If you’ve been around here for a while you know I looooove color. One of my favorite things to do is to take my illustrations and turn them into multiple different color variations. I also love to use limited palettes to bring together different designs into collections. 

 

Speaking of collections…I'm thrilled to announce that I have a brand new line of phone cases available! And the best part? Each case comes with three different design plates, so you can swap out to fit your mood and your style! Thank you to Swaponz for an amazing collaboration! You can check out the full line of phone cases here. 

(P.S. – I'm also looking for influencers to help get the word out! Apply here.)

What makes these phone case sets cohesive is their respective color palettes. Color theory is a key skill to learn as a surface designer, but I know that color can feel intimidating when your'e just starting out. With a whole rainbow to choose from, how can you choose color palettes that will feel sophisticated and modern without spending hours studying color?

 

Enter, limited color palettes. Working with a limited color palette means that you’re only using two or three colors for an illustration, and it’s a great way to elevate and simplify your artwork.

To help you get started, I'm sharing some of my favorite minimal color palettes with you! You can use these free palettes in your own artwork as a jumping-off point for using a limited palette! Snag these free palettes here!

In my newest blog post, I share the benefits of limited palettes, and how you can create them for yourself.

This week’s #CreateWithCatCoq challenge combines two of my go-to’s in my own artwork - limited color palettes and mandalas! Your challenge this week is to draw a mandala with a limited palette. You can use this one as your inspiration and draw it in your style, or create your own unique mandala and color palette from scratch!

Not sure how to draw a mandala? I’ve got you covered! In this tutorial, I walk through the entire process of drawing mandalas step by step in Procreate. This is one of my favorite ways to zone out creatively. It’s so fun and meditative, and the resulting illustration always turns out beautifully!

I can’t wait to see your mandalas! Don’t forget to share them on Instagram with the hashtag #CreateWithCatCoq and tag me @catcoq so I can like and comment! I share select participants’ art on my Instagram stories and in my email newsletter, so be sure to use the hashtag for a chance to be featured!