The Importance of Colour Module 3 Page 1

3. THE IMPORTANCE OF COLOUR

OVERVIEW

In this module we will cover the following topics:

Benefits of colour analysis

Warm or cool

The four seasons

History of colour analysis

Colour indication

Conducting a personal colour consultation

INTRODUCTION

Imagine a day without colour. No yellow sunrises, blue skies or purewhite snow – a world deprived of thousands of rainbow hues that we takefor granted. Colours dominate our senses and impact on our first impres-sions of other people.

Colours create moods; for example, blue is considered calming andsoothing, while red is aggressive and promotes wealth.

Colour work forms the backbone of good image work and it is thereforeessential for all aspiring consultants to have a comprehensive understand-ing of the effects that various tones and shades can have on clients.

Choosing colours that compliment your natural skin tone, eyes and hairshade will improve your appearance by making you seem more attractiveand energetic.

Conversely, wearing clothes of the wrong shades can age your face andmake you look drained and ‘washed out’.

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Identifying a client’s personal palette will not only improve their generallook but will enable them to build a wardrobe that interacts together at alllevels and allows the maximum use of every garment and accessory.

Your role as image consultant is to identify exactly which tones andshades of colour suit your client through careful analysis. In addition tochoosing a colour-friendly wardrobe, you should also offer advice onevery aspect of your client’s colour palette from head to toe.

First impressions are vitally important. A sense of confidence and com-fort in what we are wearing sends positive signals to other people, whilefeelings of unease will transmit negative moods. Subconsciously, we aremost happy with our appearance when wearing complimentary colours –and it shows!

HISTORY OF COLOUR ANALYSIS

Early last century, the Bauhaus artist Johannis Itten theorized that hisstudents produced better work when they were allowed to choose coloursthemselves. He noticed there was a definite relationship between choiceof colour, personal appearance and personality.

A decade later, colours were classified as either warm or cool. It was dis-covered colour could be divided into four naturally harmonious groups.In turn, a person’s skin tone fell into one of these groups. This led to theconcept of classifying colours into the four seasons:

Spring

Summer

Autumn

Winter

Although people were usually unaware of their ‘season’, they tended topick colours that matched that season and often had personalities thatresonated with their natural season.

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THE BEAUTY OF NATURE

There can be few people who have not looked around at fields, trees,flowers, plants; animals, birds, the sea and the sky without marvelling atthe sheer beauty of the tones and combinations that nature provides.

Nature has also given every person a unique palette or aura, which blendsthe colours of eyes, skin and hair to best effect.

The tone of skin or colour of eyes should never be changed but manypeople will experiment with altering the colour of their hair, which is per-fectly acceptable as long as they understand the vital differences betweenwarm and cool shades and the effects they can have on their appearance.There is a shade of red or blonde hair to suit everyone, as long as it re-flects his or her natural palette.

BENEFITS OF WEARING THE RIGHT COLOURS

1. Correct colours will make the skin appear clearer, calm any redness,lighten shadows and make the jaw line seem firmer, thereby creatinga more youthful appearance.

Wrong colours will make the skin look too pale, sallow or too yellow,flushed or uneven, drawn or tired, emphasise shadows or lines, gener-ally soften the jaw line creating an older, unattractive appearance.

2. Eyes look bright and sparkling. The colour of the iris is intensifiedand the white appears clearer.

Wrong colours will give the eye a dull, lifeless look. Whites can ap-pear yellowed.

3. Correct colours can give the illusion of slimming the body; take theeye up to the face and away from problem areas.

Wrong colours can highlight problems, making areas look larger ormore prominent, taking attention away from the face.

4. Knowing the correct seasonal palette will enable a wardrobe to fullyco-ordinate, therefore extending the use of all clothes and accessories.

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A client can buy fewer clothes but have a suitable outfit for all occa-sions. Packing for holiday or business trips becomes instantly simpler.

A wardrobe full of various tones and colours will require many moreclothes and matching accessories, therefore, taking far longer to createa great looking outfit. Three times as many suitcases are required toaccommodate numerous clothes and accessories in different colours.

EXERCISE 3.1

1. Give three reasons why wearing the correct colours can be beneficial.

2. Give three reasons for avoiding the wrong colours.

Suggested answers can be found at the end of this module

WHAT DOES BEING WARM OR COOL MEAN?

Each person is born with an undertone colour to their skin, which remainsconstant throughout their lives. A yellow undertone means that someoneis warm; the tone can vary from a pale neutral to golden olive to copperbrown. A blue undertone means that someone is cool and the tone canbe porcelain white or pale beige to taupe-olive to dark chocolate brownand almost true black. Hair and eye colours will tone accordingly, as de-tailed below.

