Color Theory: Value

I'm joining the BoulderMQG in a year long color theory study. It will be similar to normal block of the month programs but rather than a different quilt block each month we will be given a color theory challenge to apply to our chosen block.

I decided to go literal with my fabric choices by going with all solids that match as closely as I can to the color wheel. It's a departure from my usual prints but I want to explore the color in as pure a form as possible.

My chosen colors are Kona Cotton Solids. Starting with yellow going clockwise the colors are; Citrus, Lime, Clover, Ultra Marine, Pacific, Deep Blue, Tulip, Cerise, Poppy, Tangerine, Orange, and Papaya. It was hard to capture the color differences in the red/orange range but it's there.

As far as blocks go, I've always wanted to do one of those circle-a-day quilts so decided I will use divided circles for my color study quilt blocks. I'm excited about the concept and may even try to work in some quilt-as-you-go techniques from my QAYG presentation last year. You see more about that here.

The challenge for January is value. This can be explored in a number of ways. Value within a single color, referred to as a monochromatic color scheme. Value as it pertains to the entire color wheel. Or value in a gray scale form. I think I will be doing the gray scale as the rest of the quilt will be loaded with color.

The photo below shows my fabrics arranged in color wheel order and how they appear when stripped of color so only the value is evident. As you can see, value order does not coincide with color order.

The order is more apparent in the photo below.

The next photo shows the reordered fabrics based on value. I found the orange and yellow/green were hard to sequence. It appears as though the orange is darker in value than the yellow/green but when I switched them it looked the same. Notice that most of the colors fall in the mid value range.

When I choose fabrics for my quilts, I am often guilty of relying more on color than value. Most of the fabrics in my stash are mid value, pure hue colors. I have built up a fair collection of lighter values in the form of low volume prints but am lacking when it comes to darker values. Darker colors have just never appealed to me as much as the pure hues do. Even the idea for this quilt will be strongly based on pure hue as I want to really see the various color combinations that are possible. Maybe another time I will explore the color/value side of things in more depth.

This isn't the first time I've explored color but it is the first time I've focused specifically on color and fabric together. See my Color Inspiration series for the previous color explorations. I'm thinking about adding new colors to the series this year.

If you'd like to learn more about the BoulderMQG Color Theory Quilt go here. You're welcome to join us even if you aren't a member. Stay up to date by following BoulderMQG on Instagram. If you play along be sure to use #bouldermqgcolorstudy19 so we can see your work.

I'll post each month about the color challenge and my progress on my Instagram as well as progress posts here from time to time.

Hope your 2019 is off to a good start.

Aqua

Welcome back to my Color Inspiration series. This month I'm looking at aqua.

It's hot, hot, hot, and dry, dry, dry here in Colorado.  The weather has me dreaming of the beautiful, clear, aqua waters of a beach like Trunk Bay in the Virgin Islands. I had the best time of my life snorkeling around the little islands shown below.

Have you packed your bags yet?  Pleeeeease take me with you.  : )

Aqua is the quintessential color of sandy beaches and inviting swimming pools. After all, the word aqua is Latin for water. It's a very serene, calm, and refreshing color. 

If you think turquoise instead of aqua though, you might envision the southwest United States.  Places like New Mexico and Arizona. Things like turquoise gates, fences and window trim . . . 

Thinking of the southwest also calls to mind turquoise jewelry. This beautiful piece by my daughter mixes a touch of southwest turquoise with an ocean theme. You can see more jewelry on her website, Emily Claire Studio.

Aqua, turquoise, robin's egg blue, verdigris, spruce, teal, mint, azure . . . these are just some of the words that describe variations of this lovely color. Aqua is a mix of blue and green with a touch of white. Take it to the darker side and you have teal. In terms of web colors, aqua is considered the same as cyan. 

When I looked around my home environment, I realized aqua doesn't play much of a part. Years ago, we had a little southwest flavor in our home decor with a dusty teal accent wall and hints of aqua here and there. At the time we were influenced by visiting Taos NM on a regular basis. Times have changed, as has our home, and there's not much aqua or turquoise to be found . . . except when it comes to quilting.

