Colour Chopped Technique

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December 10, 2018

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I recently shared this card (close up detail below) using a technique which I have called “colour chopping”. This is a very easy technique, perfect for beginners especially using the simple version I start with below, but it can also be changed up a little as I did with the Christmas tree card and I’ll walk you through it step by step.

There is a technique called colour blocking which comes from the artist Mondrian. I may cover that technique at a later date but you need some knowledge of the colour wheel for that. This is an even simpler version of a similar technique that just uses three shades of a single colour. They can be arranged to give an ombre effect, transitioning from a darker to a lighter colour (or vice versa) but they don’t have to be. Just mix and match to your suit your project.

Step 1 – Choose your colours and your final shape. Here I selected three different greens (Lemon Lime Twist, Granny Apple Green and Old Olive) and decided to make my finished piece a simple rectangle of 2-1/2″ x 3-3/4″.

Step 2 – Cut your first piece away from the rest. Here I cut 1-1/4″ from the longest edge. Use this then as a template to repeat the cut on each of the other two colours. (One option is to place a cut piece over a full one and draw a pencil line along the cut edge as your guide).

Step 3 – Cut your second piece away from the rest. (I cut another 1-1/4″ from the remaining piece, leaving a final 1-1/4″ piece). Use this then as a template to repeat the cut on each of the other two colours again. You will then end up with three pieces that can be arranged together (three times – ie. three x three).

Step 4 – To step this up a notch you can choose any simple geometric shape. For example I took a Christmas Tree stamp and measured to determine what size triangle I would need (in this case a rectangle of 2-1/2″ x 4″ cut to a point at the centreline of 1-1/4″).

Step 5 – Cut three identical triangles (or whatever shape you have chosen), make your first cut, then use it as a template to repeat the cut on the other two colour triangles. Make a second cut and again use it as a template to repeat the cut on the other two colour triangles.