Ink Swatching and Color Inspiration #jennifermcguireink

I am sure I am not alone when I say that sometimes I get in a rut when choosing colors. It seems all flowers are red and all greenery is, well, green. But that is not nature and it is my art so I can do what I want, right. How do you know what colors will look good together? How do you find combinations that are maybe outside your comfort zone but would still be beautiful? Plus once you find your colors how can you quickly find colors that match from your stash? Today's short video addresses all of that.

I troll the rabbit hole that is pinterest. I think we have all said "I just want to look at something real quick" and then looked at the clock and it's been an hour....yes....we have. I find color combinations on pinterest that are not only beautiful but outside my comfort zone and colors I would never have thought to put together, but they totally work! I save those to a board. I then transfer those images to my computer and save them. (I am not reselling those images, trying to make a profit or claim the images as my own creation. They are simply saved in a folder on my computer for easy reference because my internet doesn't always work and this way I can have access when needed.)

When I have found the colors I want to use I reference my Jennifer McGuire inspired swatch book. I use a download from her website and a system she uses to swatch all my inks. I purchased an inexpensive 3 ring binder from Walmart and coin pockets off Amazon. I take Jennifer's download and cut it down according to the guides on the sheet (she thought of it all, yall) and then I have an inexpensive stamp set from Waffel Flower I use to swatch each ink color I have. As I get new inks I follow this process all over. Jennifer is great about keeping her swatch colors up to date and she has ALL the companies.

This system saves me so much time. I can easily reference my color inspiration and swatch book and find the exact colors I want for my project. Because of the time it saves me now it was worth the bit of tediousness (not sure if I just made up that word) at the start to get all my colors swatched.

Hope you have some ideas on how to get organized and inspired.

Sending paper hugs your way.

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[kirriesummers]

I wish I could be this organized with my inks. I am not and hope I can do this when I finally sell my sweet little house and move to a home with dedicated space for my stamping. 💖🇨🇦🌷