For ease of reference the four colour groups are named after the seasonsof the year as the various shades and the way each group wears them of-ten reflects nature’s own harmonious mixes.

Never, ever assume, or try to pre-guess a client’s colouring, it is unpro-fessional and dangerous; only by using the procedures detailed in thismodule can you correctly analyse a client’s grouping.

These groups are basthe client’s preferred

Everyone will lookby shades that enhance

THE FOUR SEASON

These are general guto the characteristicsdenote the four seascolour groups. Rember; never makeassumptions – eachof your clients is anvidual. Just becausesomeone is a certainor creed, it does notthat they automaticafall into any one group.You can only correcadvise a colour groucompleting the full

WINTER – COOL, DE

- Think Penelope

The Importance of Co Mod

based upon personal colouring only; they doerred colours or the time of year that they were

better and feel more confident if they arence their personal colouring.

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guidesteristics that

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certain racenot mean

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correctlyup by

All of your clients will be unique

colour analysis process.

DEEP AND BRIGHT

Cruz and Grace Kelly

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do not reflectwere born.

are surrounded

individuals

The Importance of Co

Skin tone is oftenbe dull olive (taupe,olate brown or blue

Eyes can be bright

Hair is often darksteel-grey or white.

AUTUMN – WARM,

- Think Sarah Fer

Skin tone has yewithout freckles,brown.

Eyes can be green,flecked with gold/

Hair is often henn

olour Mod

e beigelive or copper

rich

ten pale or porcelain with rose undertone; t(taupe, no yellow tones) with dark brown freckles,

blue-black.

bright blue, green, violet or very dark brown.

dark chocolate brown, black, platinum blonde,or white.

, DEEP AND MUTED

rguson and Keira Knightley

ellow or beige undertone, can be palreckles, tanned with rusty freckles, warm o

green, golden brown, hazel, dark teal orgold/green/teal.

henna, copper, deep reddish brown, auburn or

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beige with oror copper

brown

they can alsoreckles, choc-

brown.

de,

or red-gold.

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SUMMER – COOL,

- Think Cameron

Skin tone has ropink cheeks) or pale

Eyes can be grey

Hair is often ash

SPRING – WARM, LIGH

- Think Nicole Kid

olour Mod

LIGHT AND MUTED

Diaz and Scarlett Johansson

ose-blue undertones, can be ‘English Rose’pale tan, sometimes with feint beige freckles.

y, pale blue, soft violet

ash blonde, silver grey, light ash brown

LIGHT AND BRIGHT

dman and Jennifer Anniston

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se’ (pale withreckles.

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Skin tone has warm yellow undertone, can be honey tan, pale tanwith orangey freckles, or pale and peachy.

Eyes can be hazel, brown with gold flecks, green, hyacinth blue.

Hair is often golden blonde, pale auburn, light brown, warm- mediumbrown, red-blonde.

EXERCISE 3.2

1. What denotes warm and cool colouring?

2. Which seasonal groups are warm and which are cool?

Suggested answers can be found at the end of the module.

COLOURS OF THE FOUR SEASONAL GROUPS

The easiest way to convey the differences to your clients between thefour colour groups is to liken them to the four seasons of the year.

The following pages give a breakdown of the four groups, the coloursthat are in their palettes, along with make-up and jewellery shades.

WINTER – COOL, DEEP, AND BRIGHT

Colours should always have cool blue undertones.

Pastels should be clear and icy.

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Winter colours

Red Claret Magenta

Emerald green Bottle Green

Royal Blue Dk. Navy China Blue Bright Turquoise Blue

Black Mid. Grey Charcoal Grey Grey Taupe (stone) Bright

Purple Dark Purple Bright Cool Yellow Fuchsia/Hot Pink Icy

Pink Icy Blue Icy Lemon Icy Green Icy Lilac

Pure White Silver Platinum

WINTER JEWELLERY

Silver metals, WhitePearls, Diamonds, Rubies,Sapphires, Emeralds

WINTER MAKE-UP

Use any combination ofthe above shades. Avoidbronzers. Winter colours

Select appropriate application for the daytime from greys, taupe, navyand icy shades.

For eveningwear: use silver and bolder shades to highlight and black.Lips: hot pink, red, plum, deep rose

Remember – Winters look best wearing their colours in blocks, creatingdramatic contrast.

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AUTUMN – WARM, DEEP AND MUTED

Colours should always have muted gold undertones, rich earthy tones andfew pastels.

