Is Christmas Color Palettes worth it if you’re shopping in Drawing & Painting?
Quick answer
| Best for | Colorists, illustrators, and crafters who want a cohesive, nostalgic holiday palette without hunting for hex codes or mixing muddy reds. |
| Skip if | You need digital-only assets (like .ase or .fig files) or you’re looking for a comprehensive color theory textbook rather than a curated starter kit. |
| Price | $3.49 |
| Format | Printable PDF bundle (15 palette cards, Color DNA charts, and lab worksheets) |
| One-line take | A low-cost, high-utility way to lock in festive color harmony and build a physical reference binder for the holiday season. |
What you’re actually buying
At $3.49, you aren’t just getting a list of hex codes; you are buying a structured workflow for holiday art. Joanna Stone’s Christmas Color Palettes packages 15 distinct, exclusive palettes into a format that actually supports the creative process. Each of the 15 cards—ranging from “Vintage Christmas Card” to “Winter Berry and Fir”—includes emotional impact insights and a themed reference illustration. This is a rare touch for a budget pack: it doesn’t just tell you what colors to use, but why they feel the way they do, helping you apply them to specific moods in your illustrations or crafts.
The bundle goes beyond static swatches by including “Color DNA” charts. These reveal the tonal balance and core hues behind the collection, essentially teaching you the logic of the palette so you can adapt it. You also get a “Color Combination Lab” worksheet, which is a dedicated space for testing and recording your own mixes. For those who like to keep a physical studio archive, the inclusion of a printable cover page means you can bind these sheets into a personal, reusable reference book. It’s a complete mini-system for exploring festive color harmony, formatted for both A4 and US Letter printing. (Christmas Color Palettes)
One buyer noted they purchased the pack specifically to print and store in a binder, using it to enhance coloring projects and as a recurring source of craft inspiration. Another reviewer highlighted how impressed they were with the specific quality of the Christmas palettes compared to other seasonal sets. You can read more of these experiences in the Gumroad reviews.
Why it’s on our radar
This pack stands out because it treats color palettes as a design tool rather than just a visual reference. Most budget color packs are just grids of squares; this one includes the “lab” component—worksheets for mixing and recording your own combinations. That makes it a practical tool for artists who want to use the colors, not just look at them. (Christmas Color Palettes)
The specificity of the themes is also a strong draw. Instead of generic “red and green,” the palettes are curated around specific aesthetic archetypes like “Victorian Christmas Charm.” This level of curation is usually reserved for higher-priced design assets, making the $3.49 price point a significant value for anyone building a seasonal portfolio or working on holiday-themed client projects. (Christmas Color Palettes)
What actually matters
- Printability and Organization: The files are formatted for standard home printers. If you are a “binder person,” the included cover page and card layout are designed to be punched and filed, turning a digital download into a tactile studio asset. (Christmas Color Palettes)
- The “Color DNA” Component: Check if you need to understand the structure of a palette. The DNA charts break down the tonal balance, which is helpful if you are trying to replicate the vibe of a specific palette in a different medium (like watercolor or digital painting). (Christmas Color Palettes)
- Complementary Suggestions: Each card includes complementary color suggestions. This is crucial for avoiding the “clashing” look that often plagues holiday art, ensuring your backgrounds and accents work in harmony with the primary festive hues. (Christmas Color Palettes)
- Licensing for Personal Use: As a printable bundle, this is ideal for personal projects, client work, and small-scale crafts. If you are looking for a license to resell the palettes themselves as a digital product, verify the specific terms on the product page before purchase.
Mid-check
If you are ready to lock in your holiday color story, you can View on Gumroad to download the bundle instantly.
FAQ
Can I use these palettes for commercial illustrations? Yes, the palettes are designed for artists and designers creating festive illustrations and crafts. Since you are using the colors as a reference for your own original work, this is generally covered under standard personal and commercial use of the ideas within the pack. However, you should not redistribute the PDF files themselves. (Christmas Color Palettes)
Do I need a specific printer to use these? No. The files are formatted for standard A4 and US Letter sizes, meaning they are optimized for typical home and office inkjet or laser printers. The high-resolution swatches are designed to hold up well on standard paper. (Christmas Color Palettes)
Is this just a list of hex codes? Not at all. While you get the color charts, the pack includes reference illustrations, emotional impact notes, and worksheets. It is a hybrid of a reference guide and a creative exercise tool. (Christmas Color Palettes)
Bottom line
If you are working on holiday-themed art and want to avoid the stress of mixing the right shade of evergreen or the perfect vintage red, this is a no-brainer investment. For under the price of a coffee, you get a structured, printable system that helps you build a cohesive and nostalgic color story. Whether you are coloring, painting, or designing, the Christmas Color Palettes give you a professional-grade foundation for your winter projects.