More Ways to Preview Color Value
There are some easy techniques that help us preview color value.
- Use a computer drawing program to create a mock-up outline of the quilt. Save the "blank" document. Fill-in areas with light to dark shades of grey, using the "save as" command to keep your blank document intact. Reopen the blank document and create another variation.
- View fabrics through a value filter such as Martingale & Company's Ruby Beholder (Compare Prices). Filters are helpful, but they are not a sure-technique, because different filter colors display warm and cool fabrics in varying ways.
- Use a scanner or copier to make black and white photocopies of fabrics, then sort them for color value. It's easier to judge value when you remove the influence of color.
- View fabrics from a distance. Buy a peephole at the hardware store--the little magnifying glass you look through to see who's knocking at your door. Turn it around and look through it backwards to get a "far away" view of your fabrics or blocks.
- Find a book that focuses on color tips for quilters.
- Pay attention to quilts at shows and online. What value arrangements do you like or dislike?
Practice is the key to color value success--keep working on it and you'll feel confident about your fabric selections in no time.