Autumn colours

Tomato Red Russets Terracotta

Olive Green Forest Green Sage Green

Deep Peacock Blue Teal Warm muted Navy

Brown Golden Camel Tan Greened Grey

Warm muted Purple Burnt Orange Mustard

Chartreuse Deep Turquoise Green

Beige Buttermilk Oatmeal

Copper Bronze Old Gold

AUTUMN JEWELLERY

Old Gold, Copper, Brass,Bronze, Citrine, Amber,Tortoishell, Cornelius, Woodenbeads, Leather.

AUTUMN MAKE-UP

Use any combination of theabove shades. Avoid black.

Autumn colours

Select appropriate shades for the daytime from browns, beige, olive, andteal. For evenings: highlight with gold and copper, golden green, mutedpurple. Lips: russet, terracotta, peachy-brown, copper

Remember – Autumns look best wearing their colours in tonal mixturesreflecting the appearance of the autumnal forest.

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SUMMER – COOL, LIGHT AND MUTED

Colours should have soft blue undertones, with dusty greyed overtones.

Summer colours

Watermelon Red Muted Blued Claret Aubergine

Deep Rose Pink Soft Fuchsia Soft Magenta

Medium Pink Pale Pink Dusty Pink Mauve

Greyed Navy Med. Grey Light Grey

Air Force Blue Light Grey Blue Pale Blue Pale Turquoise

Rose Brown Rose Taupe Soft Lemon

Soft Mint Green Deep Sea Green Silver Fern Green

Soft White Pale Silver Grey Pink tinted White

SUMMER JEWELLERY

Silver, White-gold, Pink-rose-gold,Pink/White/Grey pearls, Amethyst,Aquamarine, Pale Jade, Diamonds.

MAKE-UP

Use any combination of the aboveshades. Avoid bronzersSelect appropriate shades for the

Summer colours

daytime from pale/med. grey, lilac, pink, plum. For evenings: highlightwith silver, blue, shades with pearly finish.

Lips: Rose pink, pale pink, mauve pink, soft rosewood

Remember – Summers look best wearing their colours in gentle toningmixtures, like a bouquet of garden flowers.

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SPRING – WARM, LIGHT, BRIGHT

Colours should have yellow undertone and can be mixes ofpastels or bright, vibrant combinations.

Spring colours

Warm Bright Red Orange Red Bright Orange

Deep Coral Pale Coral Apricot

Pale Peach Warm Peachy Pink Yellow Warm

Bright Mauve Warm Violet Warm Purple Bright

French Navy Hyacinth Blue Bright Sky Blue

Bright Turquoise Lime Green Bright Leaf Green

Camel Tan Light Golden Brown Oatmeal

Beige Cream Banana Cream Gold Copper

SPRING JEWELLERY

Gold, Copper, Cream pearls, Tur-quoise, Emeralds, Amethyst, Deep-jade, Light golden amber, Tor-toiseshell,

SPRING MAKE-UP

Spring colours

Use any combination of the above colours.Select any appropriate shades for the daytime from brown, tan, beige,green, turquoise.

For evenings: highlight with gold, copper and sparkly vibrants.Lips: orange, coral, peach, beige, warm pink, natural browns.

Remember – Springs look best wearing their colours with a splash; usecolours in bold combinations or in sophisticated blends of soft neutrals.

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THE PERSONAL COLOUR PALETTE

Your clients’ palette will apply to every aspect of their image; from theirhair colour, to their clothing, jewellery, make-up and accessories includ-ing their shoes, bags, tights, stockings and socks. Every single item thatthey wear should be chosen from the colours in their seasonal group pal-ette, in order to maintain a fully co-ordinated appearance that enhancestheir natural colouring.

Remember – The only group that should ever wear anything black is‘Winter’

EQUIPMENT AND LOCATION

Whenever possible, it is preferable to see clients in your own work spacein order to ensure that the light and conditions are correct and do not in-terfere with the analysis process. Please see Module 1 – Getting Started,for full details.

The basic equipment that you will need to complete a professional ColourAnalysis is itemised in Module 1.

Before seeing any clients, you should divide your colour drapes into thefour appropriate seasonal groups; you will need to create a storage systemwith easy access, this could be a square hanging frame or containers thatallow you to lay your drapes flat and in order. Take great care of yourdrapes, do not allow them to become stained or grubby as launderingcould affect their true pigment; keep them pressed as creased drapes areunprofessional.

