Working up to orange...

Like Jo, I tend to use a lot of monochromatic color schemes... pastel and muted colors at that... That's my comfort zone. I have a degree in graphics arts and graphic black and white design and typography have always been my strong area. In the "olden" days before digital printing, most things destined to be color were done in black and white first and colors separations were cut for the printers. Artists like Mary Engelbreit and our Lauri Burgessor amaze me as their use of color is so JOYFUL....It literally makes me want to sing and dance. I have visions of their brains actually being multicolored and whirling around like a Disney animation... Alas I struggle using many colors and I'm sure others do also... Here's my advice....

Even though I know how to use color wheels and have had umpteen classes in color theory, I still find it much more fun to gather bits of "color inspiration" from cards, posters, fabric etc... I tuck them away and eventually use them..... I used the vintage postcard for the 2009 challenge block and a piece fabric for the 2010 block....

My very, very, very least favorite color is orange and close behind that is royal blue....and eventually I want to do a block using those very colors. Recently I have found a couple "inspirations" with those colors and have filed them away.. It's the use of color NOT the subject matter that attracted me... Notice that in both pieces they both used a softened yellow also...

So if you see something that is not your color but does make you want to sing and dance....file it away for future color inspiration!!!...