Yesterpost I showed you a black & white photo of a paint doodle and asked for guesses what the ‘real’ colors are.
I kept you waiting longer than I intended, only cos sometimes the days gallop by and all of a sudden it’s much later. So here we are, and here it is!
Yesterpost I showed you a black & white photo of a paint doodle and asked for guesses what the ‘real’ colors are.
I kept you waiting longer than I intended, only cos sometimes the days gallop by and all of a sudden it’s much later. So here we are, and here it is!
If you guessed red or green then you can consider yourself correct and I’ll message you with a link to claim your prize! 😀 YAY!
Thanks for playing along- it was really interesting to know what colors you ‘saw’.
Color is a real fascination of mine, and the more I learn the more intrigued I become.
This painting is one of a series which I made for a little ecourse all about color combinations: TWELVTY XTRA which I’m offering as a gift to folks on my email list. It will be available in a few weeks, so if you’re interested, join up now, and I’ll email you as soon as it launches.
I posted this image on Instagram recently, with the question: what color do you think this painting is? (clue: it isn’t actually grey!)
I posted this image on Instagram recently, with the question: what color do you think this painting is?(clue: it isn’t actually grey!)
At the time I write this to you, no one has guessed. So the challenge remains open: what color do you think it is?
Comment below, or email me your answer, the first person who guesses the color wins ahalf price place in my upcoming color adventure: TWELVTY 2018.Just £48 instead of the usual £97. Lawks!!
Which leads me to the next part of this post, speaking of color adventures:
a Gift for you: “TWELVTY XTRA”
While I was busy in researching color for the TWELVTY program, there was one aspect I came back to with each color, with increasing fascination, the way that colors behave (and misbehave) in each other’s company.
It really lit up my imagination.
So much so, I wanted to share some of the magic I uncovered with you. So I’ve created a mini ecourse all about color combining.
What happens:
Every day for one week I’ll send a chapter in the story of color combining.
The story is illustrated with paintings created using only 2 or 3 colors.
I’m looking at combinations you might not have explored before, to open up new ideas.
We’ll investigate the mood and memories attached to the colors.
I’ll show you exclusive video demonstrations of the process I use to make them.
I’ll share some insights I picked up along the way in my adventure around the color wheel.
All this is for FREE – for YOU!
Whatever your creative field – be it painting, art journaling, photography – home decoration or cake decoration – digital, textile, film or fashion – there’s something here for you!
Sign up here and I’ll email you as soon as it’s available later in the month:
Your email is utterly safe to me. I’ll send you a little welcome note with my ebook all about color. You’re welcome to unsubscribe at any time.
If you’re interested in understanding more about color, get my ebook A Year full of Color as well as regular monthly updates on my latest colorful antics, delivered right to your inbox:
Your email is utterly safe to me. It will be guarded by the deity of your choice and a small dragon.
TWELVTY is adventure you can join too.
By exploring the color wheel and each of the 12 colors, I share my creative process plus a feast of resources about color I’ve collected for you.
You’ll learn about the history of how color has been used, not just by artists, but as part of different cultures around the world. You’ll discover the meanings linked to the colors, how there are connections through the ages and around the world.
There are even playlists of songs and music relating to each of the colors! (I said it was thorough, right?)
In 2018 I’m introducing a new element to TWELVTY – a shared creative project that we’ll work on together as we traverse the color wheel.
Color is an integral part to all types of creativity, it influences our moods and emotions, it’s linked with memories, and it’s everywhere! As we tune our eyes in to notice it, life becomes brighter and more vibrant.
What is TWELVTY?
TWEVLTY is an online program all about color.
How much is it to join TWELVTY?
A full year of color is yours for just £97, or 3 monthly instalments of £33. Click here to Join now!
What happens in TWELVTY?
You learn about the meaning of color – its application and use, the meanings and symbolism each color has throughout history and around the world.
You get access to a wealth of knowledge and resources to enhance your use of color in your own creative practice.
Color is an integral part of creativity, influencing our moods and emotions, linked with our memories, and it’s everywhere!As we tune our eyes in to notice it,life becomes brighter and more vibrant.
Who is TWELVTY for?
Whatever your creative interests, as a hobbyist, a professional, an educator, if you’re curious to learn, the resources in TWELVTY are sure to enrich your understanding of color. In each step around the color wheel, we dive deep into each color’s meanings, how it’s used, and how it features in our lives.
What is the color wheel?
