Some of my patterns leave the main colors up to you, patterns like the Beaded Fish, Puffer Fish, Octopus, and Tulip all let you choose the main color yourself so you can make the piece look exactly the way you want 🌷
Here's how I'd think about it:
Start with a palette of 3–4 colors
For most of my 3D patterns, you'll want:
A base color (the main body)
A secondary color for shading or accents
Black (for outlines, eyes, definition)
White (for highlights or eyes)
Pick from refs you already have
If you already own a set of Miyuki 11/0 beads, work from what you have. My patterns are designed to be flexible, there's no "wrong" color.
Inspiration
If you'd like to see what other beaders have done, browse @handsofjulia_ and the hashtag #handsofjulia for hundreds of variations ✨
Want to match exact colors I've used?
The Realistic Fish Add-On and Fantasy Fish Add-On patterns are supplements that give you the exact color references for popular variations like Koi Fish, Blue Tang, and more. They're add-ons to the original Beaded Fish pattern.