CodePen Monthly Challenge: September Recap
September came and brought us The Color Wheel theme. A topic with an embeded need to get a glimpse of color theory and some other theoretical niuances.
Do I love loose topics that are vague in requirements? No. Was this my favorite one? Not really as well, but it had some charm in a sense, that using a single color pallet but playing around with different blend modes ads some charm.
So in summary, this month was not my creativity peak, or innovative breaktrough. As previous month, I tried to stick with similar color pallet through out all the challenges, or at least alter it minimally ((this months main color scheme)).
So in brief summary, here are 4 random takes on The Color Wheel challenge, plus one CodePen pick debutee.
Week 1: Complementary Colors
The first challenge was all about complementary colors. Following a prompt as basic as just “make something with complementary colors,” I realized I needed to focus on utility. So, I grabbed some help from AI and quickly whipped up a random color mixer. It’s designed to give you perfect complementary colors instantly and easily, making the whole process completely random!
Week 2: 🥣 Blend and Mix (🌟 CodePen Pick 🌟)
The second week brought us blending and mixing. This challenge felt like a better fit — and was definitely the most fun all month — because layering different blend modes usually results in such interesting outcomes. The ultimate highlight? This piece managed to get Picked by CodePen.
Week 3: 🪩 Monochrome
Next up was the monochrome challenge. Since I tried to stick with an identical color scheme the whole month, maybe that wasn’t the best approach here. Nonetheless, I feel like this challenge was a personal flop on many levels this month.
Week 4: 🎨 Color Wheel
And finally, the very last one: the Color Wheel challenge. After doing this for a while, you start to notice that CodePen likes to mix themes, making the final challenge a mash-up of everything before. This one, however, felt a bit like déjà vu from the first week. So, using AI assistance, I engineered a comprehensive color wheel that included different layer and mix options.
Overall
So, September was a mixed bag. While I didn’t hit any major creative highs, I did manage to explore some interesting technical concepts and even snag a CodePen Pick. The moral of the story might be this: do the thing even if it feels dull or boring, because there’s always a chance that creativity will find you mid-process.