red, pink, and orange (color, demystified)

Tuesday, August 28, 2012 at 11:26AM
Yarnista

This is part five in my Color, Demystified series. If you'd like to read the previous installments, you can see them here:

Blue and Orange

Purple and Yellow

Red and Green

Blue and Green

Because it's been a while since we've discussed color in this way (sorry about that, I've been a titch busy with a newborn), let's recap some of the most important color rules.

1. Colors don't have to match. They have to GO. When colors go together, they enhance each other in a way that matching can't. Colors that enhance each other are inherently more interesting than colors that match each other.

2. Dynamic color choices separate the mediocre from the great. You can see it in the work of master painters, decorators, and knitters. When you're investing your precious time and hard-earned money into a project of any kind, a great finished product is always better than a mediocre one.

3. Start with a color you love and add small pops of a complementary color. Complementary colors are found opposite each other a color wheel.

4. Green is a neutral color. Nature knew what it was doing when it put green with everything. Don't try and argue, unless you want to call Mother Nature a liar.

5. No one looks better in beige. Beige can bite me.

So, today we're going to talk about an analogous color grouping. Analogous colors are next to each other on the color wheel.

When we last left the color red, it was the most energizing and motivating color of the visible spectrum -- it quickens the pulse of the viewer, and evokes strong emotions. Few people feel indifferent about red -- they are either attracted to it, or they aren't.

Pink is technically a light red, but more youthful and sweet.  Bright pinks are flirty, tropical, and sensual.

Lighter pinks evoke feelings of nostalgia, confections, and innocence.

Orange is a comeback kid. Once relegated to the vinyl covered booths of fast food restaurants, a shade of orange is Pantone's 2012 color of the year. Tangerine Tango:

Orange is zesty, joyful, fun-loving, and warm. At the terra cotta end of the spectrum, orange is earthy and associated with abundance.

Peach is inviting and modest.

And, my personal favorite, melon, is cheery and flattering without being too brazen.

When used together, red, pink, and orange have a juicy vitality that's palpable.

 

 

 

So what does this mean for your home, your wardrobe, and your knitting projects?

 

Here are my red, pink, and orange suggestions:

1. Use all three together when you want to look effortlessly chic and in the know. Be prepared to stand out from the crowd.

 

2. Choose one color to focus on and use the other one or two as accents. Here, a soft pink is set off with deeper reds and melon orange.

 

The designer in this room started with a neutral ground, add liberal amounts of bright orange, and then sprinkled in bright pink and red.

 

3. Warm hues like these look modern when combined with white.

 

 

4. Layer hot colors with cooler ones. I love pale blue or leafy green with red, pink, and orange.

 

Picnic Blanket:

 

Here are some color combinations for you to try within this palette.

Cherry Ginger Ale and Watermelon Chiffon

Bountiful and Mulled Wine

Brigitta and Spoonful of Sugar

Fiona and Fondant Pink

 

Cosmo, Orange Crush, and Creamsicle

 

Are you naturally attracted to this palette, or is this a push outside your comfort zone? What questions do you still have about using these colors together? Leave me a comment, and I'll be sure to answer.

If you'd like to see more inspiration using his palette, visit the Pinterest board I created dedicated to Red, Pink, and Orange. You don't need to be a member to see it, but becoming a member is fun. If you need an invite, just use the Contact Us link in the upper right, and I'll send one over!

Article originally appeared on Yarnista (http://www.yarnista.com/).