COLOR AND HOW TO USE IT
For those who have not had an opportunity of studying color, the
following explanation of the theory of mixing colors may not be amiss.
Yellow, red, and blue are called the standard or primary colors. From
these we make the three binary or secondary colors, orange, green, and
violet.
Orange is produced by mixing red and yellow.
Green is produced by mixing blue and yellow.
Violet is produced by mixing red and blue.
These primary and binary colors are thought of as though they were
arranged in a circle.
Divide the circumference of a circle in six equal parts. Draw three
diameters through the points found. Begin at the top with yellow.
One-sixth of the distance to the left, we place orange, at the next
diameter’s end place red. At the bottom of the circle opposite yellow
is violet. Passing upward toward the right blue is opposite orange, and
continuing upward, green is opposite red. The colors at opposite ends of
the three diameters are called complements.
Yellow is the complement of violet and violet of yellow.
Orange is the complement of blue and blue of orange.
Red is the complement of green and green of red.
The outside of the circle in the cut represents the full strength of
the pure color. The addition of different amounts of white and black
is indicated by the inner circles, the center standing for pure white
or pure black. The circle may be subdivided to suggest many gradations
from the full color through the tints to white and by the addition of
black through the shades to black. This system of gradation is a help
in determining the contrast of tints, but is more useful in helping to
determine related harmonies up and down the scale from black to the pure
color and then through the tints to white.
Red, with one part of white added, would be indicated by the second
circle. Its complement would be the green found on the second circle,
which has an equal amount of white mixed with it, producing a _tint_. The
same arrangement holds true with regard to black. Each circle represents
also one portion of black added to the standard color, producing a
_shade_. There is an almost indefinite number of these tints and shades,
depending upon their location within the color circle.
It is found that equal parts of the primary colors red, yellow, and blue
make neutral grey. Any binary color plus a primary color makes grey. For
instance, a binary green, which is made of the two primaries yellow and
blue, added to a primary red produces grey.
In the same way, a binary orange, which is a combination of primary red
and yellow, added to blue makes grey.
[Illustration: COLOR CIRCLE
_For explanation of this “Color Circle” see page 50_]
A binary violet, which is primary red and blue, added to yellow makes
grey.
Colors may be softened or greyed by adding a little black or brown dye
or by adding the complementary color. A bright green, for instance, is
softened either by adding a little black or brown or the complement of
green, which is red.
Dyes are mixed in much the same manner as paints and it is necessary to
know the action of one color upon another. Especially must one know how
grey is produced so as not to produce this effect when such a result is
undesirable and yet avoid too vivid combinations. In mixing dyes both
brown and black are valuable to tone down the clear colors. There need be
no fear of producing a muddy color by adding black or brown dye to the
colors, as is produced by adding black paint, because the black dye is
made up of particles of other colors.
Valuable help in reproducing color combinations is found in keeping a
record of the amounts and colors used, the weight or size of material
dyed, and the length of time the goods is in the dye bath.
If commercial dyes are used, follow the directions given exactly as on
the package.
“Top dyeing” means to dye over another color.
The material may be a light blue. Over this or on top of this, a green is
dyed, giving a blue green result.
In dyeing one color over another the result naturally depends upon the
strength of the first as well as upon that of the succeeding dyes. As
yellow is nearest white in value, it is wise to dye yellow first if other
colors are to be added. If the yellow is weak the other dyes will be very
little affected by it as they are much stronger. If a strong yellow has
been used first, the following modifications may be expected:
COLOR TABLE FOR TOP DYEING
Orange over yellow will give orange yellow.
Red over yellow will give red orange.
Blue over yellow will give green.
Green over yellow will give yellow green.
Violet or magenta over yellow will give grey.
Brown over yellow will give yellow brown.
Black over yellow will give grey.
If a blue dye is to be used first, the following suggestions may help.
Accordingly as the blue used is strong or weak, it will appear in the
resulting combination strongly or weakly. The top dye used over it will
equally of course count in the resulting combination according as it is
strong or weak. Having these two points in mind we can say:
Red over blue will give purple.
Violet over blue will give blue violet.
Green over blue will give blue green.
Yellow over blue will give green.
Brown over blue will give dark brown.
Black over blue will give blue black.
[Illustration: _“Spring.” A Batik Wall Hanging, by C. Bertram Hartman and
Peter Mijer_]
With red as the basic color, and with the strength of color in mind as
suggested before, we find that
Orange over red will give orange red.
Yellow over red will give orange.
Green over red will give dark grey, green or red.
Blue over red will give violet.
Violet over red will give red violet.
Brown over red will give red brown.
Black over red will give grey red.
The following mixtures of dyes are valuable:
Yellow, orange and blue with yellow predominating make gold.
Orange and green with orange predominating give russet shades.
Orange, green and red give orange brown.
Orange, blue and magenta give bronze.
In studying out the color scheme of any piece it is desirable to refer to
the Color Chart for contrasts, related colors and combinations that are
not familiar.
If a perfect balance of contrast of any tint of a color is desired,
the contrasting tint must show the same proportion of white in its
make-up; but the contrast may be made more decided by choosing a lighter
contrasting tint.
Yellow has the tendency to come nearer the observer and it adds warmth
and brilliancy to all its combinations with other colors. Red is less
brilliant than yellow, but it is the most intense and positive of all
the colors. Blue is the retreating cold color. It shows its quality best
by daylight. Blue and white are the strongest color contrasts excepting
black and white.
Green, composed of the primaries yellow and blue, is capable of great
variation from cool to warm according to the amount of either blue or
yellow entering into it. Its contrast is red.
