All the World’s a Kaleidoscope—Especially When Learning About Color.
A Top Review from ColorKINETICS Workshop Participant, Ida Gamban
As a creative director and photographer, using color to create a mood and communicate a message is an important part of my work. So, when my client, Mary Lou Manlove of ColorInsight, recently invited me to participate in her color class, ColorKINETICS™, I jumped at the chance to learn more about color.
Known as a leading color specialist and style consultant in the US, Mary Lou has helped countless individuals look their best through services such as personal and professional color analysis, color and style classes, wardrobe building and personal shopping. Passionate about color, she enthusiastically shares her 20+ years of professional color training with her students.
What the ColorKINETICS Workshop is Like
In her sunny ColorInsight studio, virtually every wall is covered with color wheels: printed, painted and created with fabric swatches with in every color. As a new student, I felt like Dorothy in the Wizard of Oz, stepping into a vivid new technicolor world.
On the desks and tables, Mary Lou had placed huge poster-sized printouts of color wheels. And for the next few hours, my fellow students and I spent the time learning about color, and their relationships to each other, by using that wheel as well as doing other hands-on color exercises. It was fun to see the colors that the students chose as their favorites, and Mary Lou shared some fascinating insights on why individuals pick the colors they do.
In fact, Mary Lou’s sheer enthusiasm and expertise in color theory—as well as her in-depth knowledge of history of color—kept me excited and engaged during the entire session. From her historical discussions on how one can tell when an artwork was painted by the colors used, to her professional advice on what colors work best with one’s hair and skin tone, Mary Lou’s ColorKINETCS workshop offered a plenty of valuable and useful information.
In one particular exercise, Mary Lou had students match actual samples of fabrics to the 24 hues on the 3-1 color tool that was ours to take home. With several of thousands of small fabric swatches for us to choose from, it was an eye-opening challenge as it heightened our awareness of the nuances of color, and how different fabrics actually handle color.
But that was not all. We used the color tool to identify all the possible color harmonies; monochromatic, analogous, complement, split complement, etc. for each of the 24 hues. Then, we analyzed a variety of professional brochures and easily saw why certain color choices and color harmonies were better than others. I now have a fresh perspective on choosing colors for future graphics and branding projects as well as for my own personal fashion and style. When one is in a hands-on workshop, it’s much easier to retain the information and be creative.
For these reasons and more, I highly recommend the ColorKINETICS class for anyone who wants to better understand the world of color.
Mary Lou’s ColorKINETICS class was designed to help color enthusiasts of all levels learn about color theory by engaging all of our senses: seeing, listening, talking and touching. Mary Lou had several terrific handouts to help us learn and remember our color lessons. Plus, best of all, we each received our own set of color tools for personal use.
Learn More About Color! Sign up for the ColorKINETICS class.
If you’re interested in taking Mary Lou’s ColorKINETICS class—or any other of her color classes—email her at MaryLou@ColorInsight.biz . I can assure you, you’ll see the world in an entirely different, and more colorful way.
—Ida Gamban, ColorKINETICS participant
Mary Lou Manlove
marylou@colorinsight.biz
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