Assignment 2: Colour Theory

Analogous
Organism Backless Top by Lesley George, retrieved from
http://www.lesleygeorge.co.uk/
media/organism.jpg

In this piece, the artist has used a wide analagous colour scheme ranging from yellow-orange through to blue.  I feel this works well because of the proportions and saturations of colours the artist has chosen to use.  The top is predominantly red and orange at full saturation - very hot - but this is contrasted with tints of blue and violet - very cool.  It is evocative of fire and ice or lava and sea water.  The piece is bordering on garish with the bright colours and textured embellishments; the artist, having employed nearly half of the spectrum, was wise not to move into the greens and turn the whole thing into a rainbow costume.

Neutrals with a bit of Complementary.  Maybe.
Biscuit Pop Lilliput Scarf by Sophie Digard retrieved from
http://www.frenchneedle.com/
collections/scarves-sophie-digard/
products/biscuit-pop-lillput-scarf.

This scarf is designed in shades of clear, neutral greys absent any hint of colour except possibly the faintest cyan and pink (on my monitor, at any rate).  Cyan and red are close to complimentary colours.  The second darkest grey is used for the ground against which are set the lighter bobbles with the occasional hit of near black, used very sparingly. This set of greys works very well; there is enough variety to create visual texture and interest; the colours have been placed randomly in the bobbles, but the balance of shades is carefully chosen to play light off dark, creating energy in the absence of any significant amount of spectrum colour.

Split complementary
Zipper flower by Odile Gova retrieved from
https://www.etsy.com/
shop/woollyfabulous

This interesting brooch is made using felt and zipper teeth!  The designer has used a split complementary colour scheme of orange opposite blue and cyan.  It could be argued that it is more of a slightly bent tetradic scheme if the toned down yellow of the zipper teeth is included.  The blues vibrate against the orangemaking this combination too energetic for comfort; it was a good decision not to include a greater proportion of orange in the arrangement.  In most cases this colourway would too overwhelming in larger items, but for a small piece such as this it would provide a bright spark against a plainer setting.

Triadic
Mythic Elephant fabric by Fabri Quilt at Allegro Fabrics retrieved from
http://allegrofabrics.com/
item_5895/Mystic-Forest-Fabric-by-Fabri-Quilt-Border-Purple-Elephants-in-Stripes-Green-Orange-with-Floral-Flowers.htm

This fabric is a good example of triadic colours.  It is bright and lively, but perhaps a bit strident for wholesale application.  For best effect, it should be used judiciously in combination with plainer fabrics in one of these colours or in neutralized versions of these colours.

Monochromatic Tints
Mushroom dyeing by Leeanna Prejean
retrieved from
http://seagreenandsapphire.
wordpress.com/

This wool was dyed using the Surprise Webcap mushroom from Finland. The first roving to be dyed (not shown here) was a surprisingly rich reddy-pink. In the process of exhausting the dye, one hank of roving at a time, the artist created a set of fibres that are all tints of the same colour.  They work beautifully together.  This kind of colour harmony would work well in any application where a sense of quiet, elegance and calm is desired, such as living rooms, bedrooms, and formal wear.


Helpful Resources

Densmore, C. (2014). Using colour in textile design. Pattern Observer. Retrieved from
http://patternobserver.com/2014/05/19/using-color-in-textile-design/

Adobe Kuler. (2014). Adobe Systems Incorporated.  Retrieved from
https://kuler.adobe.com/create/color-wheel/

Basic color themes - introduction to color theory. (2012). Tiger Colour. Retrieved from
http://www.tigercolor.com/color-lab/color-theory/color-theory-intro.htm