Do you suffer from “colour envy”?
For many sewists (quilters and dressmakers) the desire to balance the colours of their fabric choices is a battle that they have lost before they have even begun. The great news is that you no longer need to fear your colour choices ... just use smart technology to set you on the right path!
The term “Value” relates to the lightness or darkness of a colour, and is relative. That is to say that the value of a colour depends on the value of the other colours surrounding with it. Whenever you contrast the Value you create depth in your quilt or clothing.
There are several tools a sewist can use to determine the value of colour. The first is to look at the fabric through a red coloured piece of cellophane. The red colour of the cellophane cancels out the other colours allowing you to see only value in greyscale, just like the photo above (use a piece of green cellophane for viewing red colours).
If you are working somewhere where you have access to a printer, you can lay your fabrics on top of the printers bed and simply print a black and white “picture”.
More often you will not have these things with you when shopping, so another great way to view fabrics in black and white is to use your smart phone. Check to see if the camera in your smart phone has “effects”. You may need to go to your camera, and then tap “settings” to view your options. On my Galaxy I simply had to drag the “Effects” button to the top tool bar of the camera. Now when I need to take a black and white photo I simply tap “Effects” and select “Greyscale”. Alternatively you can search the iStore or Google Play to find an app that will produce a black and white picture of your fabric. Then all you need to do is take a quick picture using this app.
Whichever method you use to change the way you see your fabric you are sure to improve your skill to judge the value of your fabrics. Your new found knowledge will help you next time you are selecting fabrics!
No comments:
Post a Comment