A Great Color Keeper

I have so much paint!!
And, believe me I’m not complaining. Color is a great source of joy and the more joy, the better, right?

But, there has to be some sort of organization in order to actually find the colors you want to use in a project, and I’ve tried all kinds of color charting schemes over the years.

Then I thought of this one, and I knew this was it. Color choice is so easy - you just roll the Rolodex and study each color as it flips over. And, you can pull the cards and combine them to put pallettes together or to test colors by holding them next to an actual painting.

A small Rolodex is the perfect place for your many paint swatches to reside - always at hand.

And, if that’s not enough, the whole thing is portable, so it can go to the art supply store with you and prevent you from buying duplicate colors. When a tube is getting low, I place a Post-It flag on that card and know to buy a fresh tube of that color while shopping.

Every time I take my rolling color chart into Artisans here in Santa Fe, I pick up lots of fans for this idea - and boost the local Rolodex sales as well!

What You Will Need:
Obviously, this list will be different depending on the type of color you are charting. And many types of color can be organized on the same Rolodex with different header tabs if you wish. This Rolodex is devoted to watercolor because it’s a major medium for me and I have lots of colors.

A Rolodex of any chosen size

Double Stick Tape

Fine-tip permanent marker

Small pieces of a paper you use often

Your colors and appropriate tools (For watercolors, we needed a brush, water, and a plastic pallette. For stamping inks, you would need pads and a sample stamp, etc.)

Step 1.
I am working here with cut pieces of Arches 300 lb watercolor paper, cold press, because that is what I use most often when I paint.

First write the color and its manufacturer on the back of the swatch. In case the swatch ever comes off its card by accident, you will be able to identify the color.

Then write the same info in the upper right corner of a blank Rolodex card, and put a little of that color on your pallette.

Step 2.
Paint the swatch with the color.

Watercolor demonstrates a lot of variety according to how much water is in the mix. Try to get a representation of the range by applying the paint full strength, and then washing back some of the middle of the swatch.

Do this by adding some clear water on a cleaned brush, and then picking some of the color up again with a clean, damp brush.

Step 3.
Mount the dried color swatch on the Rolodex card with double-stick tape.

You can make section divider index tabs in a number of ways. I made laminated tabs and attached them to the top of the card with double stick (see top picture above).

You could also color code Index Tabs for different media on the same Rolodex.

One of my favorite things about this system is how it helps me plan a painting. Swatch cards can be easily removed and held up for comparison with each other or with a painting in progress. You can even remove the swatch itself from the file card if needed, as long as you use removable double stick tape to attach it in the first place.

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