Violet is the colour of imagination and creativity.
It is a colour of royalty, mystery, transformation and the spiritual. When we work with violet, we work at the edges of perception and possibility.
Violet closes the visible spectrum. It sits at the edge of what we can see—the highest frequency, the shortest wavelength of light our eyes perceive. Beyond violet lies ultraviolet, invisible to us. Violet is therefore a boundary colour, a threshold hue, the place where the visible meets the unseen.
Shades of Violet
Vivid Violet
Deep, saturated purple. Dramatic, creative, and powerfully expressive.
Orchid
Tropical purple-pink vibrancy . Exotic, bold, and beautifully vibrant.
Mauve
Pale mallow purple. Subtle, vintage-inspired, and quietly refined.
Amethyst
Gemstone purple elegance. Spiritual, calming, and softly luxurious.
Lavender
Pale, delicate softness. Calming, refined, and sweetly nostalgic.
Plum
Warm, rich purple-pink. Sophisticated, feminine, and warmly elegant.
Lilac
Soft floral purple. Gentle, romantic, and springtime fresh.
Doodle prompts
Violet spot
Let’s create a little violet spot and imagine it to be the centre of an amethyst and create the outer sections of the quartz stone on its outside. We can expand our initial spot with a mix of random angled lines to form triangles and additional sharp angled shapes.
The imagination space
Violet is associated with imagination and dreams. Without planning, let your hand make marks in violet that capture the quality of imaginative thought—loose, associative, surprising. Don’t try to represent anything. Let the marks emerge the way ideas emerge, unexpectedly.
Royal richness
Violet was historically the colour of royalty because of its rarity and expense. Fill a page with violet in a way that feels luxurious, rich, saturated, precious. Take your time. Let the colour feel valuable.
Violet and yellow
Violet and yellow are complementary colours, creating maximum contrast on the colour wheel. Yellow’s warmth and brightness intensifies against violet’s cool depth. Try a composition using just these two ~ notice how the tension between them creates energy.
The transformation
Violet is associated with transformation and change. Make marks that suggest a shift—from one state to another, from form to formlessness, from clarity to mystery. Let something change across your page in violet.
Pinks and purples
Explore the full range from palest lavender through violet to deep purple. Create a composition that moves through this spectrum, finding all the variations between cool blue-violets and warm red-purples.
Fading into mystery
Create a composition where violet fades toward the edges—becoming paler, thinner, more transparent until it dissolves into the paper or screen. Capture the sense of something disappearing, becoming invisible, moving beyond perception.
Expanding into finished work
Violet inspires plenty of concepts to explore:
Creative and imaginative themes. Violet’s association with creativity makes it natural for work exploring imagination, dreams, or artistic process.
Transformation and change. Pieces about transition, growth, or metamorphosis might draw on violet’s transformative symbolism.
Spiritual or contemplative work. Violet’s connections to spirituality and higher consciousness suit work intended for reflection.
Luxury and sophistication. Violet conveys richness and refinement. Finished work using violet carries inherent elegance.