by
Pat
Kerko
Color Schemes
Pros
Cons
Tips
Monochromatic Variations in lightness and
saturation of a single color.
Easy to manage and always
looks balanced and
visually appealing
Lacks color contrast
and is not as vibrant as
the complementary
scheme
•
Analogous – uses colors
that are adjacent to each
other on the color wheel
Complementary – two
colors that are opposite each
other on the color wheel.
Intrinsically high contrast
Split Complementary – A
color and the two colors
adjacent to its complement.
Easy to create and looks
rich
Lacks color contrast
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Stronger contrast than the
other color schemes and
draws maximum attention
Hard to balance,
especially when
desaturated warm
colors are used
Hard to balance than
the monochromatic and
analogous
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Triadic – uses three colors
equally spaced around the
color wheel.
Offers high contrast whle
retaining harmony
Not as contrasting as
the complementary
scheme
•
Double ComplementaryTwo complementary color
pairs
More color variety tan any
other scheme
The hardest scheme to
balance
•
Offers more nuance than
the complementary scheme
while retaining strong
visual contrast
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Use tints, shades and tones of the key color
to enhance scheme
Try the analogous scheme, it offers more
nuances while retaining the simplicity and
elegance of the monochromatic scheme
Avoid using too many hues
Avoid combining warm and cool colors in
the same scheme
Place cool colors against warm ones
If you use warm colors as an accent, you
can desaturate the opposite cool colors
Stry the split complementary scheme
Use a single warm color against a range of
cool colors
Avoid using desaturated warm colors (ie
browns or dull yellows) because this may
ruin the scheme
Choose one color to be used in larger
amounts than others
If the colors look gaudy, try to subdue
them.
If the scheme looks unbalanced try to
subdue the colors
Avoid using pure colors in equal amounts
Primary Colors
Red, Yellow, blue
Cannot be mixed from any other colors
Located at the 3 points of an equilateral
triangle
Secondary Colors
Orange, Green, Purple
2 Primary colors mixed together
Located equally between primarys
Red + Yellow = Orange
Yellow + Blue = Green
Blue + Red = Purple
Tertiary Colors
1 Primary + 1 Secondary
Red- Orange
Yellow-Orange
Yellow-Green
Blue-Green
Blue-Purple
Red-Purple
Compiled
by
Pat
Kerko
©
2007,
Please
do
not
copy
Neutral
Colors
Darks &
Lights
Warm
vs Cool
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Neutrals are very weak colors that allow other colors to move forward in a design. Quilters often use
neutrals for backgrounds or in other areas of the quilt they want to be less noticeable. Variations of
white, gray and beige are considered neutral, and so is black when it acts as a backdrop for a vibrant
color.
• When using pastels, combine with white not ivory. Ivory will make pastels look dingy.
• When using shades, white will make a stark contrast and, ivory will make a rich contrast, while black
will require a large value difference to prevent the shades from blending in with the neutral.
• When using pure colors, ivory will look dingy. Using white or black will be more striking
Darker fabrics are usually more noticeable than lighter fabrics, so they can be used to define your pattern -but remember that color warmth can step in and make the darks recede. Extremely light fabrics used as
random or infrequent accents can move forward in the design, making them more noticeable than the
darks. Traditional Amish quilters use this technique to add a sparkle to their quilts.
Warm colors (red, orange, yellow) are more dominant than cool colors (blue, pruple)
•
To make a color POP
Use its complement
Subtle effect
Use and analogous color
Don’t have the right color
Try the back of your fabric
Always select what you like
Put it on a design wall and step away
Vary your values, mixing lights, darks and mediums
Vary your scale (size and nature of print) to give texture
Maintain the relative proportion of colors in focus fabric so that you maintain the feeling that you started with.
It is not necessary to choose exact color matches with the Main fabric. Try picking other variations of that color
(shades, tints or tones: a darker green, for example) so as to make your palette richer. Try using analogous colors.
Include whatever colors are needed to link the colors of your palette together. This will smooth the transition (or the
bridge) from one color to the next and add richness to your collection.
When planning a design, remember the one complementary color family should be visually dominant. Do not allow
both colors to have equal visual power as they will create competition between colors .
Warm colors tend to dominate a pattern.
Pure colors tend to dominate a pattern.
Dark colors tend to dominate a pattern.
Cool colors tend to recede and become part of the background
A lot of any color will dominate a pattern
grayed colors tend to recede and become part of the background
neutral colors tend to recede and become part of the background
Hue
Another name for color.
Tint
Color + White
Tone
Color + Gray
Shade
Color + Black
Value
The lightness or darkness of a color.
Intensity or Chroma
The brightness or dullness of a color.
Mono-chromatic
Using any shade, tint or tone of one color. ex: all blues
Analogous
shades, tints or tones of colors that are at 90 degree angles on color wheel.
Achromatic
A colorless scheme using black, whites and grays.
Warm
Agressive colors: Reds, Oranges, & Yellows.
Cool
Receding colors: Greens, Blues & Purples.
Reference Material
•
Quilting Arts Magazine, Winter 2006, Issue 24, Art Design Primer by Lyric Kinard
•
Colorplay, by Joen Wolfrom, C&T Publishing Inc., 2000
•
PowerPoint Presentation © Lazzelle Parker 1999-2005
•
Quilter’s Complete Guide, Marianne Fons & Liz Porter, Oxmoor House, 1993
• Not just Quilts, by Jo Parrot, the Patchwork Place, 1992
Compiled
by
Pat
Kerko
©
2007,
Please
do
not
copy