Each lesson, we have added a design element to our composition assignment. So far our elements are balance, value, and scale. Lesson 4 and 5 add color to our design element tool box. The first lesson is about seeing value in color. It is not an easy task, but we developed some tricks.
For our evening exercise, we had about 20 squares of fabric with different colors, patterns and values. The task was to sort by value. We started by picking the lightest ones and taking majority votes on the value order. We learned that our eyes see value differently, and that a strong pattern can be hard to place in the value ordering. When we got to the middle values, we shifted to sorting from the darkest to lighter. Eventually, we had to deal with the middle, which had some patterns with strong contrast (light/dark difference) that made it hard to figure out the sorting.
A few tools can help us see relative value in color. In our session, we squinted, used binoculars backwards (this works better with a less powerful magnifier than my birding glasses), and took photos to gain perspective. A black and white photo made value clearer for us, but after we got the hang of it, even the color photo was informative. You can also use red cellophane to evaluate value - it removes hues (colors) and leaves mainly the light/dark element.
Below are the photos. They are a bit odd because I had to take the picture right next to the overhead light. The colors are far more yellow than they should be, but you get the idea.
Hope to see everyone next time for some fun and camaraderie!
Sarah
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| Our initial sorting - perhaps you can see some areas that we needed to resort |
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| Our final sort, although it looks like our checked fabric is missing. I don't think we ever reached consensus on the ordering because of how we all see color and value a bit differently. You can't tell here, but there were blues and purples and greens in the mix. |
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