How To Create A New Color Palette In Illustrator From A Photo - New or Improved Skill Day 1

This month will be dedicated to learning new Photoshop and Illustrator skills or improving the ones I have. The rather blurry photo is a screen shot taken this morning of a live cam of an eagle nest. Since I only care about capturing a color palette, I didn't care about image clarity and watching the baby eagles is amazing.

The way I used to get colors from a photo was to click on different portions of the image with the eyedropper tool. Since there is so much variety in pixels it can take awhile to get the shade you are looking for.

Another method is to pixelate the entire photo and choose from the visible squares.
Select the photo. You can do this by clicking on it with the black arrow, or select –> all, or using the keyboard shortcut command a.

After the photo is selected, go object–>create object mosaic. Select the number of tiles you want and click OK.

The photo is now a variety of colored boxes.

The boxes are grouped and you may want them to function independently. While the image is still selected, go to object–>ungroup.

One way to capture a color is to click on the eyedropper tool and click on a square you like. Go to the color slider palette and if you like the color open the drop down box (found in the upper right corner of the palette) and click create new swatch.

The Swatch Palette information box opens and shows the color specifications. You have the option of naming the color. Click OK





















You could also click on a square and drag the square to the swatches panel. This method is why I had you ungroup the squares; if they were still grouped you would drag the entire image.

The blue square that was dragged looks different in the palette than the one I sampled with the eyedropper tool. Any swatches that you don't want can be dragged to the trash can.

I made some squares with the rectangle tool so I could more easily see the colors next to each other.

I made one rectangle, copied it by clicking and holding command–>c and pasting it with command–>v

My favorite method is to activate an empty square, and touch the eyedropper tool to the pixelated image. I like being able to see the color interaction instantly and if I don't like the shade, use the eyedropper tool somewhere else.

When you get the color you like, save it in the swatches panel.

To save your swatches for future use in other applications, open the drop down box in the swatch panel and select –>save swatch library as ai.

Name your swatch and click save.

To find your swatch again go to the swatch palette drop down menu–>open swatch library–>user defined–>and scroll for the swatch you desire.

When you open the saved swatch it brings it up in it's own window palette.

You can see where the colors coordinate with the original image. The eagle's head tone that I selected is on the right. If you plan to print these colors for a project you might want to print a sample swatch since screen colors are not always the same as what you get from your printer.

Kazimir Malevich Inspired Geometric Abstract Digital Painting - Day 30 Modern Artists

Kazimir Malevich had a vitality to his work that I find very appealing. I wasn't familiar with him and several of the other artists I explored this month so this was an excellent 30 day project.

Arshile Gorky Inspired Abstract Expressionist Digital Painting - Day 29 Modern Artists

Arshile Gorky had a tragic life and died young but his art has an exuberance.

I was thinking about coffee house music while I did this in Illustrator. The guitar and coffee cup are quite evident. The negative space around the guitar is compelling to me. I think I need to redo this on canvas.

Available on Etsy
 

Patrick Heron Inspired Digital Painting - Day 28 Modern Artists

Many of Heron's works were amorphous shapes that looked like they were poured but the images don't give enough detail, they may have been brushed. I was going to do a paper cut but decided on type. The colors are from his palette.

The font is Deko Blakk and the image is my name.

Hans Hofmann Inspired Abstract Expressionist Digital Painting - Day 27 Modern Artists

Hans Hofmann did lots of paintings with rectangles. I did this in Illustrator using the colors from some of his work.

My intention when I started modern artists was to use up some of the paints and canvas that I have in my studio. I think I need to declare a canvas painting 30 day project.

Amedeo Modigliani Inspired Digital Self Portrait - Day 26 Modern Artists

Modigliani is known for his elongated form and many of his portraits have rather creepy, empty eyes.

I did this self portrait in Illustrator and the puppy is my ChiPoo, Buffy. My reference photo was taken at the computer and the photo noise made Buffy turn her head in confusion.

Sol LeWitt Inspired Wall Art - Day 25 Modern Artists

I didn't want to do another drawing with graduated colored shapes so I took inspiration from Wall Drawing #111. His installation piece has thousands of lines, illustrator made this a snap. It's actually rather interesting to look at, I think I might print this one large scale. I've been toying with the idea of trying out engineering prints at Staples, a 36" x 48" print is only $7.29.

Kenneth Noland Inspired M Digital Painting - Day 24 Modern Artists

Kenneth Noland did a lot of paintings with V shapes and circles. Since my name starts with an M it seemed like a good match.

It's so much quicker to do these images in Illustrator but it's not helping to get rid of the numerous canvases that I have stored. I'll have to work on that soon.

