Looking back at my early floral paintings, I can see that I was struggling a bit to find the right balance of colours that reflected my personal taste while being harmonious. Looking at those early paintings, is like listening to a song that’s a bit out of tune. I’ve come a long way since those early days and I wanted to share a few photos of the behind the scenes of how I chose the colour palette for my recent series of floral paintings. For this series, I did lots of colour studies and swatching before landing in the perfect colour palette. I wanted to work with rich, bold hues that weren’t overly saturated. Finding the magic combination of colours is a long process that perhaps people aren’t aware that’s happening before a painting comes to life. A lot of work, and trial and error goes into creating an original design.

This process is difficult to explain in words, but I hope the following tips will guide you on your own process of discovering your perfect colour palette:

• Master the colour wheel: Understanding the relationships between colours is key to creating a balanced palette.

• Less is more: Limit your colour choices to a few carefully selected hues to avoid overwhelming your art.

• Balance is key: Aim for a mix of warm and cool colours, and don't forget to incorporate neutral shades to enhance the vibrancy of your palette.

• Embrace contrast: Light colours pop against dark shades, and vice versa. Include a variety of tones, from bright and light to medium and dark, to add depth and dimension to your palette.

Enjoy a peek into my sketchbook and my process. If you have any questions let me know in the comments.