Looking through my quilts, I've made quite a few using a cool color range. While they don't all use strictly aqua fabrics, many use fairly equal amounts of green fabrics and blue fabrics, with the end result being an overall aqua feeling. This quilt was made for a dear friend and her island home in the Pacific Northwest and is probably the most aqua of all. 

One of my all time favorite quilts is this one made from the Cascade pattern. It is mostly aquas and greens accented with purple. I think aqua and purple can be a stunning color combination. 

Another new quilt features a similar aqua and purple combination, but with the emphasis leaning more strongly toward the blues. Watch for this one to be a new pattern soon.

In addition to these quilts, I've had a few fabric combos pulled for a long time that feature aqua. The first combines lovely variations of aqua with touches of chartreuse and gray. The chartreuse brings a real zing to the calmness of the aqua and gray. Love it! I have another fabric grouping featuring mostly aquas with an accent of citrine. Love that group too. 

Then there's my cool colored stripe collection which reminds me of the beach. Hmmm . . . must get busy and start making quilts with these lovely fabric combos.

Probably a good thing I'm not a knitter or I'd be rather distracted from my fabrics by this beautiful variegated blue-green yarn. Gorgeous.

Wrapping up this post with some aqua vegetation. In Colorado we have a lot of blue spruce trees. Now I usually think of trees as green, but I never think of a blue spruce as being either blue or green. It's kind of a dusty aqua. Spruce. We planted this one when it was a single, little, tiny sprout only about 4 inches tall. Now it's well over 30 feet and way way too close to our front porch. What were we thinking? 

In keeping with the challenge my daughter gave me at the beginning of my color series, I'm including more true aqua leaves to finish up. You know I love leaves.  : )  Once you start looking it's really not hard to find leaves in every color of the rainbow. Seriously. Try it. 

When I started this color series, my intention was to really look for the color in my own personal world. To see the color around me in my house, my environment and my experiences. For that reason I've chosen to use my own photos rather than rely on the abundance of beautiful photos and color schemes available through sites like Pinterest and Design Seeds. These sites are wonderful places for inspiration on color but I want my series to be personal . . . representative of the color I see around me.

You can see all my other color stories under the Color Inspiration tab at the top of my blog. If you'd like to see additional beautiful color images, you can follow my Pinterest color boards here. Just look for the specific color boards or my Color Scheme board. There are some beautiful color images.

I challenge you to look around your home, your neighborhood, your work and really see the colors in your world. Go look for some Aqua in your life. Thanks for reading.

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Complementary Colors

Last month I touched base on analogous colors . Today I'm looking at complementary colors. This isn't a technical color post but rather my observation of complementary colors in my world.

Complementary colors are any two colors that fall directly opposite of each other on the color wheel. The most basic complementary color pairs are red and green, orange and blue, and yellow and purple. Shift a step on the wheel and you get combinations like lime green and red-violet, aqua and red-orange, yellow-orange and indigo. Complementary colors naturally create contrast because they oppose each other on the color wheel. This can be used quite effectively to create very dynamic color compositions in graphics and quilts.

Tis the perfect season for spotting complementary colors since red and green play such a dominant role in Christmas decor. I love decorating with red and green for Christmas.

Of course red and green aren't just seen during the holidays. This dynamic combination occurs year round if you look for it. All types of reds. All types of greens.

Here's a little red and green from my stash . . .

The complementary colors of blue and orange are abundant here in Colorado since they happen to be the Denver Bronco colors (our NFL football team for those of you outside the USA). It's actually a bit overwhelming to walk into a store and be confronted with this much bright, bright orange.

Nature always comes through with beautiful color combinations . . .

I also found a fair share of blue and orange combinations in my stash . . .

Purple and yellow seemed to be the hardest to find examples of. This combination occurs in nature but it's winter here so the flowers are sleeping. I did have these photos from the Botanical Gardens.

And I found these graphic purple and yellow mugs in Anthropologie . . .

I've always wanted to make a quilt with this fabric group . . .

Or how about this nice complementary purple and yellow bee block I made for Cindy . . . 

