Step 1
Choose a Direction
Start with the mood, focal point, or initial color you want. Use the guidebook and reference cards to choose your color harmony and your materials.
Your guide to understanding color and how to use it intentionally in your art
ScrollPractical Color Theory for Artists
Choose Color With Confidence
Choosing colors can be the scariest part of starting a new project, especially when you work with materials that cannot be changed.
The Color Deck™ turns color theory into a practical, repeatable way to build palettes, understand color relationships, and make intentional decisions in your own art. Learn the principles in the guidebook, then refer to the cards as you work.
Preorder for $55 . $65 USD MSRP
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How It Works
The Color Deck is the best resource you could have for using color in your art. Learn the foundations from the guidebook: A comprehensive, easy-to-understand course on color theory. Then, use the artwork cards in the card deck to study how color was used in real art. Finally, use the reference cards to guide your own color choices in your next project.
Step 2
Follow the Framework
Use the guidelines in Kestrel's Color Framework™ to apply color intentionally instead of relying on guesswork.
Step 3
Review and Learn
Study the artwork cards or analyze your own finished piece. Identify what works, what draws attention, and what you would change next time.
Want to see how this process works? Watch Kestrel demonstrate using the card deck to kickstart a new project. First, she'll choose an initial color. Then, she'll select an appropriate harmony for that color. Finally, she'll use the cards to pick her materials.
What's Included
The Color Deck™ combines in-depth instruction with a portable visual reference. The presentation box contains a 76-page guidebook and 105 cards designed to help you learn color theory, see it in practice, and apply it at your worktable.
The 76-Page Guidebook
Learn the foundations of color theory and how to use Kestrel's Color Framework™ in your own work.
The guidebook includes:
- Color models and the color wheel
- 12 color harmonies
- Black, white, tints, tones, and shades
- Advanced concepts and intentional rule-breaking
- Kestrel's Color Framework™
The 105-Card Deck
Reference essential concepts while you work and study examples that show how color theory functions in finished art.
The deck contains:
- 5 instruction cards
- 12 color reference cards and 12 harmony reference cards
- 76 artwork cards featuring art by Kestrel and 12 guest artists
- Framework analysis on the back of every artwork card
Kestrel Michaud
The Color Deck™ is the work of Kestrel Michaud (opens in a new tab), a classically-trained and award-winning fine artist, graphic designer, and illustrator currently serving on the board of Studio Art Quilt Associates (opens in a new tab) (SAQA). She graduated with honors in 2010 from Ringling College of Art and Design with a BFA in Illustration. Her quilted illustrations are made from thousands of pieces of fabric that are fused and stitched into large, quilted wall hangings. These often feature scenes from an imaginary steampunk world.
Kestrel and her art quilts have been featured on The Quilt Show (opens in a new tab) and Quilting Arts TV (opens in a new tab) on PBS. Her quilts have exhibited in six countries and have won grand prizes at the largest quilt shows in the world. In addition to creating and competitively exhibiting her quilts, Kestrel maintains an active Patreon (opens in a new tab) where she teaches aspiring artists how to design and create their own imaginative realism designs. She also gives presentations (opens in a new tab) and teaches in-person workshops (opens in a new tab) to quilt guilds and at shows across the United States.
Preorder The Color Deck™.
Preorder now for $55 USD. Regular MSRP is $65 USD.
Fulfillment is expected to begin in November 2026.
Preorder Now