How I Choose the Color Palettes for My Art and Design Work

How I Choose the Color Palettes for My Work (and Why Nature Is Always the Starting Point)

Color is never an afterthought in my work — it’s almost always the beginning of the conversation.

Before a design becomes a tarot deck, a textile pattern, wallpaper, or a piece of home décor, it usually starts the same way: with me noticing something around me and thinking, “That combination works.”

Sometimes it’s a walk outside.
Sometimes it’s the way light hits an old wall.
Sometimes it’s a mug on my desk next to a stack of papers and a window view I’ve seen a hundred times before — until suddenly, I really see it.

This is how I choose the color palettes I use in my work.

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I Start With What’s Already Around Me

I don’t sit down and think, “Today I will invent a color palette.”

Well — that’s not entirely true. I actually do that all the time. Like, all the flippin’ design time. Creating new art means intentionally building palettes, experimenting, refining, and pushing color relationships until they feel right.

But before that, I almost always go to my photos.

 

I’ll pull from what I jokingly call my umpteenth arbitrary screenshot — something captured from anywhere, at any time, often without a specific project in mind.

That might be:

• A stretch of sky just before dusk
  

• Moss and stone side by side

• A weathered door, fence, or floorboard

• Shadows layered over warm neutrals

• Seasonal shifts — early spring greens, late summer golds, winter blues

These moments already contain harmony. Nature has done the hard work — I’m just paying attention.

 

I Photograph First, Design Second

When something catches my eye, I take a photo — even if I don’t know what it’s for yet.

Over time, these images become a kind of visual library I can pull from later. Some sit unused for months, even years, until the right project appears and suddenly that image makes sense.

Once I have the photo, I’ll:

• Zoom in on small areas

• Notice which colors repeat

• Pay attention to undertones (warm vs. cool)

• Look at contrast and balance

I’m not chasing perfection — I’m looking for relationships between colors.

📸 Photo placement idea:
The original photo paired with a cropped detail showing where the palette came from.

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Why These Palettes Work (Even When They’re Unexpected)

Color palettes pulled from real environments tend to work because they’re already balanced.

Nature rarely gives us:

• One loud color without grounding

• Contrast without softness

• Saturation without rest

There’s almost always:

• A dominant tone

• One or two supporting colors

• A neutral or shadow color holding everything together

When I use these palettes in my work, they feel familiar — even when the final design is bold or mystical — because the eye recognizes that balance instinctively.

 

I Let the Project Tell Me How the Palette Should Behave

Not every palette gets used the same way.

Depending on the project, I’ll decide:

• Which color leads

• Which color supports

• Which color appears only as an accent

A palette pulled from a quiet woodland scene might become:

• Soft and muted for fabric

• Deep and dramatic for a tarot deck

• Light and airy for wallpaper

The palette stays the same — the proportions change.

This is one of the most important parts of my process.

 

Designing This Way Keeps My Work Cohesive (Even Across Many Brands)

Because my palettes are rooted in lived experience and observation, they naturally connect across projects.

This is how I’m able to work on:

• Multiple brands

• Different product types

• Varying moods and themes

…while everything still feels like it came from the same creative world.

The colors become part of my visual language — shaped by where I live, what I notice, and how I move through my days.

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Love the Life You Design® — Literally

This process is one of the clearest examples of what Love the Life You Design® means to me.

I don’t separate life from creativity.
I allow life to be a big part of my creative journey.
I let life feed the work — both naturally and figuratively.

The walks, the light, the seasons, the quiet moments — they’re not distractions. They’re the source.

When you start paying attention to what already surrounds you, inspiration stops feeling forced.
It’s already there, waiting to be noticed.

From my drawing pads and notebooks to a design for you and your home. There's always a plethora of possibilities.

Cheers! Leah

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