by Jean Wells
Color and Contrast Assignment
Take a journey and explore four types of contrast:
- light/dark
- warm/cool
- dull/bright
- complimentary colors
Contrast adds excitement to any composition and remember... opposites attract. A larger amount of one of the contrasts will play well with a smaller amount of its opposite. From this short assignment students will take away ideas to use in future projects... not only the hands on experience, but they will also see how other people view contrast (we all see things differently).
Class length: 3 hours
Supply List:
- Required text: Journey to Inspired Art Quilting by Jean Wells
- 8 pieces of copy paper with 5" x 7" rectangles drawn on each piece
- paper scissors
- glue stick
- old magazines or 1" wide (approx.) fabric strips
Classroom Preparation:
- Table space for students (1/2 of a six foot table)
- Extra magazines and glue sticks
- Wall space to put up finished work with straight pins
- One sign for each of the four contrast types posted on the wall
Class Agenda:
- Begin the class with a discussion of contrast, following the discussion in the Magic of Color section of the book. Put up examples from magazines or fabric of each of the 4 contrasts types mentioned above.
- Have students tear colored strips from magazines or cut up fabric strips and put together compositions for each of the contrasts above inside the 5" x 7" rectangle drawn on their paper. Make sure that one of the elements in each contrast is used more than the other. An example for the complimentary colors would be mostly green with a smaller amount of red.
- Students should label the contrast type on each composition, then post them on the wall under the appropriate sign.
- Critique the compositions as a group and have students vote on their favorite from each group.