The color wheel is the roadmap to our adventure
We’re using the 12 part color wheel, it looks like this:
Comprising: 3 Primaries:Yellow, Red & Blue; 3 Secondaries:Green, Violet & Orange. (Made by mixing each pair of primaries) 6 Tertiaries:Yellow-Green, Blue-Green, Blue-Violet, Red-Violet, Red-Orange & Yellow-Orange. (Made by mixing a primary with it’s nearest neighbouring secondary)
Primary & Secondary colors are separated by the ‘in between’ Tertiary colors
The tertiary colors, the in-between colors, sit in between the primary & secondary from which they are made. The difference between these and their neighbours is subtle – they are not quite one or the other.
Some choose to skip over the tertiary colors and just use the primary and secondary colors for a simplified TWELVTY.
You can opt to take a rest in between to spend some extra time in Yellow, Green, Blue, Violet, Red & Orange, and still have all the resources for the tertiaries to revisit any time.
How long is the program? How much time will I need?
The program runs throughout 2018.
Beginning in January with a bird’s eye view of the color wheel to see the territory we’re going to explore, then preparing for the adventure ahead.
The steps around the color wheel take place March through November.Starting with Yellow we step around the wheel one color at a time, spending 3 weeks in each color. In the first part of each segment I share the resources I’ve gathered together for you; the second part is all about the creative process, working in just this one color!
For each 3-week section you’ll want to allow an hour or two to read and look through the ebook, guides and resources in the first part. In the second part you’ll need the about the same amount of time to review the process material. How much time you spend in the creative section is your call.
Of course,the more you put in, the more you get out, as with any learning experience.
My aim is to make TWELVTY as much fun as possible, I’ll give you prompts and ideas to play with at the start of the color, we have photo challenges and games to play through the year as well, so there will always be plenty to choose from.
There’s a guided project that runs throughout the program. In each segment I’ll show you what I’m making, playing with different mixed media techniques including collage, mark making with paint, print, ink, drawing and doodles, some stitching and textile elements, we might even dye some paper! Lots of ideas!
At the end of the individual color segments we have time to reflect on the process, consolidate what we’ve made and share what we’ve learned through the experience.
What do we make?
Ooh! I’m glad you asked – this is the new exciting part 😀 We’re making a 3D color wheel!
What’s a 3D color wheel? What’s it for?
Well, I don’t want to totally give the game away, but if you’ve seen my previous 12 color art journals, you’ll know they get decidedly chunky with all the lovely layers of mixed media and collage and stuff.
That’s what inspired the idea. It’s a bit like a mini art journal. But much more fun!
Once it’s complete you can use this to inspire color combinations for future works of art. It’s a place to explore new techniques, so you can refer back to it when you want to find ideas for a new project. You can keep going back and adding to it too!
I keep my 12 color art journals open by my work table in the studio as a source of reference all the time. They’re both jammed full of all kinds of mixed media, doodles, collage, and experimental techniques and a constant source of ideas to springboard into new projects from. What we’re gonna make in TWELVTY 2018 is like this – only WAY BETTER!!!
What if I don’t want to make a color wheel?
Totally cool. (Although you might change your mind when you see what fun we’re having…)
Seriously, you’ll get loads from TWELVTY without making a color wheel. The core reason for TWELVTY is to have fun, and bring more color into the world around us. If you only used the ebook and online resources, joined the photo challenges, or just hang in the background watching what other folks are making, you’ll still get really good value from the program.
The way TWELVTY is designed, you can take any of the elements and fit them into your own creative practice. You might choose to take on a totally different 12 color project instead!
What else could I do in TWELVTY?
Well, you might like to make a regular art journal, with single coloured spreads for each segment. I’ve done this twice already (I’ll share my pages & the process from each as we go along – but I’ve got flip throughs in my youTubes over here).I love both these books! A few of the TWELVTY 2017 group have made art journals and they are all fabulous.
You might want to do something totally different and make a 12 part body of art work featuring each color. This could be
A series of photographs or drawings.
You could make a vlog about each color, showing where you find it and how it makes you feel.
You could write a poem inspired by thoughts on each color
Or paint a landscape through the seasons and times of day showing color changes.
Really – anything you can do in color you can do in TWELVTY! how about cake decorating? I’d love if you made 12 cakes through TWELVTY, iced them in the 12 colors and showed us photos!
