Color Story: Aesthete
An anticipated yet unexpected new hue to bring our color stories back to life. A combination of all of the colors visible to the human eye, this rainbow of dusk is the perfect addition for pride month: Aesthete.
This June 2022 Color Story highlights a deep, dusty and matte black. The word aesthete means to have a profound appreciation for beauty and art. It often refers to a person that has a greater sensitivity to artistry and the intricacies discovered in our daily lives. This encompassing color reflects the intense and overwhelming emotions the aesthete experience.
Black is intense especially when paired with bright contrast colors. It is often associated with mystery, power, and protection. On a different note it can be elegant, formal, and seductive. Some also consider it a representation of the beginning or end such as with the start of life and after death.
Image Credit (L to R): Head of a Skeleton with a Burning Cigarette by Vincent Van Gogh // Vase of Flowers by Jan David's de Heem // Girl with a Pearl Earring by Johannes Vermeer.
TIME FOR AN ART LESSON
Painting with black straight from the tube can be… controversial. Black is the darkest value, and is sometimes argued to be too harsh. It is sometimes used to lower saturation or value but this can also be accomplished by mixing your own black to darken a color or by mixing in a complimentary color to reduce saturation. The most common way to mix a black color is by combining equal parts of red, blue, and yellow. Adding more red will accomplish a warmer black and blue a cooler one. I prefer to mix the compliments yellow-orange with blue-violet especially when working with gouache paint. Ultimately whether you purchase black paint or if you mix it the results are subjective, as with any artwork. So follow your gut and create what your heart desires.
AESTHETE MOOD
Aesthete can pair with any color, the combinations used along with it determine the vibe. It can be spooky and dark hiding lingering figures and beasts just out of view or it can be comforting and cozy like a shifting night sky or late campfire with s’mores. It works well as a tool for contrast, pushing the subject into the foreground. This monochromatic mood board focuses on the beauty that can be discovered in aesthete alone and the power of value.
What does Aesthete mean to you? How will you use it in your design challenge?
COLOR PALETTES
TERRACOTTA MAJESTY
You can’t go wrong with orange and blue compliments with a little extra shadowy depth. The warm and cool dichotomy work together to create a vivid and memorable palette. It resonates with seaside sunsets viewed peacefully from a royal window as the sky is slowly cloaked with the night sky.
Inspiration Image Credit (L to R): Elizabeth Jorge // BicBugs.com // Anthropologie.com // TheStyleHabitat.com // (All photos have been linked to the original source if possible).
GROVE DELUGE
This green and dusk palette screams mystical adventure. It’s a damp summer forest enriched by recent rainfall and foggy morning mist. The air is crisp and the wind shifts smoothly through the foliage. This is definitely one of my (Abby’s) ideal vacation destinations, I just want to sit on some soft moss and curl up with a good book.
Inspiration Image Credit (L to R): IntuitionBackgrounds.com // Seth Truscott // Cara @d3adg1rlclub on Pinterest // UrbanAmericanDrygoods.com // (All photos have been linked to original source if possible).
SUNSET SILHOUETTE
A brighter magenta palette paired with darker tones exudes a neon rose golden hour feel. The chilled sand exfoliates your feet and a mellow breeze sneaks through your thin sweatshirt. The cloudless sky weighs the sun down towards the horizon shifting the heavens into vibrant sheets of dim fuchsia as blissful waves undulate onto the shore.
Inspiration Image Credit (L to R): Pedro Gabriel // @harlotofhair on Instagram // Vesna Delevska // @annicelric on Twitter // (All photos have been linked to original source if possible).
#THEYOLKAESTHETE
Join in on our month DESIGN CHALLENGE! Create a piece of art in a square format, featuring the monthly color, and post to Instagram using the tags @hatchcreativeservices and #theyolkaesthete to enter the challenge!**
Full details on our Monthly Design Challenge, including instructions on how to participate, are listed below. Thanks!
Aesthete Color Formulas
HEX #1E1E1E
RGB 30, 30, 30
CMYK 72, 66, 65, 75
ENTRY FROM THE PREVIOUS COLOR STORY: PASSION
Artwork Credit: Devin DuMond
Design Challenge Deets
**Please read the following carefully.
By tagging your piece on Instagram as part of the design challenge, you are agreeing to allow Hatch to use your image in a future blog post and/or other blog promotions with credit listed in the form of your Instagram username. Complete challenge instructions and disclaimers are as follows:
How the challenge works:
Each month we will unveil the color of the month, just as we did here.
We’ll give you tons of info and inspo to get you started.
Then YOU will create a square design, illustration, or any form of art featuring that color.
Post it to Instagram by the end of the month! Make sure to tag Hatch @hatchcreativeservices and use that color’s unique “color coded” hashtag so we can find your entry. Aesthete’s hashtag is #THEYOLKAESTHETE
We will review all of the entries and pick a few favorites to be featured in the next month’s Color Story post!
DISCLAIMERS
The Yolk Color Story Design Challenge is FREE to enter. There are no fees, forms, or other requirements to submit an entry.
This is a friendly, creative design challenge open to anyone who wants to participate.
A number of entries will be selected by Hatch to be featured in the next month’s Color Story. There are no prizes or other incentives. Just the sweet, sweet feeling of creating art and connecting with other creatives.
This design challenge, Hatch, The Yolk, or any of our collective entities, are in no way sponsored, endorsed, or administrated by, or associated with, Instagram.