| In a 64 color crayon box, there are 14 different colors of blue, including the color called simply "blue." Leaning towards green, there are green blue and blue green, aquamarine, sky blue, turquoise, and something called ultra blue. Towards the violet side are violet blue, periwinkle, cornflower, navy blue, and midnight blue. As blue desaturates (becomes closer to gray), there is blue gray and cadet blue. Outside the crayon box there are, royal blue and electric blue, powder blue and baby blue, steel blue, cobalt blue, and the pale icy blue. There are also blues called by their own names, such as cerulean, azure, sapphire, lapis lazuli, indigo, and teal. Each is its own shade, and each will bring a different picture into the mind of your reader. |
"In a 64 color crayon box, there are 14 different colors of blue." |
| Blue in the Dictionary | You can also find a lot of blue in the dictionary. Some of them are: bluestocking (an intellectual), blue moon (the second full moon in a month), bluebottle, blue law, blue peter (a signal on a merchant vessel that consists of a white square in a field of blue. It means "ready to sail"), and blueprint. You can also talk a blue streak (non-stop) or until you are blue in the face (talking to someone who is not ready to listen). Things can come out of the blue. |
| J. R. R. Tolkien was a writer very conscious of colors. When talking about male characters, he is more likely just to name the color, as in the first description of Gandalf: &qout;He had a tall pointed blue hat, a long grey cloak, a silver scarf over which a white beard hung down below his waist, and immense black boots." But when it came to female characters, he was more interesting in his words: "...the Lady Eowyn wore a great blue mantle, the colour of deep summer night..." (Return of the King, p. 239) "... her belt was of gold, shaped like a chain of flag-lilies set with the pale-blue of forget-me-nots." (The Fellowship of the Ring, p. 134) | "J. R. R. Tolkien was a writer very conscious of colors."/FONT> |
| "Blue is the coldest of the cool colors..." | Psychologically, blue is an interesting color with many meanings. It is the coldest of the cool colors, and as such is used to indicate freshness, and ice. Blue also connotes order, conservatism, and soberness. Blue suits are worn by people who mean business. The police dress in blue, mail boxes (in the USA) are blue, and in England there used to be blue police boxes where the local constable could call in before the days of walkie-talkies. The Navy even gave it's name to a color of blue. In many countries, such as the USA and Great Britain, blue is one of the colors of the flag, and so is associated with patriotism and loyalty. Blue's influence is just the opposite of red. It calms people. It is subdued, quiet. Blue can also call up visions of labor, such as blue jeans and blue collar jobs. Blue is also used to indicate the best, such as blue ribbons, or blue chip stocks. |
| One thing blue does not indicate is edible. Aside from blueberries, there are no naturally occurring blue foods. In fact, blue is an appetite suppressant, and weight loss plans suggest putting your food on a blue plate (J.L. Morton, author of Color Matters. Blue can also indicate unfortunate conditions. If a patient turns blue, it means he can't breathe. If you have the blues, you are sad. It is no accident that Eeyore of the Winnie the Pooh books is a bluish color. Blue is often the color of mold. It can indicate decay, much as its cousin green. |
"Blue can also indicate unfortunate conditions." |
| Elvis & Blue | One of the people associated with the color blue is Elvis Presley. He not only recorded "Blue Christmas" (written by Billy Hayes and Jay Johnson), but also warned us to keep off his blue suede shoes. |
| Commercially, blue is often used for book bindings, and videocassette covers. Movies as diverse as Mary Poppins, Regarding Henry, Sarah, Plain and Tall, and Who Framed Roger Rabbit have had blue as a major color on their slipcase. Cleaning products often have blue labels, such as Ivory Soap, the filters for Brita products, and Clorox (blue is associated with purity and bleaching, which is why we use bluing to get clothes white, and why white hair is washed with a blue tint to make it appear whiter). Mouth wash and breath mints are packaged in blue (or are blue), to emphasize that they will make your breath fresh and cool. Mayonnaise, saltines, and sugar are often packaged in blue, probably because of blue's association with white. | Blue on Commerical Products |
| Different professions see Blue differently | In your writing, you need to be conscious of your character's profession, to know how blue will affect him or her. If he is a doctor, he will associate blue with disease. If she is vice president in big business, she will see blue as corporate, and associated with money. If he is a cook, he will not think much about blue, except perhaps the blue plate special. If she is a part of a crew on a boat, blue may be very important in her life. Being aware of what colors mean to your characters--and to you--can make your stories richer and stronger. |
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