdressed. her creations span all media—here, a few of my favorite gems: el jardin de maria julia, missing garden, mimi, unlimited flower protection, felted necklace, emanuel, her way, uchi…i really could go on forever. OH, and did i mention her new book?! for updates on all things elsita or to purchase her lovely creations, stop by her main blog.



here i did a selection of colors that i love. but the truth is that i love all the colors in the rainbow. to me each color is a door to a new world, each one of them has a personality, a language and i’m always curious to see what they “have to say”.

lindsey manwell

lindsey manwell is a san francisco children’s book illustrator who creates some of the most enchanting scenes. her soft little characters appear to lead such charmed lives. my favorite illustrations include windup, tort, shelf, and one of her new characters, wart. you can follow her blog for recent work and activities.



i don’t really know why anyone is drawn to the colors that they are drawn to, but i do know that the most emotion for me, from any picture, comes from the color compilation. i’ll never forget seeing sargent’s fumée d’ambre gris—it was perhaps this image that made me become an artist all together, it was that powerful. i tend towards lighter, muted colors all over with highlights of deep, rich color.

christine berrie

i am thrilled to bring you glasgow-based illustrator, christine berrie. i am fascinated by her drawing collections. hooray for microcars, alarms, and my absolute favorite—cameras! if cameras aren’t your thing, check out her etsy shop, which is filled with all sorts of carefully-rendered treasures.



christine’s influences* london markets, bric-a-brac, flickr, vintage picture books, old buildings, glasgow city centre, antique shops, vintage posters, printed ephemera and found scraps, tickets, retro film posters, london underground and the tate modern.

*via comarts.

romain philippon

i find romain philippon’s inconscience incredibly captivating. i love examining the photos for trinkets and other clues to personality and profession, while the owners lie sleeping. i enjoy seeing people through romain’s eyes—everyone is so real, yet hopeful. other favorites include a0003b, a0018, and a0007. romain lives in réunion, an island amidst the indian ocean. for inspiration, check out his blog.



to me these colors mean asia, africa, europe, south america, and reunion island (where i live).

monina velarde

monina velarde is a chicago-based graphic designer who recently won
the aiga command x competition—congratulations! i am a fan of her lift airlines identity, this superfun new year’s resolution generator, and cleanse packaging, which you can view on her site. you can follow monina’s work…and possibly score some tasty-looking baked goods
on her blog!



one of my favorite projects that i’ve gotten to work on was designing the identity for the kansas city art institute school of design. i worked on it
with my good friend, jessica bayer. we took the basic elements of swiss design, the fundamentals of what the kcai design program was founded on, and reinterpreted them to fit within today’s design culture. we derived our color palette from swiss poster design. the colors used were primary green, yellow, red, blue and black. these colors were then updated by us to fit contemporary design.

tiffany shih

tiffany shih designed the most fantastic bra packaging i've ever seen. what i wouldn’t give to be an apple. i am also fond of her how to be a texan poster, which you can use to make your own hat—yeehaw! i can’t wait to see what this girl comes up with post-graduation.



my work tends to be obnoxiously bright, bold and loud. i think it’s very reflective of my personality—not to say that i annoy everyone that i come across (although friends and family might say otherwise), but i’m not afraid to be goofy and sing loudly on the streets if i feel the sudden urge to. i’ve also been told by the roommates that they can hear me laughing in my room through the window from a couple of streets away.

…yeah…i’m one of those people.

happy new year!

thank you to all of the wonderful creative people who sent me colors in 2009…there were over 100 palettes! it looks like blue is still the favorite. here’s to 2010!

mike rivamonte

i am very excited to bring you robot sculptor, mike rivamonte. he is an avid science fan who grew up making anything he could get his hands on. his curious mind comes up with some of the most endearing robots i’ve seen. i want to be friends with edison, walt, and ace—complete with led jet pack! be sure to check out mike’s prints too.



my work is greatly influenced by my family. as kids my mom would take us to countless antique stores, curio shops and flea markets. during these ‘field trips’ i marveled over dusty scientific instruments, phonographs and other obscure mechanical devices. i developed a deep appreciation and interest of inventions and history. i picked up the love of making things from my father and uncles. my dad built our first color television set, all kinds of radios and our first computer. he could and would build anything. we constructed many things together. my uncles, one a science teacher the other a carpenter, fueled my inquisitive, experimental nature and appreciation for the finer points of craftsmanship.

cate anevski

cate anevski is a creative extraordinaire that i found on flickr…back in march! for some reason we keep losing each other in the interwebs. i email her, she emails me, i never get it, i email again, she emails me, i bury the email in my box—no more of this—it is time! what i love most about cate’s work is her charming outlook on the world. her unique style is present in every medium she uses. my favorite illustration work includes celtic knot, marie antoinette, and elemental nymphs, which are now available in cate’s etsy shop! i’m also a fan of her eleven-eyed monster and leet embroidery skills. for recent work, updates, and all things worth doing in portland, stop by her blog.



i have recently undergone my first portland, oregon, winter, and the gray weather left me a bit starved for the warm colors of the sun. my latest illustrations reflect this with a bright pink and orange palette.