Reader…

Hi creative friend!

Today I'm honoring my dad and grandfathers — all veterans — and grateful for their service.

I’ve been keeping color journals for over twenty years.

Long before I started making paint, I was documenting color + my creative experiments — collecting + painting swatches, documenting my process + techniques, naming palettes, layering washes, scribbling notes about how a Prussian Blue shifts when you add just a whisper of mica and Black Iron Oxide. {one of my fave mixes btw}

My studio notes journals and inspiration sketchbooks became my creative compass. They showed me what I loved, what worked, what ideas wanted to become something more.

Swatching isn’t just documentation. It’s where discovery happens.

Today’s #tracibautistaCOLOR PLAY WEEK session is all about swatching as a creative PLAY— how color studies evolve into palettes, stories, and collections.

I’m sharing inside my journals and sketchbooks PLUS a first look at my upcoming Quarterly Swatch Journal—a color exploration program for building palettes, PLAYing with mixed media + motifs, Procreate, and seasonal inspiration.

We’ll explore…

• mixed media paint swatches
• palette PLAY + observations
• color mixing & notes
• mini motifs
• archive swatch cards
• a 10-minute “Make a Mini” mixed media demo

And we’ll build the next page in my accordion swatch book together.

Join me for Day 3 LIVE

Swatch Journals: Color Stories in 10 Minutes

Monday, November 11 at 1:30pm PT

JOIN TBC PLAY WEEK LIVE SESSIONS

This is the practice that grounds my entire creative practice. If you’ve ever wanted to build a color archive that guides your work — or develop a ritual that turns exploration into insight — this one’s for you.

Today’s session will show you how a simple swatch practice becomes a creative system — and give you a first look at the program that’s launching soon.

🎨 PLAY WEEK ITINERARY

DAY 1 — Sunday ~ watch the replay~ The Art of Wax - The origin story of my Pigment Bars + a mini resist + watercolor demo

DAY 2 — Monday ~ watch the replay ~ From Inspiration to Collection: How a #tracibautistaCOLOR Is Made - Moodboards, archives, and how I design seasonal + limited-edition palettes

DAY 3 — Tuesday ~ November 10 at 1:30pm PT ~ Quarterly Swatch Journal Preview ~ Build a color inspired spread with me + explore swatching PLAY

JOIN TBC PLAY WEEK LIVE SESSIONS

If you've been considering the 2026 subscriptions, enrollment closes this week.

SHOP 2026 SUBSCRIPTIONS

and there are only a handful of LUMINOUS WINTER BOTANICALS Holiday Boxes left in the shop.

SHOP HOLIDAY BOX

And if you purchase any #tracibautistaCOLOR item in November, you'll receive the bonus WOVEN HERstories Accordion Swatch Book Workshop as my gift to you.

P.S. I’m hosting #tracibautistaCOLOR PLAY WEEK — a 3-day live series where I’ll share the behind-the-scenes evolution of my handcrafted artisanal mixed media paints, swatch through color stories with you, and show you how those early experiments shaped the tools in your hands now.

I’d love for you to join me!

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With creativity and color and so much gratitude 🙏 ...

Artfully, xo Traci Bautista 💞 Founder, #tracibautistaCOLOR

If you have any questions reach out to customer care using the chat box at tracibautistacolor.com