Using equal amounts of complementary colors can be overwhelming. When both colors occur in the same amounts they compete with one another. One great way to use complementary colors is to vary the amounts. Use one color as the dominant hue and add just a pop of the opposite color. This technique is often used in interior design by using an accent color to punch up the space. I like this use of complimentary colors because it really calls attention to the smallest detail and can be very dynamic. These leaves are a perfect example . . . rather than noticing the green leaves, you really see the red veins.

You can also vary the level of contrast between complementary colors by playing with value. For example, pairing a strong pure hue with a lighter value of it's complement can soften the contrast. The soft pink flowers bring the level of contrast down a notch in this image.

What I learned while looking for complimentary colors is that I don't use them very often. I usually lean toward analogous color schemes. But complementary colors make dynamic quilts so you can bet I'll be exploring this combination more in 2016. I already have one in mind with some great Amy Butler fabrics I've been collecting.

Here are two quilts I made using complementary combinations. This yellow Kaffe quilt with purple accents made from my Cascade pattern . . .

And of course the best example so far would be my latest finish. The Drunkard's Path QAL Christmas quilt . . .  love this one and am so happy to have it hanging on the wall for the holidays.

How about you?
Can you find complimentary colors in your home or your wardrobe?
Do you use complimentary colors in your quilts?
Why not make a quilt with complementary colors in 2016?

I'll leave you with Opal seen here modeling some complementary colors when we first got her three years ago this month . . .

As with my single color stories, my intention here is to look for these color combinations in my own personal world. To see the colors around me in my house, my environment and my experiences. For that reason I've chosen to use my own photos rather than rely on the abundance of beautiful photos and color schemes available through sites like Pinterest and Design Seeds. These sites are wonderful places for inspiration on color but I want my series to be personal . . . representative of the color I see around me. 

You can see all my other color stories under the Color Inspiration tab at the top of my blog. If you'd like to see additional beautiful color images, you can follow my Pinterest color boards here. I've also added a board on complementary colors here. Do check it out. There are some fabulous photos.

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Analogous Colors

I'm going to venture off my regular individual color posts for a couple of months to explore some color theory concepts just a little. Nothing scientific or in depth. The study of color can be quite complex and there are already wonderful sources out there if you are interested in learning more. Instead, this will simply be another form of color observation. I hope you'll try it. I promise it will get you thinking about color in new ways.

I'm making the assumption you are familiar with the basic color wheel. This one shows the different groups of analogous colors.

This month the color concept is analogous. So what are analogous colors? The most basic definition of analogous is three colors that fall next to each other on the color wheel. Look at the color wheel above and then any three colors in a row to see the variety of analogous color scheme possibilities. Because the middle color in a grouping shares color properties from both of the colors on either side of it, analogous colors are inherently harmonious.

Analogous color groupings frequently fall into warm or cool ranges. These warm or cool color groupings are often found in nature. Fall is a season for warm analogous colors. The changing colors of the leaves are a wonderful example of analogous colors in nature.

Warm analogous colors are also found in summer flower beds like this test bed on the campus of Colorado State University. It's one of my favorite stops when I'm there in the summer.

Because analogous colors are inherently harmonious, they translate well into great color combinations for quilting. I find that one of my first color inclinations when designing a quilt is to select an analogous color scheme. See what I mean . . .

The cool range of analogous colors is a particular favorite of mine. Think water, sky, green leaves and grass. Love those colors.

Most of the examples I've shown use the three color analogous range, but if you expand the color range to four or even five colors you can add a lot of liveliness to the group. When you use five colors you are quite close to having a complementary color scheme depending on the color spread. I'll touch on complementary colors in December.

So . . .  do you have a favorite analogous color scheme you like to use in your quilts?  I challenge you to look around your home, your neighborhood, your work and really see the colors in your world. Look for some analogous colors in your life. Thanks for reading.

As with my single color stories, my intention here is to look for these color combinations in my own personal world. To see the colors around me in my house, my environment and my experiences. For that reason I've chosen to use my own photos rather than rely on the abundance of beautiful photos and color schemes available through sites like Pinterest and Design Seeds. These sites are wonderful places for inspiration on color but I want my series to be personal . . . representative of the color I see around me. You can see all my other color stories under the Color Inspiration tab at the top of my blog. If you'd like to see additional beautiful color images, you can follow my Pinterest color boards here. I've also added a board on analogous colors here.

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