There are eleven basic drapes for each group, which should be kept sepa-rately to the remainder of the group, as they will be used in the first stageof draping, this process is detailed later in the module. The basic drapesare:

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Winter – True Red, True Green,True Blue, Hot Pink Bright, DarkNavy, Turquoise, Icy Violet, Mid-Grey, White, Bright Shocking Pink,and Silver

Autumn – Tomato Red, Teal, Deep Ol-ive, Dark Warm Navy, Turquoise Green,Deep Salmon, Old Gold, Chartreuse,Grey-green, Buttermilk and Bronze

Summer – Soft Red, Blue-green,Med-Blue, Orchid, Soft Navy, MintGreen, Dusty Pink, Lavender, SoftWhite, Rose-brown and AntiqueSilver

Spring – Orange-red, Light TrueGreen, Warm True Blue, Mango,French Navy, Bright Turquoise,Peach, Lime Green, Cream, GoldenTan

Drapes should be arranged in the four separate seasons, in colour order,preferably in groups of three as listed above.

It is important that only professionally ‘dyed for purpose’ drapes areused. Odd scarves, etc., are unprofessional and will be inaccurate.

See Module 1 for a recommended supplier.

COLOUR INDICATION OR PERSONAL COLOUR ANALYSIS?

These terms are often misused and it is important that your client under-stands exactly which service they are paying for; the differences are:

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Personal (or Full) Colour Analysis will involve using all of your basicdrapes, plus the full range of drapes that are in the client’s colour group.As well as in-depth advice regarding their personal palette, it should alsoinclude a simple make-up application and advice on hair colours, acces-sories, hosiery and jewellery.

The client should receive profile notes with personalised details regardingall aspects of their colouring from head to toe, accompanied by a colourwallet.

Colour Indication is a much quicker,simple process that uses the ‘Multi-colour Capes’ and possibly gold andsilver drapes. It can be used for dem-onstration purposes at presentations ortalks; for clients who are having make-up lessons or wardrobe audits and donot know their colour groups, or forthe consultant to double check if theyare unsure that the client has been toldtheir correct grouping in the past.

Use your capes in sets of two:

warm and cool

bright and muted

light and dark

Colour capes

Compare one against the other around the client’s shoulders; also showgold and silver.

Do not tell clients which seasonal group they may belong to or any otherin-depth information, just which tones are best for them. There is no needto provide profile notes or a colour wallet. This is a good opportunity tosell the benefits of Personal (or Full) Colour Analysis.

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CONDUCTING A PERSONAL COLOUR ANALYSIS

Greet your client at the door and take them through to your work-place/studio. Keeping the atmosphere relaxed, offer your clients a coffeeand use this time to give a brief of the history of colour analysis and anexplanation of the benefits of understanding their personal colour palette.

Sit your client in front of the window and put on the hair band and covercape. Remove any make-up; ask your clients to remove earrings andnecklace if worn.

STAGE ONE

Begin by using your basic drapes. Com-pare each of the similar colours from thefour seasons, i.e.: look at each red in turn,then each blue, green, etc.

Stand behind your client and place eachdrape across their shoulders, layeringthem up in groups of four.

Looking in the mirror, carefully study theeffects that each shade has on the client’sskin, eyes, jaw line etc., the best willbrighten the eyes, give the skin a clearer,

Sit your client in front of amirror and place differentcoloured drapes acrosstheir shoulders

smoother appearance and firm the jaw lines; the wrong shades will deep-en lines and shadows, make the skin appear sallow or blotchy, dull theeyes.

Interact with your client and ensure that they understand why certain col-ours look good and others do not.

Once you have looked at all four shades of each colour, put the one thatsuits the client best to one side – do not be influenced by the client’s likesand dislikes, at this stage you are only trying to ascertain their correctgrouping. Once you have used all of your basic drapes, you should have aclear indication of the group that your client belongs to by the drapes thatyou have retained. Even if you have some drapes from different groups,

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there should be a majority from one – this will be your client’s seasonalgroup.Do not rush this process and do not be afraid to keep comparing if youare the least bit unsure – this is the most important part of the process andit is vital for your client that you get it right.

Once you are absolutely certain which of the seasonal groups most flat-ters your client, you should then apply a basic day make-up from theirnatural palette. Also explain ways in which they can change this look foreveningwear, although there is no need for a second application. Alsoshow your client alternative shades from their palette that are generallygood for them.

Remove the headband and put on some gold or silver earrings, dependingwhether they are warm or cool.

STAGE TWO

Now take the all the remaining drapes from your client’s seasonal group.You will not need the other three groups anymore. Combine these withthat season’s basic drapes.

Take time to look at the effects that each individual drape has on yourclient. Some shades will look better than others and there will be colourswithin their group that do not look great. Some suit the deeper shades,others the lighter ones. Perfect shades are the ones that look great wornright up to their face; other colours may look better worn below the waist.This is the essence of personal analysis.

