Sneak peek of what I'm working on

I've been channeling my inner Lisa Frank and drawing lots of unicorns lately! My new collection is called "I Believe in Unicorns". Along with unicorns, it has lots of flowers, rainbows (of course) and a tree made of butterflies. It's really bringing me back to the 6th grade!

Thanks for reading!

Heather

Super helpful Color Sites

We all need a little help in the color department from time to time... it's usually the most challenging part of design for me. Color is so important. It effects the mood of your piece, it can make or break a great design.... and nothing can make a collection off trend or on trend quicker than color. It the first thing a  customer will notice about a piece.... and it'a usually an immediate reaction.

So you really have to get it right..... no pressure!

Of course, the best way to approach color is to spend time and really play around with it.... but mostly have fun! It will really come across in your piece.

Below, I've brought together some of my favorite color websites, both technical and just for inspiration. If you have any sites you like, please feel free to add in the comments.... I'm always looking for new sites and sources of inspiration!

Here's a fun place to start, called Design Seeds. The creator has taken really beautiful pictures and pulled some of the main colors out for you. A lot of these palettes come from nature, so they're usually very gorgeous. I have found that when I use these, I do have to add a few contrasting colors for pop.... but it's a great place to start.

Next I'll show you a more technical site that I use all the time. I learned about this very helpful site from the art director at the fabric company I license with (thank you Shannon!). I don't know what it's called.... but here is the address: http://www.perbang.dk

Here's how I use it:
I will usually start out in Illustrator with the swatch I want to use.

Double click the swatch in the toolbar. Now command copy the hex number (the bottom box). See arrow below.

Now go to the per bang website. http://www.perbang.dk

You'll be taken to a page where you'll be able to find all kinds of conversions for your color swatch.

I'll usually start with a PMS color swatch, which I double check with my swatch book to make sure the color is right.

Once you have your PMS color, you can scroll down a little and get your TPX colors too.

Congrats! Now that you made it through the technical stuff, I'll give you some fun time! I don't know how helpful this site is, but it's pretty interesting: http://color.hailpixel.com

You just move your curser around and scroll and the color changes on your screen and gives you the hex number.

Sometimes the COLOURlovers site is helpful. Sometimes it's not. But if you need some color inspiration, it can be a fun place to start. http://www.colourlovers.com

Another great place to get color inspiration are apparel catalogs. They are usually very on trend or even ahead of trend with color, so fashion is a great place to start. 

Magazine covers, too. Something styled really well that you like can be a great place to start. Here is a magazine cover that has a great color palette. (The original looks much better, but you get the idea.)

I hope you've enjoyed the post today and I hope it was helpful! Thanks for reading.

Happy Friday!

Heather

Happy Spring!... and some wise words.

Happy spring! Birds are chirping, bees are buzzing and soon it will be summer! Here's a little part of a little poem by one of the greats, Shel Siverstein. Enjoy!

p.s. this one's from my favorite, "Where the Sidewalks Ends".

Listen while you work.....

I wanted to share a couple of really cool music sites that I use while I work. Listening to Pandora or my iTunes playlist is fine, but for when I really need to focus sometimes it can become a distraction.

I've found two sites that are very different from each other, but they have the same goals.... to help you concentrate on you work. Whether it's writing, studying, coding, or art.... I've found that I can reach a new level of flow with this music.

The first is my favorite and I've used it almost every day since I discovered it. It's called focus@work. You can try it for as long as you want for free, but with the premium service it's even more helpful. My favorite thing..... the timer. You can set it for however long you want to work for. I usually do 90 minute sessions. When the bell rings and the music stops I know it's time to stretch, take a quick walk, get some tea or whatever! I don't have to constantly look at the clock, I know the bell will ring when my session is over.

The timer is also super helpful on those days when I'm especially distracted checking for email or Facebook..... I know that I can check once my session is over and the bell rings. I've been able to focus so much easier on my work using this.

The timer is also super helpful when you are having the opposite kind of day and get lost easily in your work. If I know I have one more hour before I have to pick-up the kids or before a dentist appointment, I just set the timer and work until the bell rings and music stops..... it's saved me from missing quite a few appointments! Here's the web address: https://www.focusatwill.com

Here is a similar site I've discovered if you can concentrate better at a cafe. It's called Coffitivity. I have to admit, it doesn't really work for me, but everyone has a different style and this may be great for you. Give it a try! Here's the address: http://coffitivity.com

I hope you found this helpful and fun and makes your work day a little more enjoyable!

Have a great day,

Heather

Whoo's Cute Thank you cards

Happy Friday!

I just got samples of my Whoo's Cute Thank You cards from Crown Point Graphics! They come 15 in the boxed set an are available nationwide where Crown Point products are sold.

Have a lovely weekend!

Heather