This year we had a Twelveteer make a prayer flag in each color, and these are just awesome! I strongly encourage you to find a process you want to explore in different colors 🙂
Color is everywhere: the ONLY LIMIT is your imagination!
What do I need for TWELVTY?
Is there an art supplies list? Do I have to get loads of new stuff?
I’m a big proponent of using what we already have.Firstly so we don’t get freaked out with the expense/bewildering variety of art supplies. Mainly cos I like the way it stretches the creative muscle to be inventive.
I use a range of different paints and media which I’ve spent a lifetime collecting. I also use a load of recycled and reclaimed materials – scraps of paper and card, old magazines and junk mail, offcuts of fabric and trimmings… packaging I don’t want to end up in landfill often winds its way into my art!
There’ll be a comprehensive list of suggestedsupplies in the welcome pack, and I’ll explain how we’ll use them so you can make up your mind if you need to get anything extra.
The minimumyou’ll need to play along is some paper, and the three primary colors: yellow, red & blue. This can be acrylic paint, craft paint, poster paint, watercolor, or it could be crayons or markers, or coloured paper to collage, any combination of these.
(That said, if you’re asking permission to run around the art store squealing Woohoo – new project – gotta get me all the new colors!! And it’s not gonna get you in trouble with the grown ups in your life or your bank account then go right ahead!)
Is there anything else you’re still wondering about? In my giddy excitement did I forget to answer your question? Comment below or message me if there’s anything else you’d like to know!
To be first to hear about my colorful antics and get discounts on courses like TWELVTY , just hop onto my email list right here.
(and I’ll send you my ebook A Year full of Color as a thank you for joining)
Your email is utterly safe to me. I’ll sing it to sleep when it lands with me, and bring it tea when it wakes up.
What’s really beautiful, is within the group of creatives brought together by TWELVTY, there’s such a diversity of talent and such a fabulous range of expression. When you take a subject like color which can be applied to most every medium, it translates such variety of techniques and media and manifests a constant source of inspiration
The What & The Where
Throughout 2017 I’ve been running an online program called TWELVTYin which we explore the color wheel one month and one color at a time. It’s been a fantastic journey (which isn’t over yet: we still have orange-yellow left to explore)
What’s really beautiful, is within the group of creatives brought together by TWELVTY, there’s such a diversity of talent & range of expression.
From painters to weavers, textile artists, photographers, mixed media creatives and writers. Between us we are much more than the sum of our parts.
When you take a subject like color which can be applied to most every medium, it translates such variety of techniques and media and manifests a constant source of inspiration:
I see that embroidery and it inspires an idea for a photo series;I see this painting and the idea for a video starts to come to life. The drawing which tells a story, inspires a song or a poem.
Ideas are cross-pollinating all over the place!!
When I set out on this adventure at the beginning of the year, I really thought it would be a one-off. But so much has surprised me along the way.TWELVTY soon began to gather momentum, to take on an energy of its own, and it seems like it doesn’t want to end here.
So I’ve made a couple of little tweaks, and I’m excited to present:
TWELVTY 2018: What’s new?
The structure has shifted: Instead of each month dedicated solely to one color, we are quickening the pace of the color steps in order to spend a little more time exploring the territory for our color adventure.
This gives us time at the start of the year to get to take a bird’s eye view, get to know the the color wheel, and gather our colors together.
Then we’ll take each segment of the color wheel in a three week block.
At the end of our journey there will be space to consolidate what we’ve learned, and bring it all together.
As well as all the resources I’ve gathered and curated for each color through this first year of TWELVTY, I’m also planning something new!
Something colorful and fun! Something that will bring joy to your inner kid (or actual kids – this could be a family project)
Each color segment will have a step-by-step illustrated guide where I show you ways I like to play with mixed media. You can use these for inspiration, or your own techniques, as in each color we are going to add to our year long project:To create a 3-D Color Wheel!
This will be a resource you can come back to again and again when you ‘re looking for ideas in your creative practice.
Some lifetimes ago, a sixteen year old version of me failed to get the place in art school that she’d pinned all her early hopes to.
Dismissed by the grown ups who’d repeatedly explained: ‘being an artist isn’t realistic’ led to years floating adrift from my calling.
(They were wrong. And this isn’t what I do, I’ve come to realise, it’s what I am)
Some lifetimes ago, a sixteen year old version of me failed to get the place in art school that she’d pinned all her early hopes to.
Dismissed by the grown ups who’d repeatedly explained: ‘being an artist isn’t realistic’ led to years floating adrift from my calling.
