A Trusty Color Palette to Use Whenever You're Stumped on Color

Color can be overwhelming! Especially if you're staring at a full color wheel with so many possibilities.

One color scheme I always come back to (and recommend to any artist just getting their feet wet with color!) is an analogous color scheme.

Once you understand it, you'll start spotting it everywhere. And once you start using it, you may never feel stumped on a palette again. :)

What is an Analogous Color Scheme?

Analogous colors are colors that sit next to each other on the color wheel.

An analogous color scheme is when you choose around 3-5 of those neighboring colors and use them together in your piece.

Because the colors are so closely related, they tend to feel really harmonious!

If it's easier to picture- think of them as neighbors in the rainbow, if the rainbow at the end wrapped back around to red again. So red, orange, yellow, green, blue, indigo, violet, back to red, orange, yellow, etc.

Analogous colors naturally flow one into the next. There's no tension! Just a pleasing harmony.

In art, I've found that three colors are a great starting point. But you can do less or more. Just be sure to bring in more neutral colors, too. (But more on that in a minute.)

Why Analogous Palettes Work So Well

The reason analogous schemes feel so harmonious is simple: the colors already share something in common. When you place red next to orange next to yellow, your brain understands how they flow into each other. The transitions feel natural.

Analogous colors show up so consistently in nature. Think of a beautiful sunset... purples move into magenta, into coral, into peach, into gold.

Or a tropical ocean with teals, aquas, and blues blending into each other.

In nature, we see analogous colors constantly, and we find them beautiful instinctively.

Analogous Color in My Work

Here are some examples from my own work. I love using analogous color schemes! It's such a reliable scheme I can always fall back on.

For this floral bouquet, I used pinks, magentas, and purples.

For these bottles, I used pinks, corals, and oranges.

For this floral bundle, I used greens, blues, purples, and hints of magenta.

For these cupcakes, I used oranges, yellows, and greens.

How to Build Your Own Analogous Palette

Pick any color you love. Then grab the two or three colors sitting right next to it on the wheel.

Here's something important, though- you don't have to use those hues at full saturation! In fact, most often you shouldn't.

This is where tints, tones, and shades come in, and they're what give your palette real variety.

Here's a quick breakdown:

Tint = your color + white (a lighter value, more pastel-looking)

Tone = your color + grey (more muted, subdued)

Shade = your color + black (darker value)

For example, if you choose the analogous range of red through purple, you don't have to use all bold, saturated colors. You could use lighter tints, more neutral tones, and darker shades of those root hues.

Playing with tints, tones, and shades of your chosen hues is what will give your palette variety. And playing with variety will keep an analogous palette from feeling boring.

You can use lighter colors, darker colors, muted colors, and more punchy colors in a harmonious analogous color palette. Here are some examples:

Keep Exploring Color

Start looking around and you'll start seeing analogous color schemes everywhere. In nature, in design, and in the art you already love, too. Once you see it, you can't unsee it. 🎨

If you want to keep strengthening your color skills, here are a few posts that can help:

• 6 Ways to Study Color

• A Guide to Color Wheels for Artists

• 6 Color Principles for Artists

• Color and Mood