palette Archives - Take a class

Posted on March 29, 2017 by leesjordan

365 Days of Dogs

I’m launching a new project where I post a drawing or painting with a dog as the subject on Instagram for 365 days. Why? One reason is it’s a way for me to practice my skills as an artist. Another reason is I want to build a daily habit and find that posting the results on social media help me with accountability. Third, it’s fun! There is something very satisfying about sharing what I create with others. Every day I will post a sketch or painting of a dog. The goal is to experiment with different media and practice my skills as an artist while documenting the journey. I’ve added my first subject, a sketch of my dog Molly here in this post and on Instagram. If you have any questions about the project, please get in touch!

Posted on March 22, 2017April 23, 2017 by leesjordan

Purple May the Blue Heeler

May 2 - blue heeler dog, acrylic on canvas

May 2 is a portrait of a blue heeler rescue named May. She lives in a farm on Florida and is about three years old. I used fluid acrylics and iridescent acrylics on canvas applied with brushes and palette knives. I really enjoyed experimenting with different colors and using different tools to get effects. My goal was to capture May’s sweet and slightly pensive personality. May is happiest when she is next to her favorite people.

Posted on October 6, 2016February 15, 2017 by leesjordan

Create Anywhere You Are

Have you ever gone somewhere and then realized you had nothing with you to draw or paint? Never be without creative supplies again with today’s tips. I’m going to share with you how to be ready to create wherever you are by putting together an artist go bag. I was on vacation at the beach a couple of weeks ago (Yay!). This was a great chance to sketch and create. Luckily I had packed a “go bag” of art supplies. This is a pared down kit of what I have in my studio at home. I like to carry materials that are easy to take with me and don’t make a big mess or require a lot of time to set up. TLDR: For sketching on the go, experiment and find what you like. Start with a pencil, pen, sharpener…

Posted on January 4, 2016October 28, 2016 by leesjordan

100 days my Mom’s dog May

My mom has a sweet blue heeler dog named May. She has this funny pose she does when chewing on a toy where she uses her left paw to hold the toy down against her right leg and paw. I used Adobe Draw to quickly sketch her for #100daysofdigitalsketch, my personal challenge for the #100days project. I still find it awkward to switch to different brushes and then have to change colors. It would probably be better to set all the brushes to one color before I start. I drew with my finger instead of a stylus this time.

Posted on September 24, 2015October 28, 2016 by leesjordan

Five Tips for Creating Better Color Palettes for the Web

Color palettes using simple and complex colors

I’ve put together five tips for creating better color palettes based on a recent talk I gave to computer science students. Faced with working on their first mobile apps or sites, they had never really been given advice on choosing color palettes. I realized this is one of those gaps in knowledge; part of the missing manual of design experience you build over time as a developer or designer. I hope you find them useful too. (more…)

Posted on August 17, 2015October 28, 2016 by leesjordan

Finding Color Inspiration in Games

Commodore 64 color palette by Ricardo Cancho Niemietz

Sometimes we need a quick jolt of inspiration to get out of a color rut. I often hear from other designers that they use the same colors over and over again. There are perfectly good reasons why – we may be known for a certain color palette (Nubby and her black, white and reds), or be restricted by brand guidelines or we just gravitate to some colors. While constraints are great, pushing ourselves progressively as creatives means going outside our comfort zones and also challenging standards. Color is a great way to alter mood, focus, and revitalize. Today I’m taking a quick look at three sources of color inspiration with a gaming theme. (more…)

Posted on July 30, 2015October 28, 2016 by leesjordan

Testing Color Theme Tools and Getting Out of a Color Rut

I asked other designers what they were struggling with when it came time to pick a color theme. They gave me a wide range of answers, some about how easy it is to fall into a color rut, while others tend to browse colors and hope for the best. Others mentioned struggling with issues of contrast. These are all challenges we face as creative people. Asking ourselves the right questions and honing our eye for color can help us overcome them and be more effective with our designs. (more…)