Harris - Scrapbook Asian Style! Create One-of-a-kind Projects with Asian-inspired Materials, Colors and Motifs

[ ASIAN ANIMAL MOTIFS AND THEIR MEANING ]

(Differentiating among different countries or regions of Asia as appropriate)

[ ASIAN COLORS AND THEIR MEANING ]

[ ASIAN PLANTS AND THEIR MEANING ]

Coloring Your Projects with Asias Inspiring Spectrum

From Chinas Yellow River to the Pink City of Rajasthan

People identify Asia with certain colors. Rich vermillion reds, imperial yellow and that specific Chinese blue evoke images of a majestic China. While images of modern Japan include the vivid neon lights of Tokyo, the colors of Japan are more traditionally connected to muted earth tones. Thailand, the Philippines and Bali are tropical Southeast Asian locales that are visions of tangerine, mango and lime. When thinking of India, vibrant colors of jeweled saris and exotic Bollywood movie sets come to mind and affect the way we imagine that country. Colors also have specific meanings in Asian cultures; for example, imperial yellow was once reserved only for Chinas royal family, and the Japanese believe that the color green symbolizes rebirth and a connection with the natural world. The color black, throughout Asia, is commonly viewed as a noncolor or connected with evil spirits.

Throughout this chapter we will discuss color theory, in practical terms, using the colors of Asia as our guide. The use of color is the most basic of all of the tools we have in our scrapbooking toolbox; and I hope to give you some new tricks, expand your color horizon and have you thinking in combinations you might have otherwise not considered. Note: On occasion, I refer to a color wheel. If you dont already own a color wheel, I strongly suggest you invest in one as color wheels arent expensive and are an invaluable resource. They are readily available at most scrapbooking stores and almost all craft/fine art stores.

Looking through the Kaleidoscope

Understanding Asian Colors

We see and interact with colors on a daily basis. Colors can change the mood and feel of the projects that we work on. Many people, and certainly most crafty people, have visceral reactions to certain colors and may think of colors in connection with specific locations. Asia is a big bright mix of colors. For me, the Near East represents the color of spices such as cinnamon, turmeric and sage. The bright colors of purple, fuchsia and peacock blue trimmed in gold remind me of Indian saris. The colors marigold yellow and grass green represent the Balinese offering baskets that are placed on the streets every morning; and the wild colors of red, green, orange, pink and gold can be seen on a Taiwanese street performer during a Taoist festival. All of these colors are separately Asia to me, but yet they combine into a wonderful kaleidoscope quilt of memories. It is these memories that often guide me when I am preparing to do a layout.

A quick introduction to what we are going to cover in this chapter can be done by looking at the two projects on page . In these layouts I used colors to highlight the emotion and the memory of the place that I wanted to capture. Both layouts feature pictures from the JW Marriott resort in Phuket Thailand, but by changing the color scheme the resulting projects feel very different. For me, when I think of Thailand, I immediately think of the aquamarine sea, the warm white sand and the bright blue sky. The first layout, called JW Marriott , highlights the water features of the hotel and the view of the seemingly endless horizon as seen from the hotel lobby. The colors used in the layout, blue and yellow, draw your attention to the water features in my pictures. Now, contrast this with the second layout using greens and bright pinks to give the layout a more energetic and warm feel. The picture of the coral pink flower framed in black has become the focal point, the picture which highlights the rest of the project. The color of the flower was further highlighted by using cardstock and patterned paper in the same vivid pink.