2017 Topic #1: Pink and Orange {Challenge}

 2017 Topic 1: Pink and Orange

Bridemagazine

Well hello and Happy New Year everyone, Darcy here, this is my first chance to say hello this year. I hope you all had a wonderful break over Christmas. I am sure you are all excited about our new releases, there are some amazing new designs. Our guests will be using them in upcoming posts to hopefully inspire and encourage your creativity. 

We have come up with a slightly different way of bringing themes to you this year; each group of themes will kick off with a colour scheme, which is where we begin today. 

So what do we think about Pink and Orange, firstly they are obviously very striking colours in their own right, but together they can be truly dynamic.

The name for the colour pink has only been used since the mid 17th century, and was taken from the flowers of the same name. The flowers themselves were called 'Pinks' because of the pinked frilly edge to the petals. The colour can be energetic, sensual, passionate and exciting depending on the shade. But when white is added it becomes sweeter and more innocent. As a derivation of red, pinks can stimulate; inspiring confidence.

They can also be a calming colour and can reduce aggression. Another psychological effect is when we see pink sugary food we crave it more as we perceived it to be sweeter than other colours. 

Pink can be a warm colour if it contains a majority of red pigment, but can be made much cooler if blue is added. 

Throughout western art history, pinks have been used as flesh colours, though back then they were called rose. As for the shocking pink hues that we see now they weren't introduced until 1931.

Orange is a warm colour, and is the secondary colour created by mixing red and yellow. It has associations with energy, activity and fire, and if a lot of red is added then it can be a danger or need for alert, colour. This can be a negative but also a positive in the case of the bright orange life jacket, easily seen for rescuers. 

Throughout history orange has been used in art, from tomb paintings and manuscripts right through to modern day. The ancient pigments were toxic, but by the 18th century these had been replaced by synthetic pigments. This led to a rise in popularity of orange, especially by the pre-raphaelites, take a look at their paintings and note the abundance of long flowing red hair. 

More recently orange was a dominant colour in the 60's and 70's, we think of that as outdated, but there is also a sense of nostalgia. As with many trends, orange and pink are making a resurgence, never more strongly than when combined. 

Because they are close on the colour wheel and equally hot,energetic colours they can create a scheme that is alive and fizzing.

Try combining pink and orange over a white or cream background for a really punchy effect.

Sarita

Or combine with white to create defined shapes. 

Rebecca

White can also be used to tone down or 'knock back' the intensity of colours as on this fabulous piece of abstract wall art. 

Erin Ashley

White can also be added as a really effective highlight, like this piece by Tracy Evans. 

and this tag, also by Tracy. In fact if you go to her blog and scroll back through the posts you will see lots of projects in this colour scheme. 

Another tag now from another Tracey, this too shows how the white really pops off the background of orange and pink. 

For a slightly more vintage feel how about this stunning piece made with recycled paper and fabric scraps. this would be a great way to use up gelli prints. 

Jane LaFazio

Another way to create a focal area or add some impact over the pink and orange is to add some bold black. 

Dina Wakley

How about a journal page, colourful and playful by Kate Crane, in her fun style that we all love. 

Kate Crane

Or perhaps go for something more dreamy with watercolour paints. Did you know you can achieve a similar look with watered down Frescos.

Elise Engh

A great way to add these vibrant pops of colour to your wardrobe, without dressing head to toe in hot pink or orange , is to accessorise with some fun jewellery. 

Maitri

These Christian Louboutin shoes come with a hefty pricetag but you could create something similar with PaperArtsy flower dies and a bejeweller, hands up if you have one of those at the back of a cupboard!

If embroidery is your passion how about this super cute beetle, done in gorgeous shades of pink and orange. Though they are jewel-like colours that are in muted shades, and the French knots add wonderful texture.

Marg Dier

For the crocheters how about this fresh and funky blanket, this would be perfect to decorate a teenage girls room. 

TillieTulip

This print is so vibrant and would look great in many home decor styles. how could you achieve something similar? well Fresco paints will give you that vibrancy, and we also have house stamps, looking further afield there are several house stencils on the market or you could draw your own houses. I think what I like most is that just the one house is picked out in orange

Brigitta

Or how about grabbing some fabric medium to add to your Fresco paints and then whip up this bag, look how simple the shapes are. All the impact is created by the colours. 

This is a fascinating glimpse into how someone tries out and chooses various layers of these bold colours. 

To finish with today let's look at complementary colours. the opposite, and therefore complementary colour to pink is green, and the opposite to orange is blue. So why not experiment with adding touches of those. I personally find that pink and orange work brilliantly with lime green, but turquoise can work really well too. Be careful with your pinks though, too much blue will make the pink look awkward next to the orange, keep them both warm so that they sit well together. 

You only have to look to nature to see how the zingy, lime green works .

WhiteHouse

.. and here you can see how the summery, turquoise is the perfect backdrop for the bolder pink and orange flowers. 

Ardyth

Whatever you decide to make, remember there are countless shades and tones, experiment with all the combinations. If brights aren't your thing then opt for muted tones of salmons, and raspberries, peaches and mangoes ( wow total food theme going on there!)

So there you have it, topic number 1 for 2017, are you ready to play? ready, steady GO!

Don't forget to follow Darcy and Leandra's Pinterest boards if this topic pushes your buttons, you will see plenty more examples to whet your appetite there! I am really looking forward to seeing what you create over the next 2 weeks!

~ Darcy

We hope that you  learn something interesting from our blog. Our bloggers deeply appreciate your comments so much, so please take time to let them know you've been inspired! Why not join our challenge by blogging your interpretation of the current topic and link it here?

The current topic link will close 17:00 (London Time) Sunday, Feb 5th 2017, and the winner will be announced 2 hours later at 19:00.

All links go in the draw to win a £50 voucher to spend on products of your choice from the PaperArtsy online store.

Challenge Guidelines

• The challenge is a for you to show how you are inspired by the current blog topic. We encourage you to play with us and explore your personal creative style.
• Please mention which PA blog post inspired you and and why (link directly to that post). Please don't link to the home page of your blog because then no-one can track back to easily find the original post.
• We prefer your challenge blog post is created exclusive to our challenge, but if our topic fits perfectly with another challenge, then you may link to both if appropriate.
• You are most welcome to use stamps/ products/ substrates you have to hand from a variety of companies, we do not expect you to exclusively use PA products - it's lovely when you do though!
• You can enter as many times as you like. We don't want to restrict your creativity! 

NB. Link closes at 17:00 Sunday Feb 5th 2017  (London Time)

Prize: The winner will receive a £50 credit voucher to be redeemed on the PaperArtsy Website. The credit voucher includes VAT and postage. We request that one of your purchases is an A5 rubber stamp. You can add any other items to your basket, but the final total should not exceed £50. It's your responsibility to claim your prize coupon from Darcy. 

email: darcydotneedles@gmail.com

NEW Challenge/ winner: Each fortnight on Sunday, the winner will be announced at 19:00 (London time). In the same post, the link for the next fortnight will be posted. 

Good Luck! If you have any questions, don't hesitate to ask!