Give your next project a workout
with an athletic color palette. Team
bold red with yellow (energy), orange
(radiant), and blue (steady) to add
movement and energy to any project.
Artists and scientists have long touted the physical
effects that colors can exert. Viewing the color red,
for example, increases perspiration, blood pressure,
respiration, heart beat, and provides an adrenaline
rush. (Wow, a bit like getting a good workout.)
Traditionally trained illustrator Bill Hall says his
works “center around athletics because they afford
me the ability to depict action and motion, allowing
me a freer use of abstraction.” An author, speaker,
and award-winning artist, Hall works in a combination
of Painter and Photoshop. “I generally shoot my
own photo reference and combine images to create
a composition. I then use that reference as a springboard
for the fi nished piece. I don’t clone or use
fi lters. I prefer to do a freehand sketch in Painter and
work in multilayers building up my colors.”
He makes extensive use of the loaded palette
knife brush in Painter to block in the base colors
of his composition. Then he works in the medium
tones and highlights using assorted detail and blending
brushes. “I feel that the digital medium gives
me the freedom to take bold steps without fear, thus
enhancing my creativity,” says Hall.
Hall’s taste leans toward stong primary colors
that reinforce the excitement and action of his
abstract style. He likes to “shoot from the hip” when
selecting colors for his projects. “Once color theory
has been digested, an artist can work on a gut level
and not be governed by theory, much the way a jazz
musician can ignore the rules and create art.”
Fonts
Score big with Refrigerator
(home run), ITC
Machine (kickoff), or
Princetown (team)
at www.fonts.com.
Flip for Pep Rally
(cheer) from www.freemacfonts.com. In
a pinch, almost any
square block letterstyle
can work.
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Stripes
From vertical ref and
baseball pinstripes to
horizontal rugby and
warm-up suit piping,
stripes in sports are
everywhere and can
quickly convey a team
or a sport. Image
23277286, Brand X
Pictures
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Patriotic colors
For sports on an international
level, use the
country’s colors. Red,
white, and blue easily
portray the U.S.;
red and white imply
Canada; and red,
white, and green suggest
Mexico. Image
23007840, Thinkstock
Images
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Go for the gold
Like gold, silver,
and bronze Olympic
medals, metallics
color winners. Image
23007840, Thinkstock
Images
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PALETTE: Athletic
PALETTE: Combinations