As you are working through this process, have the appropriate colourwallet to hand and mark off your client’s perfect (or key) colours, a smalladhesive paper dot is the easiest method. Use a different coloured dot todenote best secondary shades. This is the time to discover a client’s bestcolour combinations, colours for glamour or evening wear and wearing inwarmer or cooler months. Use your colour wheel to reinforce what youare saying.

Full Colour Analysis should address every aspect of your client from topto toe, including hair colours, make-up, clothing, hosiery, shoes, bags andaccessories. Make sure that your client fully understands how the tones in

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her palette work together. Demonstrate how colours from other groupswill clash or spoil the overall effect, especially black. Also show the ef-fects of gold and silver on warm and cool shades. This is important notonly for jewellery shades but also for buttons and embellishments.

Clients will often tell you that they have recently purchased an item ofclothing that does not fall into their particular group but they will stillneed to wear it. It is part of your job to show them how to adapt it to suitthem more by using accessories, scarves, etc. in order to be able to in-clude in their wardrobe.

All of the information given at the consultation should be recorded inyour client’s Personal Profile Notes, including full details of the:

best of their basic, key and contrast shades

best colours for different occasions

best make-up, hair, jewellery, hosiery and all types of accessories

The Profile Notes should be given to themalong with their Personalized Colour Wallet.Show them how to use the wallet effectivelywhen shopping – ‘if in doubt when selecting agarment, hold wallet samples against fabric toensure that they blend or to see if individualcolours tone with similar samples in the wallet’.

Always remember to tell them that they should

Colour wallets

not try to exactly match shades as different fabrics absorb dyes in differ-ent ways. They should use the samples to ensure the correct tones.

Reassure your client that you are always at the end of the phone to givefurther advice if they are feeling uncertain; if appropriate, suggest a per-sonal shopping session in the near future. In order for them to gainconfidence, suggest they buy a simple t-shirt and lipstick in their bestshades and count how many positive comments they receive when wear-ing them.

Colour consultations need to be adapted for male clients and will be de-tailed in Module 9.

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EXERCISE 3.3

What equipment would you use for a Colour Indication?

When are you most likely to give Colour Indications?

What personal information should you give each client at the conclusionof a Personal Colour Analysis?

Suggested answers can be found at the end of the module

CONCLUSION

As stated at the beginning of the module, colour plays an important partin all our lives. It has a profound effect on our moods and really does in-fluence the way we look and the impressions others gain of us.

Understanding how colours work, and more importantly, knowing how toimpart this knowledge to your clients in a clear and convincing way, isvital for any successful image consultation.

It may seem complex at first. But do not be put off. Take time to studythis module carefully, using your colour drapes for visual reference andthen ask as many friends and family as possible to be practice models foryou. The more varied types you study, the easier it will become and youwill soon get to grips with colour analysis, enabling you to bring all yournew found colour to the fore during your consultations.

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REMINDER

Have you completed the following exercises?

Exercise 3.1

Exercise 3.2

Exercise 3.3

Tick each box when you have completed the exercises. Then you canmove on to the assignment that follows.

SUMMARY

1. You know that choosing the correct colours for a client will result ina more attractive and energetic appearance.

2. You know the history of colour analysis and which tools you requireto complete a professional consultation.

3. You understand the concept of seasonal analysis and how people aredivided into one of the four seasonal colours according to their skin,hair and eye colour.

4. You understand the difference between the shades that make up thefour seasons.

5. You are able to perform a practical colour analysis by determiningthe client’s season, offering advice on correct colour-matching andpersonality and explaining which accessories and make-up colourswill correspond with that season.

EXERCISE ANSWERS

EXERCISE 3.1

1. Give three reasons why wearing the correct colours can be beneficial.

The correct colours give the skin a brighter, more even appearance; willmake client look younger; can give the illusion of looking slimmer.

2. Give three reasons for avoiding the wrong colours.

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The wrong colours will emphasise lines and shadow; give a pale or tiredappearance; can make jaw line appear undefined, therefore older.

EXERCISE 3.2

1. What denotes warm and cool colouring?

Warm = yellow undertone to skinCool = blue undertone to skin

2. Which seasonal groups are warm and which are cool?

Warm seasons = Spring and AutumnCool seasons = Summer and Winter

EXERCISE 3.3

What equipment would you use for a Colour Indication?

A set of colour capes

When are you most likely to give Colour Indications?

Talks and presentation

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What personal information should you give each client at the conclusionof a Personal Colour Analysis?

Personalised colour wallet and full profile notes including best col- oursfor hair, make-up, clothes, accessories, hosiery and jewellery.