Complementary Colors Workshop



The Quilter’s Studio Color Study Group           March 17, 2012

Complementary color schemes:                                                                

·         Exciting scheme because of high contrast in color

·         2 colors opposite each other on color wheel, Complements enhance each other.

·         6 pairs of complements:  red/green, yellow/violet, blue/orange, red-violet/yellow green, yellow-orange/blue-violet and red-orange/blue-green

·         Color contrast is strong, so value contrast is less important in providing definition of the elements of your design

·         For balance, one of the colors is usually dominant, in amount and/or intensity

·         Add neutrals and/or a range of color intensity, value, pattern or textural contrasts for variety

·         When using pure hues, keep the classic ratios in mind

o    ¼ Yellow   to  ¾ Violet  (same for yellow-orange/blue violet)

o    2/3 Blue to 1/3 Orange (same for blue-green/red orange)

o    ½ Red to ½ Green (same for red violet/yellow green)

·         2 complementary colors mixed together make brown or gray

·         Complementary colors are also opposites in temperature– warm and cool are in each complementary pair.

  Homework for next class –April 21st 

Reading

·         A Look at Each Color – pages 24 to 49

·         Contrast of Hue – page 103

·         Cold/Warm Contrast – page 105

·         Complementary Contrast – page 106

Projects

·         Workshop 3  pages 154-161 – Complementary : Use 2 colors opposite from each other on the color wheel

·         Optional – Play with your Color Journal

Example Quilts

Red-Violet & Yellow Green



Blue Green & Red-Orange

Monochromatic Project Results

Some really great results of the Monochromatic color scheme study...good job every one of you!

Donna's Orange

Fanja's Yellow-Green



Lynn's Blue




Maureen's Blue




Melanie's Blue




Pam's Yellow




Ruby's Blue-Green

Judy's Red-Orange




Sharon's Red Violet



Judy's Red-Violet

Workshop 2- Monochromatic

 

The Quilter’s Studio Color Study Group                                                                    February 18, 2012

Monochromatic color scheme:

·         Derived from a single color extended by using its shades, tones and tints

·         Energy is more subtle and peaceful due to a lack of color contrast.

      ·         Monochromatic colors offer very little contrast and may be considered boring unless there is

o    Variety of fabrics with texture and pattern

o    Good range of values

o    Good range of color scale/saturation (pure hue, tints, tones, shades)

o    Diversity within the design

 Examples of monochromatic works from famous artists

Gustav Klimt



Pablo Picasso

Mark Rothko

Homework for next class – March 17th 



Reading

·         A Look at Each Color – pages 24 to 49

·         Monochromatic – page 66

·         Texture  - pages 90-95

·         Value - page 97

 Projects

·         Workshop 2  Page 142 – Monochromatic: Use one color with contrasts in Value, Intensity  & Texture 

·         Make a Color Scale (Pure Hue, Tone, Tint, Shade) from your stash

·         Optional – Play with your Color Journal



Cynthia



Example Monochromatic Quilt



Remember to have fun!

Neutral Projects

Great job, everyone!

Ruby

Judy

Donna

Judy again

Melanie

Maureen

Sharon

Maureen again

Class #1 Handout - Jan 21

The Quilter’s Studio Color Study Group                                                                          January 21, 2012

Tools for Color Study: 

·         A Fiber Artist’s Guide to Color & Design by Heather Thomas

·         Color Wheel  (using the painter’s palette – 12 color system)

·         Value Finder (Ruby Beholder)

·         Sketch book for Color Journal

The 3 Elements of Color:  Hue, Value & Intensity

·         Hue is the celebrity, Value is the workhorse and Intensity is the best kept secret

Vocabulary:

Hue                        the name of the color in its basic form  (red, green, yellow, blue, etc)

Value                    the lightness or darkness of a color (dark, medium, light)

Intensity              the brightness or dullness of a color (pure hues, tints, tones, shades)

§  Shade   blackened colors

§  Tone      grayed colors

§  Tint        whitened colors

Neutrals               black, gray, white, tan, brown

Texture                the nature of a material’s surface, can be tactile (like velvet or cheesecloth)

or visual  (like fabric with a pattern, print, scale)

Contrast               differing elements that create visual interest, such as light/dark, smooth/rough

Homework for next class – February 18th 

Reading

·         The Language of Color – pages 16-23

·         Brown, Black, Gray and White – pages 50-52

·         Neutral or Achromatic – page 65

·         Texture  - pages 90-95

·         Value - page 97

 Projects

·         Workshop 1 – Page 142      Use Neutrals with contrasts in Value and Texture  to make something

·         Make a Color wheel from your stash

·         Optional – start a Color Journal

Workshop 1 - Neutrals Example Quilts



Barb Beasley




Cynthia Morgan




Cynthia Morgan



Cynthia Morgan right & left, Pauline Bustmonte center





Leah Dennison





Leah Dennison




Leah Dennison




Martha Gimenez






Cynthia Morgan







Cynthia Morgan



Sharon Diehl

Leah Dennison

Welcome to Color Study

Our group starts tomorrow Jan 21 and we will jump in with two feet!
We'll do introductions, overview of color concepts, look at the color wheel, talk about Value and jump into workshop #1 in the book - using Neutrals.  We'll also do a value exercise and have a give-away.
See you soon!
Cynthia