(They were wrong. And this isn’t what I do, I’ve come to realise, it’s what I am)
A few years ago, rattled by some mid-life reminders of mortality,I finally fulfilled my life long ambition. But being an art student was as far as I’d thought this plan through. After spinning around in a self made feedback loop of regret for two decades, while I loved my time at college, I’d completely lost sight of the purpose.
My confusion was confounded when my course was cancelled after the foundation year. Before I’d time to consider my options my personal life fell apart, as a few weeks later my mum died.
Now I was free falling and had to find something to grasp onto, something simple I could rely on to slow the descent.
I needed a project to latch my focus to. I needed a subject I could immerse myself in. It had to be something creative, it had to be something colourful.
It just had to be color.
I hadn’t the bandwidth for anything more complex. I needed colors, but one at a time. No other rules. Just me, a book, and whatever paints and pens and things I had to hand. In just one color. I began with the color I felt most drawn to at the time, which was red-violet, magenta. It was soothing. It was all I had space for.
I took that year, one color at a time, one month at a time.
After another family bereavement a couple of months into my year long color project, I knew I needed some accountability, some way to keep this project afloat.That’s when I started this blog.
By the end of the year I’d created a this whole book full of color.
It’s still with me in my studio as a resource for inspiration – (that’s something I didn’t foresee when I began this project.)
As I showed my book of 12 colors to more of my artist friends, the idea of revisiting a year full of color began to develop. And they wanted in on it too.
So in 2017 I invented “TWELVTY“, a way of sharing the adventure around the color wheel with other creatives as an online program.
It’s been an astonishing journey, (which isn’t over yet) and I’ve learned so much (more on that in another post).
I didn’t expect to run Twelvty as a program with others again after this year – it’s been all consuming and I had other plans for 2018 – but Twelvty has plans for me too, it would appear.
I think it speaks for itself that some of this year’s Twelveteers have already joined up for a second trip around the color wheel in 2018!
There are a limited number of discounted places available to folks on my mailing list. If you aren’t signed up already – what the hey?!! – scoot down to the end of this post to add your email before they’re all swooped up!
2017 is my year full of color, each month I dedicate to a new color: 12 colors in 12 months, a trip around the color wheel. And what a trip!
July has been a feast of violet purples.
2017 is my year full of color, each month I dedicate to a new color: “TWELVTY”– 12 colors in 12 months, is a trip around the color wheel. And what a trip!
In August we explored red-violet: the magic of magenta, mauve & maroon!
Each month gets a few pages in the TWELVTY art journal, where I dive deep into pattern making and monochrome mixed media doodling.
Here’s how August’s pages turned out ….
In September we explored the color Red — I’ll catch you up on this month soon!
Meanwhile, I’m fine tuning the details for the 2018 iteration of Twelvty. Yikes!
Are you interested in exploring the color wheel with us next year?
If you’re even a little bit intrigued, why not hop on my mail list today. I’ll send you my eBook all about color to give you a flavour of the program, AND you’ll be first to hear about the launch closer to the time.
(But more on that in a moment… first let me set the scene…)
I was telling you about how TWELVTY has begun to take on a life of its own.It’s just a few weeks into its year long life and it’s not going the way I imagined…
Instead of being the set of 12 individual colored months, like I first planned, TWELVTY is turning into a story made of 12 chapters. They are woven together and already I can see that taken separately they lose the essential essence of the story. The full year of color has a life the months alone can’t provide.
To begin I wanted to make this program available to join throughout the year, but what I didn’t know then was how all-encompassing it was to become! It’s grown beyond my imaginings, and to be honest if someone was to join later in the year I don’t think they’d get the full magic of being a part of TWELVTY just by accessing the material retrospectively.
So I’ve decided to close the doors on TWELVTY at the end of this month. No more new recruits after the end of February.
But wait up!that’s not all….
Before the doors close, as today is my birthday ………
I’m going to gift 2 FREE PLACES in TWELVTY 2017 in a Prize Draw.
The prize draw runs from Friday 17th Feb for ONE WEEK. Winners will be notified Saturday 25th February.
Are you someone who gets all lit up about color?
Would you love to join a tribe of creatives who are just like us?
If so, just jump on my mailing list here and reply to the welcome email with the title “I’M IN!”
to add your name to the hat for the prize draw.
