Not too long ago our group decided to pool our resources and purchase individual bolts of Kona fabric at a great price per yard. Quite a bit of discussion took place over the color selection – oh the choices! For the first group purchase we decided on ROYGBIV. Excitement was high and ROYGBIV was being tossed around with glee. As secretary for our group I was trying to capture the comments and suggestions, but I kept thinking what the heck is this ROYGBIV being thrown around? I finally called for a time out and asked, “Who is this Roy G. Biv you are all talking about?” I never had art class in high school and, according to my niece, I must have been asleep in middle school science class because this was the first time I ever recall the primary and secondary colors referred to as ROYGBIV.
Now that I’ve been properly introduced I went with confidence to our latest meeting on color theory. Who knew there were so many aspects to color! It isn’t just value. Hue, shade, tone and tint are all part of color. Hue seems to be the starting point. Hue is the universal color, the name of the color on the color wheel. The green hue is the color everyone thinks of when someone says grass for example. Shade happens when black is added to hue. You achieve tone through muddying a color with gray and when you add white, you achieve a tint of your hue. I bought a color wheel that day.
Since the lecture I find myself trying to identify colors that catch my attention. A student is making a macrame dog leash I find very attractive; of course, green and red are complimentary colors. I now understand it is the tone of the blue fabrics I am accumulating that appeals to me. What else can I learn? With a search I find 33 Beautiful Color Combinations for Your Next Design and I’m drawn into a delicious color journey. This site is geared towards advertising and marketing types for product appeal, but I was able to see color combinations I would not have thought about for a quilting project. This is bookmarked on my computer for future reference. Many times I find a quilt pattern that I like, but the color combinations turn me off and I can’t re-imagine a different selection. Finding a site like this could be a big help expanding my ROYGBIV experience.
Keep Creating,
Gayle
WNY Modern Quilters 