Vintage Color Palettes in Colored Pencil

I have a passion for all things vintage. When I feel stuck with my color choices, or when I want to experiment creatively but don’t have the energy to start a full drawing from scratch, creating color palettes is one of my favorite ways to spark inspiration.

In this easy, relaxing class, I’ll guide you through the process of building color palettes using external references—in this case, one of my favorite books filled with charming vintage illustrations and vignettes. Together, we’ll create seven unique color palettes that you can use in your next art project. From tiny two-color combinations to a full seven-color set, you’ll get to explore color arrangements you might not have tried before, while also learning:

How to create a black when your colored pencil set doesn’t include one.

Why layering colored pencils is essential to achieve the exact color you want.

The significance of an underlayer for building depth and achieving your final color.

How to expand beyond your reference material to create palettes that feel uniquely yours.

How to use outside sources as inspiration to explore new color combinations.

What working with palettes can teach you about balance and proportion in color.

This class is calm and approachable—perfect for spending quiet time with your art supplies, experimenting with vintage hues, and stretching your creative boundaries.

If you feel like sharing your creations on Instagram, use #vintagelovewithmarienoelle so we can see the beautiful palettes you’ve designed!

Project Guidelines

In this project, you’ll create seven vintage-inspired color palettes for use in your upcoming art projects. In the resources section, you’ll find scans of the book pages we used during the class.

Make sure your project includes at least:

One 2-color palette

One 3-color palette

One 7-color palette

One palette with an additional color of your choice

One palette of your own creation, combining colors from different images

Share your color palettes in the project section—whether you make one palette or all seven! If you post on Instagram, tag your work with #vintagelovewithmarienoelle.

BONUS: If you share an illustration or artwork created using one of your palettes from this class, you’ll earn extra points! If you’d like a starting point for an artwork, you can use one of your palettes to create vintage-inspired creatures in my class Colorful Creatures in Gouache & Mixed Media. (You can skip the gouache and do the whole piece with colored pencils.)

Whether you use your palettes for this class or another project, I’d love to see how you apply them and experiment with the principles of color proportion we explored.

If you’re ready to dive deeper into color theory and mixing, check out Color Collector: Explore the Art of Color Mixing With Gouache for more advanced exercises.

Materials

Use any colored pencils you like—small or large sets work fine.

If you’re thinking of investing in a higher-quality set, consider brands like Luminance by Caran d’Ache, Polychromos, or Derwent.

These materials will help you get the most out of your color exploration and create gorgeous, vintage-inspired palettes!

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