(and as a welcome, you get this little ebook all about color when you join my list)
Want to find out more about what’s in TWELVTY – it’s all over here . I also did a big ole Q&A postover here. Or ask me in the comments – I’m massively excited about this – ask me anything! (anything about TWELVTY…I don’t have answers to much else!)
I don’t know if I’ll be offering this program again. Next year has different adventures in store for me, so this could be ‘now or never’, folks!
Y’now I’ve been immersed in color for the last few months. Not my usual multi-colored chaos (although there’s no escaping that) – but a very specific niche of color – as I explore and examine the color wheel.
It’s a project I played with a few years ago keeps returning to in one way or another.
It keeps coming back. It’s a compulsion.
But this time is a little different: this time I’m joined by other artists and creatives, and we’re on this adventure together. And I’m totally loving it!
We began the year in shades of sunshine & lemon with YELLOW, and now in the second month we’ve stepped round to the luscious lime and sumptuous olive tones that fall into YELLOW-GREEN. Next month we explore GREEN… so on, cycling around the color wheel, a month at a time.
The thing is,since I decided to share this color journey, it’s taken on a momentum and is developing a character of its own. (As big projects so often do).
As I plan forward into the upcoming months of colors I see this adventure develop into one big ongoing story, rather than the 12 little self-contained, single-color tales I first envisaged. I anticipated TWELVTY being the kind of course folks to hop on board any time through the year, with instant access to all the material to date.
…..But 6 or so weeks in, TWELVTY has become something much bigger than I realised it would be, and that simply isn’t the way it’s decided to grow.
So I’ve made a decision.
Which I’ll tell you about on Friday.(Because Friday is special)
Want to find out more about what’s in TWELVTY – it’s all over here . I also did a big ole Q&A postover here. Or ask me in the comments – I’m massively excited about this – ask me anything! (anything about TWELVTY…I don’t have answers to much else!)
Hop on my mailing list here to get irregular updates on my colorful makings & doings direct to your inbox.
(and as a welcome, you get this little ebook all about color when you join)
Want to brighten up your 2017, meet creatives, see color in a whole new way? Join TWELVTY!
Unlike other online art programs, in TWELVTY each segment is all about one color.There are no assignments or structured projects, just a feast of content to inspire you!
TWELVTY is designedto integrate in your existing creative practice, if you use color, you can use TWELVTY! Every month begins a new color so it’s super adaptable and every month you get to start over!
We’re journeying round 12-part color wheel, this means every second color is a tertiary “inbetweeny” color (think yellow-green, turquoise, magenta…) Personally these are my favs, but if you skip over these you’ll still have a complete spectrum of art by the end of the year.
TWELVTY is a brilliant way to make use of the art supplies you neglected in the past, explore colours you wouldn’t usually use, especially the things you only have cos they were part of a set!
Working in just one color is a great solution to blank canvas overwhelm. Begin with a paint splodge, wash or doodle, a collage scrap or an abstract photo of found color. Or just give some thought to what that color means to you…The ideas will follow close behind! Overcome this challenge and open up to a world of creative possibility!
TWELVTY is also a community of likeminded people from around the world and with a wide range of creative backgrounds. Join our tribe and share ideas and inspiration, even collaborate together.
Then there’s our collection of online color resources which you get immediate access to. And I’m constantly adding to it!
Every month you’ll receive a 20+ page ebook especially for TWELVTY. It’s full of illustrations, photos & juicy rich content about the month’s color. From the history of how it’s used, to connections and meanings attached to the color around the world, as well as art & design.
I invite you to join me as I work just in the month’s color. Every Monday I send you a newsletter where I share my creative process through video & photo galleries of works in progress. This content is only for TWELVTY members and is available in the TWELVTY archives all year long.
At the end of each month the art I made as part of TWELVTY will go in my online shop. There are special discounts just for TWELVTY members.
Looking out for color invites you to observe the world around you on a new level. It adds to the richness of the everyday places and things, and brings back a childlike sense of fun and wonder.
All of this works out at just £12 a month! That’s about the equivalent of one fancy cup of coffee once a week. (I’d make my own coffee once a week for all this, wouldn’t you?) 😉
I made this little ebook all about color if you’d like to get an taste of TWELVTY.
It’s all yours when you hop on my newsletter list here.
(Your email is absolutely safe with me, I’ll just pop by and check up on it time to time, feed it raisins & chocolate, plump up its cushions, that sort of thing.)
Well, I don’t want to totally give the game away, but if you’ve seen my previous 
Mixy's Art Blog 