About Us
Hi and welcome! I'm Christine Scaman (pronounced SCAY-man), the owner of 12 Blueprints Personal Colour Analysis (PCA).
I offer modern, accurate colour analysis, and provide resources for clients to become self-sufficient in choosing their most flattering colours in all aspects of their appearance, including apparel, cosmetics, hair colour, and accessories. I also train students to become colour analysts in their communities. I live in Prince Edward Island, Canada.
From interest to passion
For the first 45 years of my life, my approach to appearance was double-sided. In one way, I thought I looked fine, which meant looking similar to those around me. On the other hand, I was discouraged. Every hair colour was too warm and turned orange after two weeks, and I did not own one outfit in which I felt confident.
Having read about colour analysis in the 1980’s, I had a general sense of creating an image based on my natural colours. Every quiz identified me as an Autumn (I'm actually a Dark Winter, meaning a blend of Winter and Autumn, mostly Winter). I didn’t wear the Autumn colours because I didn’t know how. When I tried, results were hit-and-miss and I concluded that PCA only worked for some people, but making it work me might be harder than I thought.
Colour analysis was temporarily forgotten, replaced with education, career, and family. In 1990, I arrived in Ontario with a doctorate in veterinary medicine. For the next 20 years, I was a practicing veterinarian, raising three children.
Appearance was not top of the list, but I have always loved makeup and been fascinated by the extent to which appearance speaks on our behalf. The problem was repeating buying patterns and only buying what I liked, with no idea of a better way. Looking back, I dressed like a teenager and the more I tried to dress up, the less relaxed I felt.
In 2005, I began a blog called A Greener Tea where I wrote about beauty, fitness, and life’s journey. Being on the Internet and writing about beauty brought colour analysis back into my life.
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A site called 12 Blueprints
It's now 2009 and I'm still writing about colour. I figured that I should be formally trained as a colour analyst. In researching PCA systems, none was convincing enough for the investment until I happened upon Sci\ART. The blend of Kathryn Kalisz's expertise in colour classification with her artist’s eye for colour harmony were the partnership that convinced me.
I was trained by Sci/ART analyst Terry Wildfong (www.yournaturaldesign.com) who taught me how objective and detailed a great colour analysis can be. Plain as day, I could see the improvement in my appearance when I wore Dark Winter colours, as if I had magically been transformed from faded to present. Once you’ve seen it, going back to random is harder than staying on track. I had a way to shop that was miles better than buying what I liked, with a system to guide my decisions.
The first week was unsteady. Some habits were easy to leave behind, recognizing them for the security blankets they were, and others took longer to let go. As I wrote about the journey, the colour category of the blog outweighed all the others. A Greener Tea was retired and 12 Blueprints appeared.
If you wonder where 12 Blueprints comes from, it refers to the 12 Seasons (or groups of natural colouring) and their colour palettes. Every person within a group is an individual in their appearance preferences but in terms of their colours, they share more than they differ. When you have your palette of colours, you have the blueprint to build a wardrobe in colours that look better on you than any others, in any style you prefer.
Purpose
With every purchase, the value of PCA was becoming more obvious. This method worked for me from Day 1 in my real life and would clearly work for everyone. The new makeup looked right and I could put together outfits for any occasion that felt normal and comfortable. I could filter colour advice and know what applied to me. My perception of how colour relates to me continued to grow (and always will), but I was finally on the right track.
The mission of 12 Blueprints was inspired by these experiences. I looked and felt better, others interacted with me more honestly, and I began understanding who I was meant to be in this world. I had found a way to improve my presentation and self-esteem in the real world, with a healthy and self-respecting approach to appearance. Then and now, I want the same for you.
Teaching, Resources, and a Store
Once the first edition of the book, Return to Your Natural Colours, appeared in 2012, I received many requests to teach PCA. The Test and Luxury drape collections were created for the growing community of colour analysts.
I left veterinary medicine in 2014 to focus on the colour enterprise, improving existing products and adding more. Season-coloured cosmetics were added a few years later in an online shop, along with Pinterest boards and a YouTube channel.
Today 12 Blueprints has grown into a platform for analysts and individuals to access more information about the Seasons, with the second edition of the book and e-books released in 2018. The paperback book has been out of print since early 2024. An updated version of the e-books is expected for a worldwide audience in April 2024.
The 12 Blueprints Shop
Welcome to a store dedicated to your colours.
With personal colour analysis (PCA), you will know which of the 12 Season palettes contains the same colours that are in you right now. Your days of wondering which colours to buy in clothes, makeup, and hair colour will be over. With the Season-specific products in this store, you don't have to go looking for your colours any more. They just found you.