Orange is the most brilliant of the secondary colors. It is most useful
when toned down to old gold and russet.
Violet is the darkest of the secondary colors. As it contains much blue
it has a tendency to fade into a neutral brownish color by artificial
light.
The tertiary colors russet, olive, and citrine are most valuable.
Russet is made up of orange and violet, which again are composed of
yellow, blue, and red. Red being in both of these colors, russet
evidently belongs to the red group of colors, and contains a smaller
proportion of both yellow and blue. The contrast to russet is from deep
green to blue grey for a very orange shade.
Olive is dominantly a blue color as it is made from green and violet,
both of which contain blue. The contrast of olive is deep orange.
[Illustration: _A Scarf tied in bands across the ends. Designed by Helen
R. Reed_]
[Illustration: _A Scarf, showing a combination of tied squares, circles
and stripes. Designed by Helen R. Reed_]
Citrine is a combination of orange and green, and therefore is made up of
the primaries, two parts yellow, one red, and one blue. Yellow is in the
largest amounts, red next, and blue least.
These three colors are exceedingly valuable to the decorator as each one
has an enormous range of tints and shades and the whole group is very
pleasing to the eye. There are a few other colors that are so generally
used that they deserve special note.
First, brown, theoretically produced by a mixture of citrine and olive or
red, blue and yellow. Practically several shades require the addition of
black dye to produce brown. A bluish or purplish color according to its
shade is its contrast.
Maroon is a red and brown whose contrast is shades of green.
Tints and shades of any full color also give harmonious combinations.
The nearer the shade approaches black and the tint approaches white, the
greater the contrast. The more closely related the two are the less the
contrast.
In considering color combinations we also have the related or analogous
group, from which to choose our color schemes. These are in every way
more easily handled in dyeing work and are of greater use especially to
the beginner.
A tint is secured in dyeing by reducing with water the full strength of
the dye and also shortening the time of immersion.
A shade is secured by adding black. Between the full strength of the dye
and white, however, lies the range of tints most easily used. Refer to
the Color Chart for the complements of the tints and shades. These vary
in the case of crimson, for instance, from deep crimson through rose
to the palest pink tints. Each decided color step in this scale gives
related tints that may safely be combined. If they are not far removed
from each other in intensity, they give very little contrast, but may be
at the same time a very pleasing combination. Considerable contrast may
be secured by using tints that are considerably removed from each other
in the color scale.
Still another group of color harmonies must be considered. This is the
harmony of related colors. By this is meant the harmony of all colors of
which blue, for example, forms a part. This group runs all the way from
the purplish blues formed by adding red through all the different blues
to blue greens made by adding yellow.
This grouping is especially useful in dyeing, as we can dye in one such
group very effectively, starting with the yellow found in the blue green
and working toward the red found in the violet blues.
For dyeing purposes we can really make just two color groups—the blue
just given and the red. The red group starts with the red violets, which
contain, of course, red and blue, and goes through the red group into the
orange, which is red and yellow.
[Illustration: _A center panel of a Javanese Batik_]
PLEASING COLOR COMBINATIONS
The following table of harmonizing colors is inserted as a guide for
those who do not have a scientific knowledge of Color and its many
harmonies:
Black harmonizes with crimson, lemon, yellow.
Black harmonizes with scarlet, blue, green.
Black harmonizes with citrine.
Black harmonizes with olive.
Black harmonizes with salmon.
Black harmonizes with primrose.
Black harmonizes with corn color.
Black harmonizes with orange.
Black harmonizes with gold.
Black harmonizes with white.
White harmonizes with cerise.
White harmonizes with scarlet.
White harmonizes with orange.
Violet harmonizes with scarlet, blue, orange.
Violet harmonizes with scarlet, gold.
Violet harmonizes with corn color.
Violet harmonizes with gold.
Violet harmonizes with citrines.
Violet harmonizes with yellow.
Orange harmonizes with violet.
Orange harmonizes with blue, scarlet, green.
Orange harmonizes with purple, scarlet.
Orange harmonizes with crimson, blue.
Orange harmonizes with brown.
Orange harmonizes with violet.
Orange harmonizes with blue.
Dark Green harmonizes with crimson, blue, gold.
Dark Green harmonizes with gold.
Blue Green harmonizes with orange.
Green harmonizes with russet.
Green harmonizes with scarlet.
Green harmonizes with red.
Yellow harmonizes with violet, scarlet, blue.
Yellow harmonizes with brown.
Yellow harmonizes with deep crimson.
Yellow harmonizes with blue.
Yellow harmonizes with violet.
Crimson harmonizes with black.
Crimson harmonizes with violet.
Crimson harmonizes with corn color.
Crimson harmonizes with orange.
Crimson harmonizes with gold.
Crimson harmonizes with yellow, green.
Scarlet harmonizes with blue, grey.
Scarlet harmonizes with violet.
Scarlet harmonizes with blue.
Scarlet harmonizes with blue, green.
Red harmonizes with white.
Red harmonizes with grey.
Red harmonizes with blue.
Red harmonizes with gold.
Red harmonizes with green.
Blue harmonizes with brown, crimson, gold.
Blue harmonizes with orange, green.
Blue harmonizes with orange, black.
Blue harmonizes with black.
Blue harmonizes with white.
Blue harmonizes with chocolate brown.
Blue harmonizes with neutral grey.
Blue harmonizes with salmon.
Blue harmonizes with straw.
Blue harmonizes with corn color.
Blue harmonizes with gold.
Blue harmonizes with orange.
[Illustration: _“The Madonna.” A Batik Wall Hanging, by Helen R. Reed,
Van Dyck Studios, New York_]