Donald Judd Inspired Digital Pattern - Day 23 Modern Artists

Donald Judd made attractive, minimalist modular furnishings. I found some examples of framed pattern pieces and I took my inspiration from those.

Helen Frankenthaler Inspired Abstract Expressionist Painting - Day 22 Modern Artists

Helen Frankenthaler utilized a technique called soak stain, working with oil paints on unprepared canvas. I want to keep my few remaining brain cells so I used watercolors.

Joan Miró Inspired Digital Bonhomme de Neige - Day 21 Abstract Artists

I was inspired by Miró's Bleu. We recently got quite a bit of snow and I thought the red line on Bleu resembled the carrot on a snowman.

The three panels shows the snowman progressively melting.

Ellsworth Kelly Inspired Hard Edge Digital Painting - Day 20 Modern Artists

This is a digital rendition of a basket of fruits and vegetables.

It's interesting how different the image looks when I eliminate the white gutter and border.

Robert Rauschenberg Inspired Painting - Day 19 Modern Artists

I was inspired by Rauschenberg's Combines. He used trash and found objects, these are pieces of my day.

• The artist palette is a foam tray that Chinese cucumbers came on. 
• The green tea is, well, I think you know...  I like the oriental connection and Trader Joes green tea is epic.
• Okie dokie, hot dish, uff da and you betcha are Minnesota phrases. I used to deny saying them but when my parakeet, Taxi, started saying it, deniability was lost forever. 
• My daughter brought home a box of Taco Bell tacos. 
• The white paint splattered and speckling everything is because we are have a freaking blizzard.
• The whiskers made of sticks are for the cat snowman in the front yard. Remember, freaking blizzard.

Alexander Calder Inspired Paper Cut Drawing, Day 18 Modern Artists

Alexander Calder is famous for his mobiles and bright palette. I started to do this paper cut, La Mer, in primary colors but it felt too close to Calder's work.

I freehand cut linen textured card stock and glued it to white paper. The image is a sea urchin with ocean currents and bubbles.

Robert Motherwell Inspired Sumi Ink Stick Painting, Day 17 Modern Artists

Robert Motherwell is another member of the famous New York School.

I used an ink stick and bamboo handle brush to paint these images. I gave the images names but the names influence how they are viewed; I wonder if this is why so many works are unnamed.

Jasper Johns Inspired Line Drawing, Day 16 Modern Artists

Jasper Johns has an impressive list of awards and is fairly controversial. John's life is quite fascinating and his work commands an astonishing price. I've read that the detail of his pieces is not readily observable in photographs but I don't remember ever seeing any of his work in person.

Wassily Kandinsky Inspired Digital Painting Done In Illustrator, Day 15 Modern Artists

I don't know if Kandinsky's symbols had meaning but mine do.

• The crossword like grid reminds me of Sudoku puzzles. 
• The UPC like pattern is, well, UPC codes and their many uses. 
• The circle near the top left is for my friends that informed me on Facebook that their gardens are starting to bloom. We just had another snowfall so even grass sounds wonderful.
• The boats remind me of the sailboat stored at the cabin.  
• The 3 crescents are a reminder to take out the recycling. I never claimed deep, world changing meaning.
• The stick with a circle and radiating triangle is my fond wish for the ability to create a little sunshine. 
• The arrow and other circles are for my daughter who is participating in a Zombies vs Humans event on campus. The chosen zombie will try to infect the humans and they defend themselves by throwing socks or shooting Nerf guns. I was a victim of a sock field test. I would have tried to eat her brains at that point but the sock to my eye rendered me senseless for 15 minutes. I think being an armed human would have been better choice.

 My eldest daughter looked at it and saw a cat. Abstract art, you gotta love it.

Wassily Kandinsky Inspired Cut Paper Circles, Day 14 Modern Artists

Kandinsky is probably my favorite Modern Painter. I plan to explore his style further but today was a bit hectic.

I used hombre origami paper to cut out circles and glued them together. Kandinsky's circle paintings seem to be a favorite with children's art teachers and his exuberant style is well suited to children.

Johannes Itten Inspired Color Wheel Digital Painting, Day 13 Modern Artists

I think Johannes Itten may be best known for his color studies. I made this color wheel using Itten's 12 basic colors.

The upper right of each circle represents a spot on the color wheel. The diagonal section of the circle contains it's complementary color.

The area to the left and lower right indicate the triadic colors which are equally spaced on the color wheel.

The analogous hues are in the corners.

Available on Etsy 

Frank Stella Inspired Abstract Geometric Digital Painting, Day 12 Modern Artists

These paintings were popular as do-it yourself art back in the 1960s since they are pretty easy to replicate.

I made this one in Illustrator with period colors and since his designs are quite simple it was hard to not duplicate the layouts found in  Stella's work.

His Geometric Variations has a fun op-art feel.