Monday, March 18, 2013

Class Review: The Biology of Color

** I served as an ambassador (volunteer) during the Original Sewing & Quilt Expo.  I was the class assistant for "The Biology of Color."

** I'm hesitant to post this review because I didn't pay for the class and I didn't go through all of the projects with the instructor and the other students.  I decided to post because I initially thought this class wouldn't be a good fit for me based on the title and the description (don't judge a book by it's color - pun intended), but I was wrong.

"The Biology of Color" is a class that's designed to teach you how your eye sees color (biology) and how that affects the overall look of your finished product (all of the examples are quilts).  The instructor, June Colburn (www.junecolburn.com) provided the students with a booklet "Color and Design" and swatches of about 30-40 different fabrics (it could have been more).  Each student was responsible for bringing the required materials (pen, scissors, tape, etc) and an optional glue stick.  **You need all of the materials to effectively work through the in-class assignments.

Through various projects - you see the colors (primary, secondary, tertiary) and then, you work through looking at those same groups different ways (i.e. "toddler" primary, very red, yellow, blue vs. "country" primary, dark red, gold, navy).  There are other assignments that deal with tint, tone, and shade (going from light to dark) and contrast.  As you work through the assignments, you use the fabric swatches to create a color handbook that you can later reference.

Although, the class was geared to quilters as a fashion sewer, I felt this was exactly what I needed to be made more aware of.  Especially, as I gear up for a one year no-RTW challenge.  June was very thorough, she patiently answered all questions and she made this a very interesting (and, challenging) class.  The class lasted 3 hours, but I barely noticed the time.  It was especially interesting, seeing everyone choose a different swatch for a color (i.e. different shades of red).

I would highly recommend this class to anyone who is interested in learning more about color or anyone planning on working on a large project (i.e. a quilt or wardrobe).  This class will have you looking at color, texture, and fabric in a new light!

Needles Up,
Always Audrey

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