The beauty and richness of colour
Quadfold wedding invitations are a great way to showcase lots of colour and custom illustration elements.
Today we are lucky to be surrounded by so much colour due to the advances in technology that have allowed us to reproduce and print an array of colourful hues by mixing cyan, yellow, magenta and black inks together.
Historically colour was a much rarer commodity, people were reliant on their ability to extract colour from the plants and rocks surrounding them. Rare and elusive colours were expensive and highly prized. The appreciation for a beautiful colour was more nuanced, the bright deep richness of Ultramarine would pop out as brightly in a scene as the glittering sheen of gold did.
The artist’s work has always been intricately linked with colour. Learning how to grind the stones and mix the raw pigments into a luscious paint with which to express their creative vision and creating new colours from blending existing colours. The artist in me is also drawn to these raw colours and the potential of them. Within my paint tubes there are colours that sing with a vibrancy that cannot be replicated by mixing the standard CMYK values together.
Some of the favourite invitations I’ve worked on for couples have been those where we have used the traditional letterpress printing technique to create a single monochromatic impression of text and image. I have then added in washes of rich vibrant colours to the floral elements allowing the beauty of the paint and colour to sing. Each piece is subtly unique as the flow of the paint shifts from page to page, influenced by the natural phenomena of water and pigment dispersing across the fibres of the paper.
Hand-painted watercolour details complete these letterpress printed wedding invitations for Paddy and Liz
When I was working with Paddy and Liz on their invitations they loved the intense bright pink of peonies. I had been sharing images with them of the progress as I hand-painted each pink peony of their letterpressed invites yet when I delivered the final finished invitations they were still surprised by just how vibrant the pink of the painted peonies were. Like CMYK, the Red, Green and Blue values of a digital image have their limitations in what they can capture.
Watercolour studies of the bougainvillea flower
Colour also has a place in amongst a white wedding. A few well chosen pops of colour can help to create that contrast between the purity of white. I am working with one couple at the moment who will be primarily choosing white as their colour across their styling decisions. The wedding venue they have chosen has this wonderful outdoor terrace space that is dominated by white except for one spectacular splash of vibrant pink emanating from the climbing trellis of Bougainvillea flowers. The contrast created between the expanse of white with this concentrated pop of colour creates a spark of wonder that they are also seeking to emulate across the rest of the wedding styling.
Pops of deep burgundy red hint combined with soft peachy tones showcase the depth and passion of love.
Certain colours are also very significant for the emotional story that they tell. We connect to colours through our moods and the symbolic associations attached with them. A deep jewel-toned red can speak of a passionate and intense love whilst a subtle pink tone speaks of a gentle and tender romantic sweetness.
Watercolour illustrated wedding Invitations for Lauren and Stuart showcase the vibrancy of the Manly beachside location
The places that we love and cherish are also often associated with particular colours. For Lauren and Stuart their lives have been intertwined with Manly and it was important to reflect the colours of that beach-landscape. The aqua tones of the ocean, a splash of golden sands, the deep dark green of the Norfolk Island Pine trees that dominate the promenade and finally that splash of pink that evokes all those sunsets spent enjoying each others company.
A monogram featuring the West Australian marron, geraldton wax flowers and eucalyptus was the centrepiece for this black tie glamour meets Margaret River rustic wedding.
Colour doesn’t have to be bright to be effective when choosing colours to style with for your wedding. Working with Lulu and Shaun colour was used carefully to create a harmony between their two personalities. Lulu worked in mens formalwear and knew she wanted a sophisticated Black Tie event, Shaun meanwhile came from a farming background and wanted something that captured the relaxed natural colours of the landscape of his home in the Margaret River. The tones of Perylene Green, Indigo and a touch of lemony cream were chosen to create this connection between the natural bush environment and the more formal black tie elements.
These hand-painted wedding shoes were a nod to the something old and something blue wedding tradition
In another nod to formality and tradition I also worked on painting a pair of shoes for Lulu to wear with her wedding dress. A touch of blue worn by a bride is a nod to the traditional saying of something new, something old, something borrowed and something blue. By repurposing a pair of shoes worn at her 21st and painting them with a delicate wreath of blue geraldton wax flowers something old and something blue were incorporated into Lulu’s wedding outfit. In this way colour adds another layer of symbolism and significance to their wedding day.
Colour is something to treasure and through a careful considered use of colour it can connect us emotionally to that moment. A particular colour or palette of colours can tell the story of who we are as individuals. A wedding day is one of the most emotional moments of our lives so bringing in a particular colour that represents who we are or where we’ve come from is a really beautiful idea to include in our plans.
So what’s your colour story?
