If we think about color, and often we do, mostly we think about it in terms of the traditional European color combinations of complementary, analogous, and so on. But what happens if instead of classifying color combinations into these categories we expand our notion to an idea of “color harmony?”
Then whole new worlds of color open up to us. Today we’ll talk about the idea of color harmony and some different ways of looking at color. In future color harmony columns we’ll look specifically at ways of looking at color, sources of color inspiration, and how you can use these to create great needlepoint.
Color Harmony
When we talk about color we often borrow terms from the world of music. Harmony is one of those terms. “Harmony” always means something that is pleasing to the senses. We can find references to harmonious notes, colors, patterns, and even flavors. In all cases what matters is that the individual items come together to create a pleasing and beautiful whole.
A definition I read of color harmony says ” In visual experiences, harmony is something that is pleasing to the eye. It engages the viewer and it creates an inner sense of order, a balance in the visual experience.”
Inherent in this definition is the idea that all the colors in the design work together to create something. This could mean that one color is larger in extent than another, as in the two violets in the design above. It could be that the two colors are different in value, below top, or equal in intensity, below bottom. In every case in order to have a harmonious color scheme we need to see reason behind the color choice, not randomness. We also need to have a feeling that the elements are in balance and chosen for a reason.
As is often the case, finding color harmonies is easier to say than to do. That isn’t just true for us as amateurs, full time artists often struggle with this as well. That’s why you can readily find books of color schemes for everyone from knitters to graphic artists. If you have swatches or the names of fabrics, or thread color numbers, then you can just match and you’ll know the colors are balanced and the scheme works.
Traditional Color Harmony
For most of us this means using those color schemes we can easily identify, such as complementary. Pick a color, look for it’s opposite on the color wheel, and you have a color scheme.
If you need more colors or shades in your design, you can extend it by adding white, neutral gray, or black, or adding additional values or intensities of one of the colors. As you can see from the design at the top of the article, the finished piece still retains that color scheme.
The traditional color schemes of monochromatic, analogous, complementary, triad, split complementary, near complementary, and neutral are what we mostly use to create our schemes. We find them by looking at the traditional 12-color wheel, below.
These schemes are so familiar. Burger King has an analogous scheme of red, yellow, and orange. Coke bottles are a complementary scheme of pale green and red. We see them all around us and apply them regularly to our work.
Other Ways of Looking at Color
These color schemes are not the only ways to consider color. Here are some others:
- Color by period or country: The materials used to make color, the preferred mediums for art, and even the climate can influence color schemes. Exploring these and using them for our projects can create different ideas from the same basic colors.
- Color by culture: Many older cultures have systems of color based on the seasons, compass points, or other aspects of nature. Some of these, such as the way Japanese culture looks at color, can be quite complex. They look at colors that harmonize very differently, but in a way that is ripe for exploration
- Color by mood: Different combinations of colors can evoke different moods. For example if you took the colors of Burger King and muted and darkened them, you’d get a rich or luxurious feeling. You can create color schemes that evoke particular moods or characteristics.
- Color by process: The primary colors of the printing process (cyan, magenta, and yellow) can be used to create a color wheel. This slight change makes differences in all the traditional color schemes. The 3-in-1 Color Tool (reviewed here) is based on this.
We’ll explore these all in future columns.
About Janet M Perry
Janet Perry is the Internet's leading authority on needlepoint. She designs, teaches and writes, getting raves from her fans for her innovative techniques, extensive knowledge and generous teaching style. A leading writer of stitch guides, she blogs here and lives on an island in the northeast corner of the SF Bay with her family
Cathy Green says
Thank you for writing on this topic. I have bought numerous books trying to teach myself about this. I ordered the cards last night. A new area of confidence.