Tuesday, January 24, 2012

Color class Lesson 4- Complex Complements

Our assignment for January was Complex Complements and we could choose from the following:
double complement, double split complement, split complement, and analogous complement.

I chose the analogous complement, using blue with orange, yellow orange, and red orange. I read through the assignment, the lesson, and knew that the visual temperature of mine was going to be warm, with a little coolness from the blue.

I knew what to do too. YAY! I chose my word for the year, "Practice", and wanted to make a wall hanging for my studio that said that.

I started by drawing each of the letters and a shadow on paper, and cutting them out. Then I went about choosing the orange-based fabrics to form the main body of the letters with various shades, tints, and tones of blue for the shadows.

I put all the pieces for each letter on batting and backing and used the satin stitch to put them together and then trimmed the excess off when I was finished.

I made the background out of two pieces of silk, and quilted the main portion by "writing" quotes about practice, and in the smaller border strips, I quilted some flowers then did small stippling around them. I attached loops at the top for hanging and set the letters on.

I debated about how to attach the letters to the background and finally settled on some small brads that I had on hand in my scrapbooking supplies.

The piece still looked like it needed something and so I stamped a bunch of small butterflies onto some Lutrador, colored them in with my Inktense pencils and applied water. This makes the pencil virtually turn into watercolor paints, if you haven't tried them. They are so much fun!

When they were dry, I cut them out and glued them on the piece, and used glue & glitter for the bodies and antennae.

Lastly, I added a flower I made out of silk cocoon strippings. I bought them already dyed yellow orange from Heather's studio. I shaped the flower and glued some beads in the middle and when that was all dry, added it to the piece.

Here's the finished project:


It's good advice and something I continually need to be reminded of. If you haven't read "Outliers" by Malcolm Gladwell, you should. It's all about success and it might make you re-think the way you do some things!

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