Have you ever tried to describe a food or dish you recently had and wished you had the words for it? If you are a food blogger and writer, you have experienced creativity block (like writer’s block, but for creativity). But, don’t wait for inspiration to strike. You have to go out and find it. Fortunately, you don’t have to go far: crayons (coloring tools), eggplants (fruits & vegetables), and rubies (jewelry) are three sources of food colors.
We have experienced writer’s block countless times. But, when we looked around us, we discovered the stories and words we were searching for were in our craft box, refrigerator, and jewelry box.
3 surprising resources to describe food colors
1. Break out the coloring tools
Have some fun coloring with coloring tools, such as crayons, colored pencils, and markers. As you relax and clear up your mind, look at the descriptions of the colors. You’ll be amazed at how many fresh and creative words and ideas will come to you.
Crayon Colors
Open a box of crayons for an exciting array of adjectives that will help spark your creativity. There are more than two hundred unique color terms for crayons. With inspired imagination, you will write more confidently and create lasting impressions.
Here’s an amazing interactive Crayola Color Chart.
And for designers, this site lists the Hex and RGB codes alongside the Color name.
And here’s a sample of 120 Crayon Colors. Piggy Pink? Razzmatazz? How fun is that!
Colored Pencils
Colored pencils let you breath vibrant color and life into every recipe. So, don’t just write recipes. Write recipes with Color. Need help? Here are 150 Unique Colors Terms, such as Poppy Red, Copenhagen Blue, and Chartreuse Green.
Markers
Did you use Mr. Sketch Scented Markers when you were a child? Remember those thick barrel markers that links colors with its own unique scent, such as Blueberry and Apple? Markers can help unleash your imagination in food writing with color and smell too.
2. Look at Fruits and Vegetables
Sometimes it is helpful to turn to foods themselves as sources of inspiration. Fruits and vegetables all have their own color. Consider ‘Orange,’ which is both a fruit and a color. Think the same about other fruits and vegetables. ‘Eggplant’ can mean both the oblong-shaped nightshade vegetable and its deep purple, glossy skin. Herbs like basil and mint can be used to describe the vibrant green of your dressing or your ice cream.
The more distinctive and richly hued the color of fruit or vegetable, the easier it will be for your readers to make the association.
Here’s a Fruit and Veggie Color list.
Some ideas to get you started:
Yellow > pineapple, cantaloupe, lemon, banana, avocado
Orange > carrots, sweet potatoes, oranges, pumpkin, mango, peach, apricot
Green > apple, romaine, spinach, kale, kiwi, pistachio, basil
Red > beets, raspberries, watermelon, rhubarb, cherries, pomegranate, cranberries
3. Enjoy jewelry and works of art.
Are you tired of sitting in front of your computer hoping for inspiration? Don’t waste your time. Go find inspiration with some works of art. Visit a jewelry store, go to an art gallery, or browse a jewelry catalog. You will enjoy spending some time there (and hopefully not money!) and the art may inspire you to look at things from a different angle.
Like food, jewelry is eye candy and prized for its vibrant colors or engaging design. Color is so important in the jewelry business that some jewelry businesses organize their inventory by color rather than gem variety.
Here is a complete list of gem types organized by color.
And here are a few of the most well-known color variations in colored gems to get you started:
Red > ruby, garnet, fire opal, red spinel
Pink > pearl, opal, coral, topaz, star rose quartz
Blue > sapphire, tanzanite, aquamarine, turquoise, zircon
Green > emerald, jade, peridot, serpentine
Yellow > gold, beryl, mali garnet, fire opal, sphene
Violet > amethyst, chalcedony, tanzanite
White > diamond, pearl, moonstone, zircon
Black > tourmaline, obsidian, onyx
Describing the color of your dish is essential in your recipe writing and blog post. Your readers gain a fuller sensory experience with the visual aspect of the ingredients and the recipe. While photos do a lot of the leg work, your words shape their meaning. Describing the food colors gives a language and story to these visuals.
There are many other sources of inspiration for creative writing. When you’re struggling to find inspiration, we hope you turn to this list to replenish your creative well. Then, you’ll always be ready to create fantastic posts.
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