So…you’re in a creative rut. You want to break out of your comfort zone and try new ideas, but you aren’t sure how those new ideas may translate into an actual door hanger. 

I know how you feel. Coming up with new door hanger ideas can be intimidating! There are a lot of things to try and a lot of steps to follow. 

My advice? Keep it simple! Any time you try something new, you have to take it step by step. 

So whenever you want to branch out of your comfort zone and try something new on your door hangers, I recommend starting with the paint colors! 

Changing even just one or two colors can make a big difference. And in this post, I’ll show you how to pick acrylic paint colors that stand out!

The best place to find new acrylic paint colors

The easiest place to start? Google! It’s a great place to find color inspiration, especially when trying to find colors you haven’t used before. All you have to do is search for the palette you want (for example, a fall color palette). 

Then, head to the image results on your search and scroll down until you find a palette that catches your eye!

You don’t have to use every color you find, though. You can use this process to find a replacement for one or two colors in your normal rotation.

How to experiment with your acrylic paint colors

Now that you have a few new colors, it’s time to experiment!

Find the color that best matches the one you want to try from your craft stash. (Don’t have it? This is the perfect excuse to head to Hobby Lobby!) Then, grab some popsicle sticks or a tongue depressor!

I like using these because they help me see how they’ll really look once transferred onto wood. Some colors may turn out slightly different once dry, so this is the best way to try it out before you paint the entire door hanger!

Once the popsicle sticks are dry, I’ll place them side by side to see if my new palette will work together!

Test your new palette on Procreate

Once you have a palette you want to work with, it’s time to get to paintin’!

If you have Procreate and an iPad, you can take these colors directly from the image you found inspo from, and drop them into your door hanger template (use the Reference Tool!). 

You can get a better idea of how the colors work together and how they’ll look on your door hanger design. 

Maybe you won’t need as many colors as you thought. Or you don’t like the pink and green you picked together. You’ll just have to try them out and see for yourself!

It’s a process — one that’s all about experimentation and finding what works — and that’s what makes it fun!

More door hanger tips this way ⤵️

Want more door hanger tips? Join us inside the Painter’s Clubhouse!

There, I will give you many more DIY door hanger tips and tricks. We also have live weekly sessions, a private Facebook Group where you can ask questions, and a new project to work on each month. 

If you’re interested, you can learn more about joining here!