Nature Colour Match
The Set Up
Line the table with vases and jars filled with flowers, leaves, and cuttings in every shade you can gather. It feels like sitting down to a spring banquet, only instead of food the feast is colour! Alongside, set out jars of diluted liquid watercolours in the primaries, plus pipettes, droppers, spoons, and extra jars of water for mixing. Heavy paper or card is perfect for testing swatches.
The Making
Pick a petal and look closely. Notice how yellow might fade into cream near the edges, or how a purple flower hides streaks of blue in its folds. Try to capture it. Add a little more red, stir in a splash of water, adjust drop by drop until your swatch begins to echo the colour you see. Sometimes the match happens instantly, sometimes it takes five or six tries, but every attempt feels like a small revelation.
Variations
Keep a chart of colours and write the names of the flowers or leaves beside each swatch. Over the course of a day or a season it grows into a living record of the garden itself.
Materials
Vases and jars filled with fresh flowers, leaves, and cuttings
Jars of diluted liquid watercolours in primary colours
Droppers, pipettes, spoons, mixing cups
Extra jars of water
Heavy paper or card for swatches
Labels or washi tape for naming colours