I have to impose strict ‘signing up to’ rules on myself, before I skit off in a giddy rush, happily clicking on any promise of more color and fun and artsy inspiration in my life… I don’t expect any different from you.
I have to impose strict ‘signing up to’ rules on myself, before I skit off in a giddy rush, happily clicking on any promise of more color and fun and artsy inspiration in my life… but resources and time are finite, right?
So I don’t expect any different from you.
But here’s the thing, guys, I don’t want you to miss out on TWELVTY 2018. I’m not sure if I’ll run TWELVTY next year, it takes all year and whole load of prepping for, so this could be a now or never moment!
Here are 12 reasons why this is a chance you don’t want to miss:
We focus on a single color over three weeks, and we explore all the aspects of this color – so you have a wealth of content and information to choose from, but you’re not obliged in any way to ‘do it all’! You take the parts that interest you, and the rest you can leave, for another time, or just leave them!
Unlike other creative courses, you don’t get specific assignments; instead you get a framework and guides to use in your usual creative projects, so you can integrate what we explore in TWELVTY into your usual creative practice.
I ran TWELVTY for the first time last year, and over half of last years group have rejoined for a second trip around the color wheel!
This year it’s way more polished, I’ve tweaked the format and got two creative projects lined up that will run all through the year that I encourage you join in as well.
I reduced the price from last year! – even though the previous group all said it was great value, I don’t want anyone to miss out because of the cost. It’s just £97 for the full year, with an option to pay in 3 instalments. Just click here!
We’re a small group, so your voice will be heard. You can feel totally cool with sharing photos of what you find and make, and you can feel totally cool if you prefer to watch and learn from the sidelines. There’s no pressure.
The time commitment is flexible: I send you the content at the start of each color segment, and share my process in the creative project the following week. It’s your’s to go through in your own time. If you have 2-3 hours a week you could easily fit TWELVTY into your schedule!
We have a private Facebook group, so if social media is your jam then you can use this platform to get to know artists and creative folk from around the world. I’ve made some of my best friends through groups like this.
You’ll build on the knowledge you already have about color, its use, symbolism and its history, and develop a collection of resources that you can keep forever, and keep coming back to.
There’s no better way to hone a craft or creative skill than to restrict the color you use. It stretches the imagination way beyond it’s usual edges!
TWELVTY is what you make it, but it’s much more than just color! We explore connections and develop a deeper understanding of our creative process as we go. (This is my third time of a year long color project: I’m still learning, and I enjoy it more every time.)
Actively noticing the color around us hones our focus. The world is so busy, the days and weeks and months slip by. This is a way to slow down the pace and properly see the beauty that is everywhere when we learn how to see it.
Meanwhile, you can always keep up with my colorful antics by signing up to my newsletter. It’s monthly right now, but I’m switching that up to weekly next month.
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.
Well, I don’t want to totally give the game away, but if you’ve seen my previous 
Mixy's Art Blog 