Color Theory

Here's a look at what I've been up to lately in my color theory class -- mixing every tint and shade under the sun :)

Color Theory for Textile Artists

I'm taking a bit of a diversion from pattern making and diving deep into color theory. I've signed up for an online class with Jane Dunnewold on color for textile artists. This week's homework was to work on some color wheels on both paper and cloth.

The inexact science of fabric dyeing

 The last month I've worked on a lot of color swatches with tub dyeing. Most of these were dyed for 24-30 hours in 2/3 cup chemical water (a mix of salt, soda ash, and water) and a half-plastic spoon of dye. The interesting thing about dye is that if you add two pieces of fabric at the same time to the same dye bath, each piece may come out a different color because of the way the dye fixes to the fabric. It's an inexact process, but I am getting a better understanding through these experiments. Now I'll have some good references for working with more fabric.

Color variations

Lately I've been thinking a lot about color theory, and I even have ordered myself a bunch of books on the subject. Tonight I recolored the "dazzle camouflage" tile several different ways. It's remarkable how much color can change a piece.

Analogous

Complementary

Triadic

Triadic

Spoonflower proofs are in!

I got something exciting in the mail this week: my fabric proofs from Spoonflower! It's interesting to see how the digital design translates into cloth. Some of the colors are less saturated in real life, like the sea green waves. 

For this reason I also purchased the full color map. The smaller color guide is a great intro, but you'll soon find it doesn't give enough flexibility. The map shows every printable color and will be an essential tool for me.

Back to the designs. I think the clouds is the strongest: good crisp lines and contrasting colors.

This black one is a little weaker. Notice the tiny white edges here: I'll need to recolor this one to remove that. So the black one is not for sale at this point.

The only other pattern that I don't think is ready yet is the green on blue waves. It just doesn't pop. I'm going to try a brighter green on that one.

The rest of the patterns are all for sale in my shop:

I'm also continuing to work through this Skillshare course on repeating patterns. It's well worth the $20 (Use my link for the discounted price). I'm learning all sorts of things about Illustrator, and I like that it's self paced. Best of all, it connects me with other artists, so it's great to see other's creativity and get feedback on my project.

Thursday: Chocolates

Posts have been a little slow this week, but I assure you I've still been doing patterns. My boyfriend and I were traveling in Boston and didn't have great internet connectivity. On Thursday, we found a Lindt Chocolates store, and bought many different flavors of the Lindor Truffles. After eating about half of them, I decided to draw the rest.